Vegetarian Pets............

I had this conversation with my mother the other day.........

Mom: If you had a child, would you raise it to be a vegetarian?
Me: Of course
Mom: Well, aren't your animals just like children to you?
Me: Yes
Mom: So why do you not have them on a vegetarian diet?
Me: Because animals are naturally meat eaters.....we as humans have a choice
Mom: Well, since you are the one buying their food, I would assume that, technically, they have a choice too....since they infact do not have to go out and kill for their dinner.

So here I became a little stumped. My answcer was that I would not want to force it on my animal babies.....but yes, if I had kids I would raise them as vegetarians to believe that it is morally wrong eat meat since they are capable of understanding the concept. My animals are not, however it is I that buys their food so basically they eat what I want them to eat (although I only feed them what they like best). So now I want everyone's opinon on the subject of wheter or not you think it is hypocritical of me to be feeding my animals meat based food. And do you or would you do it?
Discuss...............

 

I wouldn't particually want to, but yes I'd feed a carnivore meat. That is their natural diet and they're whole system is geared up for it.
however.....
By meat I mean free range, organic, humane and natural as possible. No way would I give them pet food. It's unnatual and nasty stuff (made from meat not fit for human consumption)

That wouldn't be hypocritical because it's what nature intended. Of course they could survive on a veggie diet but that seems a lot of effort (can't even be bothered to nourish myself properly).

It's diffrent for people as they have a choice and not really need for meat. I'd raise veggie kids too.

Of course my companion animals, being rabbits, are natual herbivores. So it's not really an issue. I like rabbits anyway but feel very comforted that they are vegetarian too.

 

i just dont know where people get off saying that animals are not capable of morals.. who are you to say that? do they tell you they dont have morals? just because you cant tell they're there and you dont see them, they dont compare to yours, they don't have any sense of what they're doing?




by the way, elle, when i said you that was you in general

 

When I said they are not capable of understanding morals, I meant that I would not be able to explain the concept of meat eating as opposed to a veggie diet and expect them to weigh the issue for themselves and then make an educated decision as to whether or not they wanted to keep eating meat or not. I would be able to do so with my child, when she was of age to understand. No, my dog has absolutley no sense of whether or not she is helping things by not eating meat.......especially since that would be my choice not hers, if it was up to her she would have a steak and eggs every meal.....unless of course she could grasp the concept of animal cruelty and the enviorment , which she cant, which was my point.

 

My concern would not be whether it is right for you to feed your (presumably carnivourous) pet meat, but whether it is right for you to impose your choices on your pet.

If your vegetarianism is based on your relationship to animals, what relationship do you have with your pet? Is it one of ownership and control, where the pet does what you want? Or are you a caretaker who gives great weight to her pet's desires and inborn nature.

Unless you are willing to call wild wolves "immoral" for their diet, I see the meat/no-meat issue as subsidiary to the morality of your attitute towards your pet.

(Re-reading this, I see that someone might see an implied critisism of you. None is intended.)

 

Exactly. I completely agree, which is exactly why I would never force my diet on them.

I'm glad everyone seems to have the same point of view as I do.....
and next time the subject is brought up I will keep all these points in mind.

 

Animals have morals. Just not as high as those of us (eventhough....we actually ARE animals in a way).Their instincts are stronger than those of humans. But for instance: Wolves nurture and babysit other wolve's pups. Or a heard of horses will slow down, if a member is wounded, so that it can keep up. Dolphins circle around wounded members to protect them from danger, or bump them up to the air so they won't drown (if the members are to weak to reach the air themselves), etc.... My cat showed morals the other day too (it was like watching a movie! ).

However, they don't speak or language, we are generally (lol) smarter then they are.

anyways....back to topic: Don't withhold meat from a carnivorous pet, their body is designed to digest meat. They have no other choice.They NEED it to survive. We already need supplements for some vitamins, and we naturally are omnivores, therefor it's not that tragic. But our cats, for instance, are carnivores, imagine what a v*gan diet would do to them??

 

I really don't think morals plays into what an animal eats. Rather, I think, it's a matter of how the Creator designed the animal. Cats (felines) and dogs (canines), both domestic and wild, have teeth designed for ripping and tearing. Herbivores have teeth designed for cropping, mashing, and grinding. Carnivores have a relatively short gut (intestine). Herbivores have a longer gut. Some herbivores have multiple stomachs and rechew their partially digested food. Thus, it takes a long time to completely digest the food they eat to extract the nutrients. Carnivores, on the other hand, fast tract (pun intended) their food. We humans are, by design, omnivores, capable of eating both animal and vegetable. Our full set of teeth share the characteristics of both the carnivore (ripping and tearing) and the herbivore (cropping, mashing, and grinding). Our gut is shorter than the herbivore but longer than the carnivore. We can obtain our nutrients from different sources. And we can choose to remain omnivorous or switch to being herbivorous. Canines and felines can not.

And if one does not wish to feed commercially produced dog and/or cat food to their animal friend, please consult a veterinarian for an alternate food source that will provide the animal with the proper nutrient and vitamin diet.


And, as someone else mentioned, no criticism is intended.

 

I agree with luvndrumm... (luv that name too....for some reason... )

 

And so as their moral guardians, should we not be responsible for choosing an as cruelty-free as possible diet for our pets? That being said, I don't know what i'd do if i had an omnivore pet. But I can't imagine a domestic housecat going out into the wild, tackling and killing a cow to get to its beef and then serving it up with peas and gravy like they sell on the supermarket shelves. In no way is that "natural". I think our pets are a reflection on ourselves also. But why is the wellbeing of a housecat/dog more important than the wellbeing of the cow or chicken that they are eating? they are all "immoral" creatures with the same level of intelligence. Same level of intelligence as most humans too if you ask me

 

i feed my animals nutro products, all natural, no animal by products, improves skin and coat, and loaded with obsence amount of vitamins they even have an indoor cat formula which is very important if you have a dog give them the best natural choice Ultra if any one has any questions about their products let me know

 

It's not just the survival of the pack. Wolves, for instance, may accept a 'lone wolf', who is not part of their family. They either attack, or accept them. My cat adopted and protected kittens that aren't even her's from another cat trying to attack them, about two days ago.

But morality in food is also common by wolves. They'd only attack middle aged and old pray, young pray they let live .They may not have morals as high as our's, because they have stronger instincts then our's, I even mentioned that in my last post, But that doesn't mean they have no morals at all.

 

yeah..I know. It's another word for ethics.

 

xolo dogs are natural plant eaters, but they are quite happy with regular meat filled doggy chow.

they just look kind a funny, there also known as mexican harless dogs.

 

sounds like your mom was just trying to get a rise out of you, and you bought right into it it's right up there with "if you were on a desert island and there was only meat to eat would you eat it?" hehe. after all these years i guess i just i don't play those games anymore.

 

Well, that sounds pretty much it for the question of vegetarians feeding pets.

What about spaying and neutering? Does that present any special ethical questions for vegetarians?