Vegan Kittens

[tarasgirl06]

Oh, "hate" is mild compared to what words I'd use!  These hypocrites and LIARS are KILLERS and anyone who doesn't understand that needs to educate themselves quickly; as I say, the documentation is easily found and read, and goes back years.  

As far as the drugs go, I truly wish she'd stop taking them. 

 

[crazy4strays]

PETA is absolutely nuts! They advocate killing of feral cats because apparently being dead is better than living outside. They euthanize the vast majority of companion animals they take in.

But if everyone followed their recommendations and quit eating animals, there would be hoards of surplus unwanted cows, pigs, chickens, around. At which point they'd probably recommend euthanizing those farm animals "for their own good."

 

[jazzyp]

They do sell vegetarian dog kibble in India, because so many people in india are vegetarian for religious reasons. It's even made by Pedigree! Pedigree doesn't sell vegetarian kibble in the US. I don't know if they offer vegetarian cat food too.

Anyway, no, imposing human dietary preferences on pets is not cool. They need to be fed a species-appropriate diet, no matter what that is for that species. Not that most pet owners put a lot of thought into picking a food, other than "what's cheapest at the grocery store" :/.

There are companies that sell vegetarian or vegan food for cats and dogs in the US.  I believe most of them say that the food is meant to be used with meat, and not as a complete diet, but sadly, many people have an unfortunate disinclination to read the instructions.  Nevermind the fact that these are invariably expensive foods that *are not even needed* by these animals.  It makes me mad, honestly.

 

[kittyluv387]

Since this thread has been bumped, it's probably as appropriate a place as any to note: PETA actually recommends cat owners put their cats on vegan diets. That's insane. They have pages on their site dedicated to helping people adjust their cats to a "vegan lifestyle" and insisting science is on their side about the viability of a vegan diet for obligate carnivores. Those poor cats, they're probably getting fed the equivalent of Boca burgers. (Which I like, as a human, but obviously I do not think they are in any way appropriate for cats.)

FWIW I was seriously thinking about applying for a PR/communications job there, thinking I might be able to do some good as an animal lover with communications and media expertise, but the job application specified that they want a vegan for the position.

What the hell? I mean, I'm a vegetarian. That's not enough? You have to be a vegan too? And also, doesn't that run afoul of anti-discrimination laws? I was really surprised to see that. Needless to say I did not apply.

PETA is not a good organization! Their euthanization rate is 90+. They believe animals are better off dead than being in peoples homes. I guess we can add this bs on their list of ridiculousness.

 

[yogakitty]

They do sell vegetarian dog kibble in India, because so many people in india are vegetarian for religious reasons. It's even made by Pedigree! Pedigree doesn't sell vegetarian kibble in the US. I don't know if they offer vegetarian cat food too.

Anyway, no, imposing human dietary preferences on pets is not cool. They need to be fed a species-appropriate diet, no matter what that is for that species. Not that most pet owners put a lot of thought into picking a food, other than "what's cheapest at the grocery store" :/.

That's probably the saddest piece of information......imposing religious beliefs and directly impacting the health and needs of an animal are absolutely disgusting. Doesn't that go against religious beliefs anyways? You know....being kind, not harming...etc?

Ugh...makes me sick to my stomach...ignorance at its finest. I could give a hoot less what religion someone is. Keep that ish to yourself in your little shoe box. Don't harm the animals in the process just because you don't want to eat meat....I'm sure they offer it for cats. I had a debate with a friend's father, who is Indian about this. He seems to think the cats live longer when they are on vegetarian diets and that its absolutely acceptable. Just try changing his mind. Old, stubborn, and ignorant lol that's all I have to say.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Anyone who would impose a vegetarian diet on an obligate carnivore needs to have their cat(s) taken from them and be banned from ever being responsible for cats again.    It's like people who want to shove their beliefs on any subject down someone else's throat - it's offensive and hostile! -- but worse, because cats can't necessarily leave a caregiver like that and go somewhere else where their needs will be met.  

