kittens as snake food

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but I am steadying myself for the onslot. I, in no way, find what I am about to say, proper, but for logical and looking at things from a different aspect, I will post anyways.

Here we are, social creatures, born unto this Earth to learn, to provide, to nurture and protect. What is wrong to one of us, is right to another. Kittens, like other animals can provide to be a food. We all die, we all return to the Earth in which we were created.

Cows to us are meat, but to others, they are sacred. We find nothing wrong in eating cows, but someone will be appalled for us doing so. We feed live mice to snakes, and to a mouse lover, they are disgusted by it. We kitten lovers, don't like the fact that they feed kittens to snakes, or in some countries, eat cats.

To look at it from a different view, we are all meat, and we are all food. Views change on location, on religious views, on any number of things.

Personally, I can't stand the thought of a baby kitty being fed to a snake, but to others, they see nothing wrong with it. Just look at from two sides of the spectrem.

It does depend on the point of view. They sell baby bunnies for snake food in pet stores. In fact, I knew some people who ended up with a pet rabbit because they didn't have the heart to kill or stun the bunny (you have to whack it's head because the claws will do serious damage to the snake).

To me, this is one more good anecdote of why NOT to advertise Free To Good Home Kittens. You really don't know who will end up with them, or what they will do.

I don't think it's wrong because it is kind of nature just taking place. I'd rather have a kitten get eaten by a snake than die of starvation or something. I would never do it and can barely even think of it, but really that's life, you know? My cat eats birds and mice and stuff and I don't think THAT's wrong, so I can't really say that something eating cats would be wrong..

Personally, I don't mind the facts that in China, cats and dogs are food. What does infuriate me there is the way those animals are treated prior to being killed (as well as the way they are killed). That they are eaten once dead doesn't bother me that much. I used to be very upset with everything to do with China because of that.

I still am to an extent, only now I'm aware of how awful most farm animals are treated in the West (battery chickens for instance). Can't blame the Chinese for doing to cats and dogs what we're doing to calves and chickens... Or rather, I can blame them as well as the society I live in.

Back to the topic, what would bother me in this is how are those kittens treated until they are fed to the snakes. I hope they are given good conditions and that their welfare is taken care of. I'm afraid that as humans, we tend to de-humanize animals that label as "food" and treat them quite badly

I don't like the idea of any live animal being feed to a snake. I know that they need to eat to live, but I love all soft fuzzy cute little animals...and I don't really like snakes, so I cant give an objective opion.

The reason I said that was because on many other forums I have visited, saying something that wasn't a mainstream way of thinking would get you flamed like noone's business. I was almost banned once for speaking truthfully and openly. I guess it comes to show the maturity of that board.

The idea of a kitten being eaten does bother me, BUT food is food. And that is why the food chain exists. Cats eat any small animal they can find, I've watched mine eat a mouse before. And in the grand scheme of things, if a snake gets a kitten I guess we should look at it as that snake has to eat. I am not a snake lover, but I can accept the fact that they do have to have nourishment, and kittens fit the bill.

I do agree w/ Anne though, I hope the kittens are treated well prior to becoming the snakes lunch.

Pardon my saying so, but you have a very Buddist way of looking at things, jcat.

You are not weird, you just have a love for living things. There is nothing wrong with that.

I just can't bear the thought of cats and kittens being bred, given away or sold for food. The thought of it makes me sick and incredibly sad. It may be a cultural bias, but I feel very strongly about it and would encourage people in other cultures not to eat cats or feed cats to other animals. I would go as far as to say that I would not and could not befriend a person that eats cats or feeds kittens to snakes.

And, since I eat cows and chickens, I understand if cow lovers and chicken lovers want nothing to do with me.

Personally, I think that mammals are above insects, in the sense that mammals have a more developed nervous system. I think mamals are able to "feel" more than insects do. Just like I think that insects are above bacteria. Bacteria are alive, but they have no nervous system to speak of - not the kind that allows for any form of consiousness to develop.

I also think that there are difference among mammals. Primates have a higher level of consciousness than other mammals (except maybe dolphins?). That's why I think keeping apes as lab animals is far more cruel then keeping mice as lab animals. And why keeping mice as lab animals is much more cruel then keeping insects.

For me it's not the value of life per se - it's the importance of the quality of life and of the animal's welfare. That's why I only eat free range eggs. Chikens may not be very smart, but I think battery raised chickens experience too much stress and pain in their life. If they were raised humanely and killed humanely, I have no problem with eating the meat. It is important to me to see to that that they are given a good quality of life while alive.

By the way, when I see an ant or a beetle, I will try no to hurt it. I try not to kill bugs either. I think it's good for people to treat any kind of animal nicely. I figure if you're nice to the bugs, you'll be nice to the mammals for sure. When Ron, now just over a year and a half, sees a bug inside the house he won't hurt it. He will ask me to come and expect me to gently lift the little creature and let it loose outside. He get's very excited about it I know that if he's that gentle to bugs, he will probably never hurt any animal ever.

Going back to the topic that started this thread. I'm not happy about kittens being fed to snakes. I will probably never keep an animal that I have to kill something in my home in order to feed it. All I'm saying is, that to me the welfare of that animal fed, before it died, is the crucial issue.