A Lot of wind is coming at you and it
can be seen on both the water AND in the clouds ; tossing a
sea-anchor is a way to safely drop your Main, then pull
the anchor and sail away with the jib.

Look at the shot below, just above the front-X-beam on
the port side ; that gust-front could be seen in the clouds
at-Least 10 miles away, before it ever got to Ya. If the
Main sail had bin dropped, there is a Very GOOD chance that
cat never would have flipped .

OK , i'm a mono-hull sailor NOT a cat guru, but Years on
a hang glider, sailboats, and a decade with kite-boards
have taught me that "WEATHER" can NOT just sneak-Up on
Ya , there are signs available to the aware person !!!