Companion Vs. Other Animals
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Companion Vs. Other Animals
Comments by Alicia Richards - 3 Aug 2007

Hello, everyone! thanks so much for your responses to my messages. It's fun to see an active list. In order to avoid sending a lot of little messages, I'll condense my responses to various people into this one. I apologize, because it means a fairly long message, but I prefer that to a bunch of one-liners.

Ginny, welcome to the group. I'm fairly new here myself, but have found it a welcoming place. I'm learning a lot from various members. I know we don't always agree with each others opinions, but it seems to be respectful disagreement. I look forward to getting to know you. as to your question about fish, I completely agree with you. I don't like the idea of killing them to feed ourselves. I really don't like it when people fish just for recreation, not even to eat the fish they catch. They reel the fish in, and immediately throw it back. Yet the fish, if it even survives, has felt the pain of the hook in it's mouth, been taken from the water it depends on, only to be thrown back as useless. Many of them die in that process, and it makes me mad. As a little girl, before I was old enough to really work out my own beliefs, I went fishing with my Grandpa. I still remember watching the fish struggle as it was caught, sometimes die while it was in the bucket of water on the way home, and hanging upside down from a line with its tail cut off to bleed out. That did upset me, so I didn't fish with him very often. I wasn't familiar with the concept of being vegan, but even then I didn't like the cruelty I saw.

Right now, I'm working on being an ovo-lacto vegetarian, or at least I think that's the proper term. My eventual goal is to become vegan, but I'm trying to take it in steps, so I don't get overwhelmed. I'm trying to buy local organic milk and eggs that say "cage free," on them. I'm trying to make becoming a vegetarian as humane as I possibly can while working toward being vegan.

And speaking of respectful disagreement, Rob, I'm going to have to do that here. I definitely respect your knowledge of the beliefs of Hindus and Jews and where they came from. And yes, it is better to hold some animals sacred than none at all. I wasn't in any way criticizing the beliefs of those religions: just trying to make a point.

However, my disagreement comes in what you said about cats. They are who God created them to be. I know we all believe that animals are God's creation. I know creation, and thus animals, are effected by the Fall, but I believe that humans were originally meant to be vegetarian and stick to a plant-based diet, but it seems as though animals were created to be carnivores. So, I can support having a cat because she is who God created her to be, and acting upon her nature.

I can't really think of an animal that isn't a carnivore, I think some sea creatures are, but I'm not sure about land animals. If we followed your logic, no one would have domestic pets. Pets give a lot of people companionship, and even research suggest that pets and humans benefit from each other. I think having a domestic pet is far less cruel than what they encounter in the wild.

For example, my cat was picked up by the Humane Society as a stray. She was extremely malnourished and dehydrated, so much so that they kept her on I.V fluids for three days. It could be argued that God meant her to die, but I really don't believe that. She is extremely affectionate, with a lot of love to give. I'm not in favor of declawing or things like that, but I love my kitty. In your message, even you seem to like dogs, but they are carnivores, too, also who God created them to be. Like I say, I'm not trying to be nasty here, just voicing my opinions.

Lastly, Gary, thank you for your message. I appreciate it, and your focus on kitties. I can tell your knowledgeable about them and their needs when they are domestic. I hadn't really meant for the discussion to be specifically about cats, but I can tell you're a fellow cat lover. If a vegan food can be developed that is complete, balanced, and healthy for cats, I'm all for it. Since we don't have that now, I feed Emma the best food I know how to.

Anyway, I'm glad we've got some discussion going. Talk to everyone soon!

In His service,

Alicia

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