FACTORY FARMED ANIMALS TORTURED AND SLAUGHTERED TO FEED SO CALLED "COMPANION ANIMALS"

[Nath Miles]

It is becoming clear that as a society we are becoming more and more speciesist.

 

What do you think about those who feel it is completely ok to factory farm, torture and slaughter animals so as to feed them to sustain so called companion animals (dogs and cats) rather than having them put to sleep?

 

 

Does this not seem to be completely hypocritical?

 

Many prominent animal rights advocates struggle with this question.

With many feeling the best way forward is the one with the "least harm" to ALL animals.

If this is the case then it would appear that the "least harm" would then be to humanely put the huge over population of excess companion animals to sleep as to keep them alive and sustain them hundreds of animals would have to suffer and  die.

 

So why is it that our society has become so speciesist?

 

[red dog]

What do you mean, "we are becoming more and more speciesist"? In contrast with people of what era? Could you really call an otherwise vegan society that disposed of nonhumans like garbage a nonspeciesist society? Should people who have to take nonvegan medications also kill themselves? Do you have any human relatives who aren't vegan, or have you killed them all?

I honestly wonder if you're serious. If you are, and if you have vegan cats and dogs, why don't you post some recipes? My dog's main food is vegan kibble, but she's been having some digestive problems lately. My cats have finally accepted vegan kibble in their diets, but I wonder if they're eating enough or if their baby foster brother is eating a disproportionate amount.

Are you here to help, or are you here to provoke people?

[Caroline Raward]

Thanks for raising this issue Nathan, it is an issue I manage to push to the back of my mind becuase I personally dont know how to deal with it. I have two cats, one male which I have been advised kibble only diet is not recommended due to the risk of blockage in the urethra. So I now feed them them standard canned cat food with the hope that in my new job I will be able to source scrap meat from left over meals.

[blackpanther]

the cats and dogs who don't have particular kidney or urinary problems are very happy with vegan food. I live in France, and my cats eat vegan food!
so nobody gets hurt and I can share their life (they, of course are feline "refugees", who would have died if they hadn't found and adopted me.........yes, it happened that way, and not the contrary!)......
so, what's the problem?

[red dog]

What kind of food do your cats eat, and for how long? I'm trying out Ami but haven't been using it exclusively. I guess I'd like to hear more success stories.

[blackpanther]

yes, they eat AMI and BENEVO food, and are totally healthy. They have had it for 2 years......and no problem! they love it, but I change from one to the other, for the taste......

[red dog]

Thanks, maybe I'll order some Benevo and see if they like it. They never touched Evolution canned when I tried it a few years ago ... but they didn't care for Ami at first either and they're eating it now. Sprinkling it with nutritional yeast seems to make a difference.

[Tim Gier]

Nath,

Thanks for raising this issue. It's an important topic and it should causes us to think past what we assume as normal to examine what we can discover about what is true. I'd like to look at the issue from a slightly different angle, but from one which still focuses on what you are asking.

Let's suppose we're talking about a Boa Constrictor that has been bred in captivity and confined for all of its life. If you were to find yourself having to care for him, would you be prepared to feed him the live rats, rabbits and other small mammals he'd need to thrive, or would you let him starve to death?

What about big cats rescued from circuses and poorly run zoos & habitats. When sanctuaries take them in to provide them lifetime homes, are they supposed to feed them the flesh of other animals which they need to survive, or should they let them starve to death?

[Nath Miles]

The reality is red dog instead of us seeing all animals as equal which they are. Certain humans have an agenda to push that focuses on "cute fluffy dogs and cats" as the only animals worth saving. So its a crime to put to sleep a dog or cat in a shelter but its perfectly ok for thousands of animals to be factory farmed, tortured and slaughtered to keep this dog or cat alive? It seems insane that people cannot see the hypocrisy in what they are doing.

[Nath Miles]

All the science says cats cant be fed a vegan diet.

[Nath Miles]

All well and good to save and rescue animals as you mentioned above Tim and i agree with rescue.

However when it comes to dogs and cats rescue is not going to fix the problem. Yes it may help that dog or cat. However we need to change the attitudes of those in society. The reality is 99 + % of people who own dogs or cats feed them meat or meat products. And this is seen as ok.

Why is it seen as a outrage by some for a dog to be put to sleep but its ok for hundreds of chickens to die to feed this dog? This is pure species ism.

We need to get to the root of the problem and that is why these animals need rescued?

[Carolyn Bailey]

Hey Nath,

Thanks for making this post!

This is such a difficult topic. Humans are the reason there is such an overpopulation of domesticates, humans are the reason these animals are dumped on the streets to fend for themselves in volatile and inappropriate environments, and humans are the reason most of us have no desire to comprehend the seriousness of this situation.

It seems that, as long as humans think it's OK to exploit other animals, use them for our own gratification, breed an over-abundance of many species into the world, only to be used and killed; this is an issue that will never go away.

I don't know what the answer is, other than education, but thanks for raising the topic!

[Nath Miles]

Education is 100% the key.

I guess though this has been made all the more harder thanks to some saying there is no over population.