can vegan have pets woman with cat and dogs

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28 Comments

  1. Owning a pet is animal exploitation. You steal it from his family, you cage it, you collar it, you sterilize it, you subjugate it, all for your own comfort. The absolute epitome of exploitation. If this is what you think veganism is I highly recommend you stop pretending you’re vegan.

  2. Ben Farmer says:

    I have never read such circulatory rubbish for a long time. The answer must surely be to prevent further breeding of “pets” and let nature resolve the problem over the next 20 years or so (much shorter for some “pets”). As for “pets” helping “partners “ to relate to animals better, unfortunately I know too many “pet partners “ who can’t relate to their own kind, ie humans.

  3. Tony Volkas says:

    Well, I am a vegan and I have 2 beautiful sweet dogs. For me they are more than just animals, for me they are my companions. Just their presence make my life better and easier. I feel so relaxed with them, because I know that they love me with an unconditional love. I have been through a lot, and they were beside me all the time. I just.. Feel their support. And I think a person-pet relationship is about a tandem. You give them good conditions for living, they give you love, support and even healing effect. They can support you in not good emotional state just *being there*. I appreciate dogs so much. My favorite creatures ever.

  4. Sanina Zelená(=Green). says:

    Greetings,I always adopt abandoned Animals from sanctuaries or directly from the street,never buy them,as I disagree with any form of slave-market & I prefer old & sick/handicapped Animals to adopt-those with least chance to survive-with least interest from humans,i must hide,i am a Vegan,in the shelter,because they would deny adoption,as it is known,most Vegans will not buy Royal Canine or so,then I of course feed them Amì Dog or Amì Cat & many humans in my surroundings r demonizing me for feeding carnivores Amì Pet Food,even it is not only Vegan,it is Vegan/synthetic food with synthetic taurine & other essential chemicals,they normally take from meat,these replacements were made in lab especially to be digested by a target digestive system,we use many other synthetic things in our lives,this is the right way of civilization,use technologies to avoid cruelty,Data also feeds Spot synthetic food(i would be very happy having a replicator too).I do not have access to lab-grown meat & I find a dead Animal corpse outside about twice a year & so full of worms,Cat would sure not appreciate this,humans including my family hates me & feed the Cat ordinary food behind my back,but She prefers Amì Cat,if something other is dropped beside by my Klingon family members,the Cat bites 1ce into it & lets it rot & continue enjoying Amì Cat.
    I also have in my last will,i wish my remains will be recycled to food for carnivores & I would wish,others would do so,so we would have ethical meat from naturally dead Animals(including humans) to feed Cats,Dogs & Snakes by a way,which is both ethical & not controversial.In some countries offices r taking away Animals from Vegan families fed by Amì,Benevo,or other ethical food,just for the principle,we r feeding obligate carnivores by plants & they intently omit,these foods r not only from plants,but with lab-made replacements of essential aminoacids & vitamins normally taken from meat,so they r cheating on us,because they could not defeat us(Vegans) without cheating.
    Live long & prosper.

  5. First, this is a long post, so I apologize in advance.

    Second, I should point out that my wife of 25 years and I have stopped eating meat 20 years ago and been ethical vegans for over 15 years. Since we’ve been together, we have adopted six dogs to date, four of them were in the later stages of their life when we adopted them.

    There are vegan foods/treats/supplements for dogs and cats that can be tried.

    All our dogs were rescues and have lived longer than typically expected with less health problems because we switched them to a vegan diet, we believe anyway. There is no observational study I know of so can’t say for sure.

    That being stated, it is really about the animal, not you.

    You shouldn’t try to force your morality on an animal. They can’t comprehend it, anyway. If you tried a vegan diet and it’s not working out, you must feed them what is best for them. Just try to stay away from factory farmed products if you can. And, no, this doesn’t make you a “bad vegan.”

    There is no such thing as the perfect vegan. The best policy in all aspects in life is to do the best you can and live while causing as little suffering as you can.

    For all those people who try to make you into a hypocrite or say you are not “vegan enough”, screw them. You are only responsible for the things you can control and what people think of you is not one of them. We put to much value into labels anyway.

    As far as having animal companions, the points I make below are an evolution of thought over the last 15 years of our vegan practice.

