[Snail]

I saw on the news a while ago that some guys stopped some Chinese people from eating cats by protesting on the internet.

I think this is crap. If you can eat a 2 week old cow or a force-fed goose or whatever, why can't you eat a cat? A cows an animal. So's a cat. Why can't you eat a cat? I just don't get some people. Yes they're cute, but if people want to eat them, what gives you the right to go and stop them (unless you're an armed vegan or something).

The protest was made on the internet and some forum people were able to save these cats. I don't think this community would care if I went and ate a cat. But I've been wrong before. Sorely wrong. Am I wrong now? I hope I'm not, because if you can eat a 2 week old baby cow or whatnot then why not a cat?

BTW, I have not eaten a dog or a cat. I just don't see what gives you the right to stop me if I want to.

Escargot


EDIT:
This thread isn't "do you eat," it's do you think it's okay to "eat..."

[TrashMan]

Hmm...well cats are a magnitude of intelligence above a cow...dogs even moreso..

Now I don't like cats (I'm pretty impartial..used to hate them), but I would never eath them.

Does that marginal differnce make a difference? Let's even say it's a huge difference, shall we? What difference does it make how intelliegent a animal is? Suppose cats or sheep could talk and write poetry - even then why NOT eat them? Hell, why not eat humans? They (we) are jsut overglorified mammals anyway...

The point is, you got to draw a line somewhere....
Now personally if I was the one that had to kill a animal to eat it, I would be a vegetarian.

[Flipside]

I suppose the thing is for me is that we breed Cows and Sheep specifically for the purpose of eating them, a Domestic Cat is perfectly capable of surviving in a feral environment, a Domestic sheep, on the other hand, is designed to be killed and eaten, it sounds cruel, but that's several thousand years of crossbreeding for you

[Davros]

"Hmm...well cats are a magnitude of intelligence above a cow"

and pigs are a magnitude of intelligence above a cat

[haloboy100]

sure you can concerned that someone is eating a cat, but protesting about it is overkill. It's not like the guy is going to nuke every cat in existence - if he was, then by all means, kill him!

[Shade]

I would not personally eat a cat, but that's a matter of cultural upbringing and not because it's ethically wrong. Because, frankly, if it's not ethically wrong to eat pigs, it's not ethically wrong to eat cats or for that matter dogs. As Davros pointed out, pigs are a magnitude of intelligence above the rest mentioned, and indeed above pretty much all common household pets that people might find it revolting to think of as a meal.

There is a point of intelligence though where I would consider it wrong to eat an animal. Or for that matter do anything else to it except out of pure nessecity, including keeping it in captivity. I can't really say there's any scientific base for that opinion of mine, but it's there nonetheless - Suffice to say, past a certain point I consider it a sort of "professional courtesy" to not willfully do harm to a species. The number of animals that are intelligent enough that I consider them in that class are very few though, and as far as I know none of them are eaten anyway.

[Tyrian]

I suppose the thing is for me is that we breed Cows and Sheep specifically for the purpose of eating them, a Domestic Cat is perfectly capable of surviving in a feral environment, a Domestic sheep, on the other hand, is designed to be killed and eaten, it sounds cruel, but that's several thousand years of crossbreeding for you

It's also a cultural thing though.  Our culture breeds cows and sheep for food, while we breed cats and dogs for companionship.  I suppose the reason to us is that eating a cat or dog would be like eating a friend...  But the Hindu culture holds cows sacred, and won't eat them.  They treat them similar to how we treat cats and dogs. 

I think it boils down to a cultural thing, not relevant to the animal's intelligence, as it was said that pigs are smarter than dogs, yet we eat the pig, not the dog.

[Flipside]

I suppose the thing is for me is that we breed Cows and Sheep specifically for the purpose of eating them, a Domestic Cat is perfectly capable of surviving in a feral environment, a Domestic sheep, on the other hand, is designed to be killed and eaten, it sounds cruel, but that's several thousand years of crossbreeding for you

It's also a cultural thing though.  Our culture breeds cows and sheep for food, while we breed cats and dogs for companionship.  I suppose the reason to us is that eating a cat or dog would be like eating a friend...  But the Hindu culture holds cows sacred, and won't eat them.  They treat them similar to how we treat cats and dogs. 

I think it boils down to a cultural thing, not relevant to the animal's intelligence, as it was said that pigs are smarter than dogs, yet we eat the pig, not the dog.

Agreed, I was thinking much the same thing after posting. I don't have a problem with people eating Cats as food, even though I couldn't do it myself, I agree it's not to do with intelligence, but, in many ways, to a Westerner, the idea of eating Cats is the same as the idea of eating Pork is to Judaism, or, as you state, killing a cow to a Hindi.