 

[Brian007]

Presumably these two kittens are now dead.  I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years but that's because I can.  In a case like this it's not even about personal lifestyle choice but simply about can and cannot.  People need to know cats cannot survive without meat.  This doesn't mean they can't also eat vegetables, however.  I would have removed these kittens myself if no one else did.  It's incredibly sad to think that they have been murdered.  I'm just replying to this thread to keep it alive.  The irony of this is stark. 

 

[tarasgirl06]

We don't know that and I'm not even going to go there.  I'm going to hope and pray they WERE removed from the neglectful and ignorant household and gotten to safety and a good diet.

 

[Yanaka]

How upsetting that the person didn't let us know... I'm reading this months later and I'm super upset.

 

[-Mia-]

Aww. This is so sad.

Has anyone tried to reach out to the OP? I'm not sure how messages are set-up on this site, but she may get a notification or email alert if someone sends a private message.

 

[ginny]

Which brings up a very important question: what can be done to follow up on an abusive situation like this? Can we report the member to the authorities? Who would that be? I don't think the US Humane society could help in this situation.

 

[Blakeney Green]

Which brings up a very important question: what can be done to follow up on an abusive situation like this? Can we report the member to the authorities? Who would that be? I don't think the US Humane society could help in this situation.

Unfortunately there isn't really anything that can be done to follow up on an essentially anonymous internet posting. There's simply nothing reportable if you don't have names or an exact location or proof beyond hearsay on a forum. It sounds like a terrible situation undoubtedly, but there's no way to know what jurisdiction to call and no address to dispatch an officer to so... I can't really think of anything that could be done to act on the information that was posted.

 

[ginny]

But everybody has an IP address by which they can be identified. That's how people are caught on youtube. Plus it's not really hearsay because there is a written testimony with many witnesses. Threads are never deleted as far as I know. So I suppose it's really up to the owner of the site as to whether or not to pursue reporting the person.

What are your thoughts on this Anne ?

 

[Willowy]

As long as someone is feeding their cat I don't think they can be prosecuted for animal cruelty for feeding an inappropriate diet. We'd have to arrest half the pet owners in the country for feeding their pets Ol' Roy . I'm pretty sure there are no laws stating that a cat must be fed meat, no matter how much we think there should be.

Now, if the cat is visibly ill and they aren't seeking vet care, that would be prosecutable.

 

[Yanaka]

I think in this case it would work. This is more than feeding a bad commercialized brand, authorities would definitely take action against this person.

 

[Willowy]

I think in this case it would work. This is more than feeding a bad commercialized brand, authorities would definitely take action against this person.

I guess I don't see why. What would they charge them with?

 

[Anne]

But everybody has an IP address by which they can be identified. That's how people are caught on youtube. Plus it's not really hearsay because there is a written testimony with many witnesses. Threads are never deleted as far as I know. So I suppose it's really up to the owner of the site as to whether or not to pursue reporting the person.

What are your thoughts on this Anne ?

Yes, there are IP addresses to every site visit. It's not that simple though. IP address are not a very accurate tool. They can cover an area that can include millions of people. In order to pinpoint someone, the police needs to approach the ISP and get them to locate the actual person. They probably need a court order to do that anyway. In my experience, unless this is a life-threatening issue for a human, the police won't intervene. Actually, even when it is a life-threatening issue, I've had at least one case where the police still wouldn't do anything about that. Keep in mind that our members are not always located in the US.

So, all in all, I don't have the key to magically find a user. The police would need to really really want to track someone down in order to deal with a complaint. I prefer not to share any information about our users unless subpoenaed by the police, so if anyone wants to report suspected illegal activity on the forums, you can go to your local police and discuss that with them. If they want to pursue the issue, they can get a court order that will make us release the IP and then make the ISP track down the user. Unless that happens, my hands are tied. And it won't matter if TCS provides the IP address unless the ISP cooperates with the police as well - hence why this has to be done using a court order.

Having said all that, this is an old thread that started a year and a half ago. At this point, the discussion is purely theoretical anyway. I'm closing this thread as it seems to confuse well-meaning members. As always, if you have any questions or comments about our policies, feel free to reach out to me via a private message.