    1) Realize not all “pets” should be “pets”
    Animals who only exist because of the intentional domestication by humans, I.e., dogs, cats, and farm animals (and horses to an extent) are really the only companion animals that should be considered “pets.” This is because these species’ fates have been integrally entwined with humanity’s fate for thousands of years (maybe tens of thousands of years). Basically, we broke the chain between dogs and wolves (and cats and large cats). We purposely manipulated the DNA of farm animals to produce the most “food” and they would not be in existence today if it weren’t for humans.

    We humans broke it, so we are responsible for all dogs’ and cats’ well-being. It would be UNETHICAL for us to NOT adopt a dog or cat to take care of.

    All other animals are not “pets” and shouldn’t be sold or bred as pets. Snakes, birds, fish, rabbits, etc. are not historically domesticated (at least not in the western world) to live with humans and are, therefore not “pets.”

    2) A moratorium on animal breeding (yes, all animals)
    We will only ever get past exploiting animals when we stop intentionally breeding them for profit (or any reason, really)

    3) Create and enforce neuter/spay laws to so more dogs/cats aren’t created.
    Pretty self-explanatory, I think.

    4) Adopt and care for those animals in shelters or on farms.
    This goes back to #1 but I believe it can’t be stated enough. So many dogs and cats are euthanized every day. We humans are responsible for all dogs, cats and farm animals so it’s our responsibility to care for them.

    5) Change our terminology when referring to animals as “pets” or people as “pet owners.” These terms imply that animals are property, and we need to stop thinking in those terms.

    Once, we as a society, have implemented these 5 steps, we can reconsider the ethics of having a dog or cat as a companion.

    Of course, in a capitalist society, I doubt we can ever get to that point because there is just too much money to be made from factory farming, fur/leather/silk production, science research, additives to other product like cochineal for dying/food coloring or castoreum (beaver butt excretions) as “natural flavoring”, etc.

    We can only influence what we have control over which is why I practice veganism.

    1. Sabina Zelená. says:

      Greetings,I can confirm Your experiences with Dogs living longer on Ethical food(calling it Vegan is disused by our enemies,who intently ignores synthetic additives like taurine & states,we r feeding carnivores by plants only & thus we torturing them,they then makes fools or fanatics of us by presenting this bended to sound it better for them & worse for us,they also intently ignores,Dogs r omnivores,because it would not sound so drastically to say “Vegans r feeding omnivores with plants & synthetic additives”,but the bended statement “Vegans r feeding carnivores with plants” sounds much more suiting for their needs to prevent us create new ethical standards & ruin the profit from selling slaughterhouse garbage,because the bended formulation grants us being seen insane in the eyes of standard humans),i mostly cared for Dachshunds & I fed them Amì Dog & they mostly lived for 17 years & 1ce I adopted a Dog being fed solely by Chicken in the sanctuary & She almost had no hair,after switching Her to Amì Dog,her hair was restored within 3 weeks & Animals adopted in skinny state get on normal weight within 2 weeks on Amì Cat & when I adopted Dogs with inoperable cancers,with Amì Dog they lived 3 times the time left stated by the vet.
      I care for a Cat 1st time now,She adopted herself to us walking around the house & crying & She was skinny,i just heared out her cries & gave Her home & food-Amì Cat,She loves it & She is no longer skinny & have normal weight for 7 months.
      Thank U to add a good example.
      Live long & prosper.

  6. Philip Wilson says:

    One of the most contradictory articles I’ve read in a long time. Only a vegan would describe euthanasia as painful and terrifying. I was present when may dog was euthanised, it was neither painful nor terrifying. It was heartbreaking for me.

    “ Ultimately, the decision on what to feed your pet is up to you”. Power, control and exploitation right there. Hypocrisy at its very best. The dietary needs of an animal is governed by the physiology of the species not the owner.

    No need to reply.

  7. So you think the best thing to do is to continue to exploit animals?

    How are you not supporting animal domestication, and pretending that you are vegan?

    It doesn’t matter what you feed your slave, they are still a slave.

    You do not need to own animals to survive, you are simply trying to (poorly)compartmentalize the continued domestication of a imals.

