[thalestral]

This is something I have been involved in countless discussions with, heh.

Firstly I think it is important for veg*ns to realise that if they feed a pet meat then what they are doing is hypocritical, supporting the life of one animal by killing countless faceless others. Just to realise this and accept it as true.

Secondly, if we choose to bring an animal into our home then it should go without saying that we are dedicating ourselves to providing the optimal care, including diet, to this animal. If we cannot bring ourselves to be personally responsible for the deaths of many other animals then we need to stick to the many herbivorous animals out there available for adoption. It is our choice.

Thirdly, we need to accept the difference between an omnivorous animal and an obligate carnivore. The latter needs meat in my opinion, and it vexes me when I see vegan cat food compared favourably with other processed meat cat food. In my opinion and from the research I have done, the best food for a cat that does not have specific medical needs is a raw meat based diet. And I have read nothing that can compare a vegan cat food favourably with a raw meat based diet.

As for the omnivorous companion animals, that status alone would not be enough for me to strike meat from their diet. It would have to be proven to me that a vegan diet compared favourably with the most optimal omnivorous diet. I have heard that this is possible with dogs but I remain unconvinced and wish to do more research. Rats on the other hand I know can positively thrive on a vegan diet. So with omnivores I feel it is not so clear cut.

Finally, and most importantly, I feel that when a veg*n is thinking of getting a pet the issue of adopting versus breeding or buying becomes even more important. To buy or breed a non-herbivorous pet here is to support the production of an animal that requires the death of many others. To me, this is the height of hypocrisy and I was utterly gobsmacked to learn other veg*ns do not feel the same way. For me personally, the only way to reconcile my beliefs that killing animals is wrong while allowing myself to care for a non-herbivorous pet is to adopt an existing animal rather than fuel the demand for more creatures that result in more death.

To explain further, I consider the cat in a shelter as a life already in existence thanks to thoughtless humans. We are responsible for the awful overpopulation of animals that results in countless animals in cages in shelters awaiting their lives to be snuffed out because we do not have enough love in the world for these animals we choose to bring to life regardless. For this cat, if it is to live, then its lifetime of meat supply is already earmarked for its consumption. No matter who adopts this animal, the meat is already going to be consumed. So if a vegan adopts this cat, they are not adding to the demand for meat any more than if someone else adopted the cat. If they buy the cat and add to the demand for more cats, this is a different story.

By virtue of being an easily adoptable animal compared to the cow or pig, the chances of the cat living rather than being killed are high. So no matter who adopts the animal the diet is the same. The very least a veg*n can do is not contribute to the demand for pet food that tests on animals and mass produced cat food and so on.

No matter how much I wish that society viewed the cow, pig and sheep the same at the moment we are not there yet. In the meantime I repeat the mantra, do not breed or buy while homeless animals die, and hope that others may reach the same conclusion that bringing life into the world for our pleasure is wrong.