As a vegan I believe all animals should have a right to live their own lives without human control. So with this thought I always felt a little hypocritical having animals from another species living in my home. If I didn't provide a home for my dog and cat they would end up being put to sleep (killed) because of over population. 15 million animals are killed in the U.S. every year because there aren't enough homes. I do not agree with breeding animals. So please, to help the animals - adopt from the nearest shelter and spay or neuter them.

Vegans don't usually refer to themselves as "owners" of companion animals or "buying" them. We prefer the term "guardian" to "owner" and "adopt" or "rescue" to "buy."





I recently read this post From: FaeryFluff over at vegsource which explains this issue perfectly.

Companion Animal Domestication

It seems to me that a lot of people seem to think that domesticated companion animals (cats and dogs in this instance) have been stolen from their wild habitat and forced and manipulated into in to subservient role. While certainly man is abusing its brain capacity and opposable thumbs, and doing horrible things to animals, this does not mean that animals can not naturally co-exist with humans. Look at all of the times that man has subjugated and abused members of its own species in almost equally horrible ways.

I think that companion animals have a symbiotic relationship with humans, and that they choose this relationship. Cats have been living with humans for *thousands* of years, and worshiped in some cultures. Dogs have been living with humans for even longer.

Originally, humans lived in a hunter gatherer society. The groupings were exclusively human (no pets). At some point man and dog/cat came together. I doubt that one day hunter/gatherer man thought "Boy, I sure would like for that dog to live in my shelter". I think that a more realistic scenario is that a lone or pack of wild dogs would follow the tribe from place to place eating scraps that were thrown at the edge of camp. Dogs are opportunistic eaters (scavenge, hunt, forage). At some point man became used to dog, or dog became used to man. Slowly a relationship developed. Dog became "tame". Man became a source of food shelter and companionship for dog, and dog became a source of protection and companionship for man. They had a mutually beneficial relationship.

I think that cat 'domestication' probably occurred during the agricultural era. Man had a steady source of grain, grain attracts mice, mice attract cats. Man provides shelter, food, warmth, and care, cat provides pest control, love and companionship. Again, a mutually beneficial relationship evolved.

Let's take the 'alley cat' today. If you begin regularly placing food outside, the alley cats will come and get it. Eventually the alley cat sees you as non threatening, and a source of food. Eventually the cat also sees you as a companion, someone who gives love and scratches, and treats and a warm lap. The cat *chooses* to stick around. The same for farm cats that hang around people when they could just as easily go live in the woods.

We have an interspecies relationship that has *evolved*, literally, over thousands of years. I believe that the relationship that we have with companion animals allows them to continue evolving. At one point humans were 'wild'. We spent most of our energy trying to stay warm, find food, and keep bigger things from eating us. We began to advance as a species, discovering fire, learning to use tools. This freed us from 'basic survival'. We began to create art, tell stories, learn and invent, our quality of life increased.

IMHO, when we give shelter and compassionate care to companion animals, we are freeing them from basic survival and allowing them to experience and investigate hidden aspects of themselves.

I agree 100% that puppy mills, pet store, animal testing etc should be stopped. I also think that it is wrong and pretentious of us to say that cats and dogs should all be spayed until there are none left, for us to judge whether or not a species is 'natural' and has a right to continue to survive.




*Cats have to scratch. They need to mark territory, nail conditioning, play and exercise.
*Declawing surgery involves severing not just the nails but whole phalanges (up to the first joint) including bone, ligaments and tendons! Complications include pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage and bone chips which prevent healing and cause recurrent infections.
*Declawing involves removal of parts of cats' toes, affecting how they walk.
*The nails can actually grow back inside the caw's paw, causing pain, but remaining invisible to the eye. Declawed cats need regular x-rays to monitor this problem.
*Declawed cats can also suffer chronic back and joint pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken.




*Smear citrus-scented cologne, herbal flea dip or commercial cat repellent on any material kitty is fond of tearing up.
*Cover off-limits furniture temporarily with something slippery.
*Put a scratching post near where cats normally scratch.
*Disentangle their claws when they start scratching something they are not supposed to and carry them to the post, helping to get them started by making scratching gestures with their paws. Remember, no screaming or yelling.
*Help kitty become interested in scratching post by sprinkling it with catnip.



This is the dog named Newton

and the cat named Whispurr

that I have the pleasure of sharing my home with.




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