    1. So I should have left the malnourished stray puppy suffering from mange and fleas in the car park to be hit by a car instead of taking him home and spending thousands on his food and care?

      I’m not sure how enslaved he is, he’s currently asleep on my legs, so I dont want to move in case I wake him.

      I was suppose go out this weekend but he’s recovering from surgery so I’ve cancelled plans so I can spend me weekend making sure he doesn’t lick his stitches.

      1. Sabina Zelená. says:

        Thanx,U r doing well,& U explained it well…
        …& Your opponent would sure say to me,i am torturing predator birds outside,i have stolen their potential food-the kitty abandoned in the street & she is enslaved,because I am afraid to let her out,because there is a significant colony of predator birds,I thing,they r strong enough to cache the Cat,if I would have a lab-grown meat,I would provide it to those predator birds,but I really dislike to feed them by the Cat,i saved & spent thousands to make her survive.
        Live long & prosper.

  8. Hi, I was wondering what I should do if my spouse isn’t vegan, but I am. He believes that we shouldn’t feed our pets a vegan diet, so I just follow him. I don’t want to get rid of our pets or change my diet just because my animals eat a non-vegan diet like my husband.

    1. Hi Kari, that’s a great question and one only you can ultimately answer. Many vegans feed their pets meat. If I were in your position, I wouldn’t feel the need to stop being vegan just because your pets are not.

      If your pets are omnivores, perhaps you can introduce more plants into their diet to reduce the percentage of meat they consume. I hope this helps. And good luck!

      1. Thanks for your reply. I just kind of feel like a hypocrite. I got my pets when I was a vegan, but I thought veganism only extended to myself. I made so many mistakes as a vegan and have guilt, but my purpose was to be vegan and found out it wasn’t or may not be considered vegan. I have had some people say that I am not vegan for having pets and feeding them a non-vegan diet. I genuinely care for animals, but I know that I can’t force others to be like me.

        1. Hi Kari, don’t be so hard on yourself. We all slip up as vegans. As long as you learn from your mistakes and clean them up for next time, you should feel good about your efforts. Only when we knowingly make unaligned decisions does the guilt creep in.

          As for the pet thing, you’re not in a position to make that call without the support from your partner, so it’s unreasonable for you to be held accountable for a joint responsibility. Just keep doing what you can for the animals and tune out the noise from judgements.

          1. Thank you so much for your reply and understanding. 🙂 It really helps. ☺️

          2. if one of the partners behaves unethically and the other partner consents, there would be a joint responsibility for the unethical behaviour

