Would you eat a cat?

Someone recently told me that even though they would not eat a cat or dog, they think that because China is so overpopulated, anything with meat is a meal, and that it is no different eating a cow than a cat. They said it's not fair to separate one life from another.
I could not kill any animal for food. If I had to, I would become a vegetarian. But I feel that it should be much harder for someone to kill a cat for food because they connect with humans and can love and be loved by people. Is it me? I mean I was horrified as a child seeing a live lobster being thrown into a pot of boiling water. I could not stop crying.

I think that cows are capable of connecting with people too. I have friends with their own farm and they raise cows. They keep one around because she's just too friendly. She always approaches them when they enter her pen and she licks them with that enormous tongue of hers. None of the other cows or bulls act that way so they couldn't bear to send her off to be slaughtered.

I would eat cat meat if I was hungry but I imagine it's not as good for you as other kinds of meat. Too high a risk of parasites and the meat is very lean (You can't eat just lean meat. It's the same with rabbits, too much isn't good for you. You need some fat).

Many people, including the Humane Society of the US and PETA, feel the same way you do! There are horrors that occur all over the world to animals of all sorts, even those who are destined for the dinner table. Humane cattle operations now have processes and procedures that keep the cattle calm and killed instantly, rather than the 'old methods'. Respect for our fellow animals on this planet is more accepted, even though a large number of people at the other end of the spectrum see no problem with killing for sport or trophy, or doing harm to animals. Much of our attitudes are formed as children, and what we were raised with.

I did not know that cows could show affection. As I said, I could not kill an animal for food, especially a cat or a dog. When I eat meat, I make myself forget that I am eating an animal that was killed. Kari is right. People who hunt teach their children to hunt. Maybe I should become a vegetarian. Until I do, then I am being a hypocrite by eating meat.

I just wanted to gently point out that not all Chinese people eat cat meat
China has its own rescue organizations including Second Chance Animal Aid in Shanghai which has found adoptive homes for 460 kittens and 178 cats.
This is the link to their website. http://scaashanghai.org/index.shtml

There are professional, upwardly mobile Chinese people that have spoiled cats that they take to pet groomers. The people that you read about eating cats usually live in the country and are poor.

In fact there is an organization called the Animal Liberation Front, and in this story Chinese volunteers rescued 1,450 cats about to transported for meat and fur. They intercepted the trucks, protested and liberated the cats,
so these Chinese people actually put themselves at risk to save the lives of cats.

http://www.animalliberationfront.com/ALF...aiCats.htm

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.

There is no such thing as people consume cat because they are "poor". It doesn't make sense. Cat is anything but 'cheap'. It cost a lot more to feed cats than feeding some chickens. Even for the poor families who have cats, it's better off for them to sell one cat and buy dozens chickens with that money.

It is just that very few individuals who have the weird desire to try "everything" for food. The ones who eat cats are not poor, they have plenty to eat and they are just "trying" out new food.

I see no difference between eating cats and dogs, and eating other animals. I could not eat cats and dogs, probably just because I grew up in a culture where it's not a normal practice (and I have pets that I love very much). I've heard a lot of people get really aggressive and racist to countries where it's normal to eat cats (and dogs, and a lot of other animals we don't eat in the west). I don't understand that, since I don't see how cows, chickens, pigs etc. are lesser beings than cats, and more deserving to die. Pigs are actually proven to be significantly smarter than cats and dogs. Unfortunately, you can't have a meal without taking a life, as plants have life too. But I think that it would be good if people are more conscious and grateful about what they eat. A lot of people have never seen a living cow or a pig. They just think of them as lifeless, emotionless food.

Well, I was told by my parents that cats ended up being eaten during World War II when there was no other meat to be found for human consumption. They told me it tasted a bit like rabbit.

I own 2 cats myself nowadays. I cannot imagine eating them or any cat for that matter. I guess it was entirely different during those days.
People could rarely go into shops those days and when they did, they rarely were able to find something edible. I do agree that desperate times call for desperate measures but nowadays I would not eat a cat!

Although I couldn't personally eat a cat (or dog) I think it's more about social norms than what animal it is. I believe that most, if not all, types of animals have the ability to connect to humans. We connect to cats and dogs in this country (USA) because they are the most common household mammalian pets, so the idea of eating one seems abhorrent. If eating that type of animal was accepted by the social norms of a person's society I think it would be perfectly normal for a person to eat them, if they chose to eat meat.

There are other types of animals eaten in various parts of the world that many wouldn't eat here, or that used to be considered non-edible and are now an extravagance. Lobster used to be a poor man's food. Possum seems gross to many.

If I was born in China I would eat cats, if I was born in India I would rather eat a cat than a cow, and so on. Our opinions on the subject are influenced by our place of birth and the things we saw and have been taught to us while growing up. While I was growing up I wasn't allowed to pull a cat's tail so that gave me a hint of how I should treat those animals.
I could never kill and eat a cat. or a dog, for that matter. I don't know how I would react if someone served me this kind of meat and then tell me what it really was. I would probably be mortified, terrified and grossed out. My consciousness would be burdened till the day I die.

(07-10-2013 07:35 PM)Amalia Wrote:  If I was born in China I would eat cats, if I was born in India I would rather eat a cat than a cow, and so on.

I think you are misinformed.
It is very uncommon to eat cats in both China and India. Yes, there are people eating cats there but it is as rare as you'd only hear about it as a wtf story and never seen it happen. Eating cats is anything but normal in those two countries.

When I was at Buffalo NY, someone told me she had a couple as neighbors. One day she heard the girl asking the guy "How do you want to cook the squirrels?". The guy replied "Just like the last time". There are people in every country eating unusual food, but lets not to generalize the whole population of any country based on the unusual a few.

Eating cats is absolutely disgusting, I've seen the horror stories of how they prepared the cats for eating as well. They were brought up that way and because they wanted to try new food that way, I would never do it.Only way I would probably eat it is if I didn't know what it was and that they never told me what it was, eating animals that are normally companion animals is just strange. There are other things out there to eat besides cats or dogs that I've heard people were eating as well, we are usually brought up to care and love animals, some people in foregin countries are just brought up to eat what they were taught to eat and introduce to. I hear their parents and their parents did it so that is what they bring onto their children.

Ram, I am sorry you didn't understand my post, maybe I was too vague. You also missed the fact that I always said "I" so I was always referring to myself and what my beliefs would have been if born in another country. You made me sound like a racist, which I am not, and I was definitely not talking about an entire population.

What I meant is: if I was born in China where eating dogs it's not that uncommon, I wouldn't probably have a problem with eating cats. If I was born in India and I would have a choice to make between a cat and a cow, I wouldn't eat the sacred animal, I would eat the cat. Or maybe rats if I was an Untouchable.

I hope I was clear this time and I apologize to everybody who though my previous post was generalizing to an entire population.

I knew what you meant very well, and I knew you are wrong.

Eating dogs and cats is uncommon everywhere including in China and Indian. Main food there are still the usual livestock animals. Most people in those countries will also only eat the "usual" stuff. Just because someone who is born there, it doesn't mean they will eat every unusual food. It is easily understandable, because the usual livestock are cheaper.

The rule of thumb is 1 pound of chicken meat require 3 pounds of grains to produce, 1 pound of pork require 5 pound of grains, 1 pound of beef require 10 pounds of grains. You can be certain that dog and cat will cost a lot more since they are carnivore. It is not economical to mass produce carnivore for food purpose especially not in these third world countries.