That's why I don't really hold with complaining about it, if Israel made a statement to the world that we should all stop eating Pork because they don't, then people would see how silly such campaigns are.

[IceFire]

Its intolerance...some things are universal and some things are cultural and people need to understand that there are many many many cultural differences between peoples that we need to respect.  Its not generally a good idea to meddle in another peoples affairs...similarly we don't particularly like our own cultures (because there are many on the forum) messed around with either.  Obviously there are lines here and I'm very much in favour of intervening in affairs when things like genocide and famine and oppression are involved but leave people be when its a matter of if they eat veggies or cats or chickens or whatever.

[Nuclear1]

Thing is, cat's don't taste good.  All they do is run around, eat, barf it all up on your floor, and then die.  Very stringy meat.

Now a good fat cow rump cooked to about medium rare and lathered in bourbon and A-1, that's good eatin'.  Just the way nature intended it.

[haloboy100]

Thing is, cat's don't taste good.  All they do is run around, eat, barf it all up on your floor, and then die.  Very stringy meat.

You tasted cats?

[Nuclear1]

Thing is, cat's don't taste good.  All they do is run around, eat, barf it all up on your floor, and then die.  Very stringy meat.

You tasted cats?

No, but by comparing one stringy meat to another, I just decided that stringy cat meat is just as bad as stringy beef or chicken.

EDIT: And as for the poll, I don't eat either.  Cows, chicken, and some types of fish, fine.  Lambs, cats, dogs, or any other domesticated animal, no.

[haloboy100]

[Polpolion]

Thing is, cat's don't taste good.  All they do is run around, eat, barf it all up on your floor, and then die.  Very stringy meat.

You tasted cats?

No, but by comparing one stringy meat to another, I just decided that stringy cat meat is just as bad as stringy beef or chicken.

EDIT: And as for the poll, I don't eat either.  Cows, chicken, and some types of fish, fine.  Lambs, cats, dogs, or any other domesticated animal, no.

No pork?

[Stormkeeper]

I eats meat. But i wouldn't eat cats or dogs. Simply because I don't want to.

[Bobboau]

incedently I do actualy eat a lot of lamb, there is a local gyros shop, and I am weak to the gyros.

[Grizzly]

Hmm...well cats are a magnitude of intelligence above a cow...dogs even moreso..

Most people eat pigs, who are one of the smartest animals out there, after us, and some primates...

Either it should be OK to eat cats, or chinese people should protest against us for eating pigs, cows, chickens, etc.

(And then the horrible bio-industry)

[TrashMan]

pigs are a magnitude of intelligence above the rest mentioned, and indeed above pretty much all common household pets

We can't mesure human intelligence accurately on HUMANS (hell, we can't even agrre on what intelligence IS), let alone on animals.
Frankly, IMHO, all int tests are utter crap...worthless.

There is a point of intelligence though where I would consider it wrong to eat an animal. Or for that matter do anything else to it except out of pure nessecity, including keeping it in captivity. I can't really say there's any scientific base for that opinion of mine, but it's there nonetheless - Suffice to say, past a certain point I consider it a sort of "professional courtesy" to not willfully do harm to a species. The number of animals that are intelligent enough that I consider them in that class are very few though, and as far as I know none of them are eaten anyway.

Which animals might that be? I'm rather curios since you say they aren't eaten...


EDIT:
What about eating humans? I hear we taste like chicken..and it happes in nature to boot.

[Ghostavo]

pigs are a magnitude of intelligence above the rest mentioned, and indeed above pretty much all common household pets

We can't mesure human intelligence accurately on HUMANS (hell, we can't even agrre on what intelligence IS), let alone on animals.
Frankly, IMHO, all int tests are utter crap...worthless.

Just out of curiosity, why did you say that cats and dogs are a magnitude of intelligence above cows then? 

[karajorma]

I've heard cat soup is quite nice. Or was that dog soup? Ummmmm. Either way one of them is supposedly quite tasty once you can get over the fact you're eating Fifi.

We can't mesure human intelligence accurately on HUMANS (hell, we can't even agrre on what intelligence IS), let alone on animals.
Frankly, IMHO, all int tests are utter crap...worthless.

So wait a second. You start out saying that we should decide what to eat based on intelligence and when someone points out that pigs are the 8th most intelligent animal you suddenly start claiming the tests you brought up to support your earlier argument are worthless.

Oh you SO deserve your title.

What about eating humans? I hear we taste like chicken..and it happes in nature to boot.

Humans taste like pork. There was a famous case of a butcher selling cut up humans during WWII and passing it off as pork. Admittedly people probably hadn't tasted much pork recently when they got it from him but if it tasted like chicken I suspect someone would have noticed.