          3. Sabina Zelená,a Vulcan abused by a Klingon. says:

            Greetings,I have same problems in my relationship,I am Vegan for 17 years & Vegetarian for 19 years,when I had 1st date with my partner,She pretended to have intent to become Vegetarian or Vegan,She has never her own income,she has not & probably She will never have,thus in fact it is rather an another Animal(human is Animal) adoption & as I knew,She need me (maybe only) for survival=for money(i am too ugly to have non-payed relationship,probably my credit card is my only attractive feature,thus I was happy even for payed relationship),thus I negotiated,She must not use my money for buying meat,leather,nor any products gain from killing of innocent Animals,she agreed,she will not use my money for buying evil products(i would not agree with the relationship elsewhere & she knew it),but she shortly started cheating me(as I am also Hippie,She could not cheat me in ordinary way by having parallel relationships,because it was always allowed for my partners,so She even never used this possibility,probably if it is legal,it is boring for her,not giving her the feeling of victory over me,thus she needed to cheat me in the only thing,i can be cheated-in Animal protection,as meat,leather & other Animal murdering products r the only things,i banned to her,as I am responsible for usage of my money,she only can enjoy defeating me by breaking this only rule,i ever stated in our relationship),I repeatedly found her hiding meat,she secretly bought behind my back probably from my money(the other option is,she got money from another Klingon-my mother,but in several cases it was proven,she even used my money for this evil),she bought repeatedly meat behind my back for herself,for Dogs & for the Cat,i realized,i am living with an enemy,who r intently sabotaging my effort in Animal protection & who lies me into my face & doing evil behind my back,so i 1st intended to discontinue the relationship,because she repeatedly make me guilty & makes my hands blood-dirty too,when she is using my pension for evil,i asked her to find another sponsor for her & leave me,she ignored this & I have a hard ethical trouble,because she is unable to gain her own money,she will not survive without a sponsor & she has no another sponsor(yes,i am rather sponsor,than partner),so when I will kick her away & stop financing her,she will die,but if I will continue sharing resources with her,she will cheat me again & again & make me guilty of deaths of innocent Animals,i am unable to send her away & let her without resources to survive,even I know,for the innocent Animals it would be better to let such evil human die,but I have ethical trouble even with letting die my obvious enemy(who is enemy of Pigs,Cows,Hens,Goats,Lambs,Fishes…,is my enemy too,because enemy of my Ally is my enemy),here is my worst error for my entire life & Veganism,i feel really guilty,i am unable to fire that Klingon out of my family,even I know,she will make me responsible for more & more deaths of my allies,i feel trapped in this situation & even considering suicide,but that will cut her from money,thus I would kill her too & a Vegan cannot kill another creature,but if I will send her away,or kill myself,i will kill her by hunger,as she has no own income,but if I will continue support her life,she will kill many more Animals & will make me their co-killer,if she will use my money to pay for these deaths,so if I will do anything or nothing,i will still cause deaths,a fatal trap for a Vegan,i was able to explain to a Dachshund,”Do not hunt,it is harmful & evil” & the Dachshund stared @ me & thinked(i love,they r always thinking,when I tell them something,they r analyzing arguments & then decide themselves,makes that sense or not) for a while,then decided,my arguments makes sense & aborted the hunt & never hunted again,but I always failed explain same things to humans,humans has obviously not so logical minds like Dachshunds,that is,i mostly adopted Dachshunds,I love their intelligence & individuality,i love,they do not blindly follow orders(humans often do),but they always perform an analysis & makes own decisions & if I want a Dachshund comply,i must convince Her or Him by good enough arguments,they will never do something blindly just because a tailless ape said it,but a tailless ape will mostly do,what a tailless ape with higher authority said,even it does not make sense & will not listen to some1 with fewer authority,even it makes perfectly sense,thus humans r so stupid compared with Dachshunds…including me,i am also afraid of the authority of my partner to resist more efficiently.
            This situation caused me entirely losing sexuality,not 1st time being so cheated by a human partner,but this was the last drop to make it more than enough to my disgust for humans exceed my sexuality,which was literally deleted by this experience & I became asexual as a result,which I do not regret & I hope,this is permanent,because I decided,this is my last relationship with a human & I realized,I do not need humans in my life & I do not want humans in my life anymore & my purpose of life is to protect Innocent Animals & not sleep with an enemy,any other human may cheat me same or worse way,thus only logical conclusion is not to have relationships with humans anymore & thus do not risk further compromising of my Veganism & my identitiy & my purpose,I hope,this last human will leave me for a richer sponsor & I will get rid of humans in my life,no human can be trusted,she is not an another hidden enemy,a 2-side agent of the carnivorous human monsters,no,interspecies relationships between Vulcans & Klingons r really not a good idea.
            When She finally will leave me,i will gladly reallocate her part of my pension to 2 Vegan Dachshunds & be sure,no1 will drop a garbage food to Them,but when my enemy-partner will leave me,she will sure try to take the Cat with her & feed Her garbage,this will be a great battle,because I find the hungry kitty,i am investing thousands in Amì Cat & the Cat loves Amì Cat,but the Klingon believes,she is better for caring for a Cat,because she is not a vegan fanatic & the Cat loves both of us about the same,now even She prefers to sleep beside me,even I am feeding Her that strange thing…but that strange thing tastes so good,no Mouse,nor Fish can taste even half so good & the Cat enjoying unpacking of every bag of Amì Cat & unlike that Klingon,i can even kiss this Cat to the mouth,because it is less probable,it is blood on it,than on the mouth of my Klingon partner,in fact,she is a Klingon+Ferengi mix applying Rules of Acquisition very well & making me from a mix of Deobulan+Vulcan a pure Vulcan,who has trouble solving illogical problem…
            So,as my partner is the enemy of my Allies,to whom I feel loyalty(Pigs,Cows,Hens…),i wish her to move away & search for another sponsor/partner.
            Humans,who r willingly supporting cruelty on Innocent Animals,r enemies of Animals,we protect & thus our enemies,we shall be loyal to Innocent Animals & should not have our enemies as partners,if Your partner is an enemy of Innocent Animals & diplomacy fails & he/she has own resources & will not die by hunger,if left alone,kick the enemy of Your household or move Yourself,if it is her/his household & U have an option to move elsewhere,or even split the common house/apartment.
            The purpose of the Vegan on this world is to protect Non-human Animals,we should not let carnihuman enemies to sabotage our meaning of existence & sure,U can love your enemy,but I doubt,the enemy can love U,if U need a reliable love,search for it in an Animal sanctuary,not in a Klingon=carnihuman club or dating web.
            & about sexuality,it is irrelevant,humans r overpopulated,so y human relationships?
            This planet will not withstand another billion of these human parasites.
            No need to create another humans.
            & about another purpose of sexuality,most of us r intellectuals & we will sure find more intellectual hobbies,than f…ing,for example restoring historic computers in my case…
            Live long & prosper & avoid relationships with Klingons.

