A Thread about the Ethics of Keeping Pets on the TextKit Forum

[teo123]

Hey, guys!
I've started a thread about whether it's ethical to keep animals as pets on the TextKit forum. Specifically, it's about keeping cats and dogs, since cats and dogs cause a lot of unnecessary suffering by killing countless innocent animals. My username there is FlatAssembler. I've got a few responses by now from somebody named Glorfindel. So, if somebody wants to join that discussion, feel free to do so!

[brimstoneSalad]

Any tough arguments? You can quote them here. I don't think most people will go off site, but might get some interesting responses here.

[VeganSquare]

This is an interesting question and one which, quite candidly, turned me off from the vegan community for many years. I know people, including family members, who can become downright nasty on the subject. I have no problem with it. Getting animals from shelters saves lives and infinitely increases the value of said lives. Beyond that, domesticated cats and dogs have been bred to be dependent on humans. Could they survive on their own? Probably most of them. Would they thrive? An emphatic no.

The one ethical issue I see with owning pets is providing food for them. Cats are carnivorous and dogs, while more omnivorous, do require meat. Commercial animal food with meat-based products are almost definitely not ethnically sourced. The solution I have hit upon is buying my dogs' meat from small, local farms which I have seen with my own eyes treating their animals well. Is it perfect? No. But, as a pet owner, I have a commitment to my animal's health and happiness.