I'll go ahead and throw in my two cents and stir the pot up. I don't eat cats, nor do I want to, because I have cats as pets, and always have. I think ALL life should be treated with respect, including the broccoli being farmed for slaughter. But, very few living things can survive without consuming other living things. It's the way life evolved. That doesn't mean things should be abused in the meantime though.
How do we know that the broccoli, plants, and trees don't have feelings? They grow, fight to survive, and try to procreate. They will grow in the direction of sunlight & their roots will grow in the direction of better soil and more moisture, showing that they are trying to survive. What makes them more fit to be sacrificed?
I'm think I'm going to bow out of this thread after this, as I've seen positive references to three exceptionally non-ethical organizations here already.
And to anyone who's reading this or posted here, PETA, ALF, & HSUS are all against humans having "pets" or "companion animals". Either in literal statements on their respective web sites, by executives, members, and various propaganda, unofficial statements, by carefully worded statements (as to not completely alienate pet owners, as ironically that is where most of their support and funding comes from), and through various terrorist style operations.
I implore anyone reading this to do some thorough research before supporting any of those groups, directly, or even posting a single positive word about them.