  9. Thanks for this article. The dilemma on feeding meat to pets is one I think about often… I would love to adopt some cats in the future, but don’t feel good about bringing meat into my home. I am looking forward to cell cultured meat becoming more prevalent for that reason. (I won’t eat it, but it definitely seems like a better choice for pets!) For now, it’s easier to feed my naturally vegan bunny 🙂

      1. A solution to what problem?

        How does lab grown meat solve animal commodification.

      2. Sabina Zelená. says:

        & until it will become available,do not be afraid of feeding Cats Amì Cat or Benevo Cat or Veg Cat,which contains synthetic taurine & everything,Cat needs,but in some countries U must do this secretly,Cats will not have health problems,but in some countries some offices or shelters may go after U.
        It will be interesting,what will these say to lab-grown meat…
        Live long & prosper.

      3. Sabina Zelená. says:

        Sorry to post repeatedly,I forgot 1 thing to add:
        The lab-grown meat or a program for recycling naturally dead Animals(including humans) to pet food would also solve the absence for Ethical pet food for diabetic Animals.
        I recently attempted adoption of an old diabetic Dachshund & I was told,none of Ethical foods for Dogs r not suitable for those with diabetes.
        Live long & prosper.

  10. Thank you for this thoughtful article. For vegans, how to feed a pet is definitely an ethical dilema especially if the pet is an obligate carnivore. I live with two companion animals of the canine persuasion. Ethically and scientifically, canines can live well on a good, balanced vegan diet. So for me, as a vegan, sharing my life with dogs works well. On the other hand, when Mr. Cat passed away last year, we made a decision to not invite another feline to join us. I can’t, in good conscience, feed an obligate carnivore their necessary diet nor can I ethically persuade one to become a vegan. Disregarding all the other issues around sharing your life with non-human beings, I suppose the perfect pet for a vegan might be a rabbit.

    1. Hi Ella, I’m so sorry for your loss. I couldn’t agree more with what you’ve shared. I also appreciate your considerate language when referring to animals.

      1. How does using deceptive language change the nature of what is occuring?

        Why not accept other people’s claims of “humane slaughter” if you are going to accept people’s claims of “humane slavery”?

        1. Sabina Zelená. says:

          Humane slaughter is,when a criminal human is sentenced for death for torturing & killing Animals & is slaughtered for pet food…
          …sorry,sometimes dreaming about a revenge,some of my relatives r hunters,i would like to see them shooted & recycled to a food for Foxes,that would be a perfect revenge & very ethical food for Foxes…
          & humane slavery is to force former Animal torturers to serve Them as punishment.
          & I also wish to thank for that egalitarian speech about those 2 Dogs & Mr.Cat.

        2. What a painfully self-justifying article. What about the hundreds of small mammals and reptiles that domestic cats hunt and kill for fun? Why do these animals not have the right to live? Because of the way a cat purrs at its owner?

    2. This os t a problem for vegans, this is a problem for plant based pet owners..

      If you can commodify animals and be vegan, then why cant farmers be vegan?