Comments on: Vegetarian cats, part II http://www.bodhipaksa.com/archives/vegetarian-cats-part-ii random thoughts of a western buddhist Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:43:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bodhipaksa http://www.bodhipaksa.com/archives/vegetarian-cats-part-ii/comment-page-1#comment-68518 bodhipaksa Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:03:20 +0000 http://www.bodhipaksa.com/?p=1635#comment-68518 Hey Dirk! Nice to see you outside of Twitter. I have an iguana, myself, and the fact that iguanas are vegetarian is one of the reasons I chose that pet. But once she dies -- she's about 8 years old and probably half-way through her life -- I wouldn't get another one for the simple reason that iguanas require so much energy use. Probably about a third of our electricity consumption goes to keeping her warm, and that's both expensive and environmentally unsound. Sometimes, though, we make these choices and have to live with them. And in the case of pets, enjoy them. I'm glad you're adopting rescued cats. The world would be a better place if more people realized earlier that they're not responsible enough to take care of an animal. It's a shame so many animals have to suffer because of our delusions. Hey Dirk! Nice to see you outside of Twitter. I have an iguana, myself, and the fact that iguanas are vegetarian is one of the reasons I chose that pet. But once she dies — she’s about 8 years old and probably half-way through her life — I wouldn’t get another one for the simple reason that iguanas require so much energy use. Probably about a third of our electricity consumption goes to keeping her warm, and that’s both expensive and environmentally unsound.

Sometimes, though, we make these choices and have to live with them. And in the case of pets, enjoy them.

I’m glad you’re adopting rescued cats. The world would be a better place if more people realized earlier that they’re not responsible enough to take care of an animal. It’s a shame so many animals have to suffer because of our delusions.

]]> By: Dirk Johnson http://www.bodhipaksa.com/archives/vegetarian-cats-part-ii/comment-page-1#comment-68516 Dirk Johnson Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:38:54 +0000 http://www.bodhipaksa.com/?p=1635#comment-68516 Though I now have seven cats, I've only ever "acquired" one cat in my entire life (rather, he acquired me and I agreed to pay for him), and that was nearly 30 years ago. The cats I have are all rescues, only one of which had already been neutered when they came to me. So, although I have 7 cats, by neutering 6 of them, I've actually reduced the number of cats in the world, which means that by adopting cats as my companion animals, the number of cats needing to eat has been reduced by a number exceeding the cats I've adopted.. My feeling is that people who like cats should care for abandoned cats. Additionally, although fish consumption is a problem, so is the impact of feral cats on local environments. Taking cats out of that mix is also beneficial to the environment. Neuter/release programs and adoption are the best solution in the long run, IMO. That said, the idea of feeding my cats a vegetarian or vegan diet is very attractive to me. Currently the only fish they get is what's added to their high-end kibble (I'll look into how much that is, too) I'm a vegetarian myself (not vegan -- haven't been able to give up cheese and don't avoid eggs), and my reasons for being a vegetarian have nothing to do with health. Thank you for bringing up this topic. I've been thinking about it for some time. The vet who cares for my cats does not recommend a vegetarian diet for them. But if and when I feel that I can make a truly informed decision to do so, I will switch them to a vegetarian diet. Though I now have seven cats, I’ve only ever “acquired” one cat in my entire life (rather, he acquired me and I agreed to pay for him), and that was nearly 30 years ago. The cats I have are all rescues, only one of which had already been neutered when they came to me. So, although I have 7 cats, by neutering 6 of them, I’ve actually reduced the number of cats in the world, which means that by adopting cats as my companion animals, the number of cats needing to eat has been reduced by a number exceeding the cats I’ve adopted.. My feeling is that people who like cats should care for abandoned cats.

Additionally, although fish consumption is a problem, so is the impact of feral cats on local environments. Taking cats out of that mix is also beneficial to the environment. Neuter/release programs and adoption are the best solution in the long run, IMO.

That said, the idea of feeding my cats a vegetarian or vegan diet is very attractive to me. Currently the only fish they get is what’s added to their high-end kibble (I’ll look into how much that is, too) I’m a vegetarian myself (not vegan — haven’t been able to give up cheese and don’t avoid eggs), and my reasons for being a vegetarian have nothing to do with health.

Thank you for bringing up this topic. I’ve been thinking about it for some time. The vet who cares for my cats does not recommend a vegetarian diet for them. But if and when I feel that I can make a truly informed decision to do so, I will switch them to a vegetarian diet.

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