this is something you mentioned when talking about Tom Cruise, and thinking on it, i realised the same principal can be applied here.  no matter what your lifestyle, or your choices about how YOU want to live, you cant force your views on someone else.  ive seen sites like youve mentioned, and its people forcing their views on those who cant choose for themselves, and it can have dangerous and even deadly consequences.  just like Tom Cruise had no right to say how Brooke Sheilds should live her life, and that she was bad for what she decided, no matter how strong your beliefs are, its unfair to force your lifestyle on them.  they are who they are, and if you cant get past those thoughts, then you have to decide they arent for you.  i struggled with it a lot at first, but they arent responsible for how the world is, and they depend on me to make the right choices for them.  id feel worse if i denied them.  i havent looked back, even though i will never like it, lol.  its whats best for them, and they are happy and healthy.  thats all that matters.  they are such an important part of my life, and i want to see them be a part of my life for as long as possible.  to try the other way could deny me that, and them their lives.  i dont want them to suffer, they mean too much.

thats the thing, though.  in their world its not cruel, or mindless, or wrong.  those are qualities weve made up. you cant change their thinking anymore then you could change the other kind to their way of life.  their whole makeup depends on the specific diet theyve evolved to eat. nature has a way of keeping everything in check.  they catch those who are weak, or wouldnt make it, and might even die a horrible death anyway.  if they all survived there wouldnt be enough food for all and starvation/illness would cause long term suffering.  ever seen those nature programs?  they kill quickly.  i know of none whod choose an alternative diet because it doesnt make sense.  they cant eat what they arent genetically programmed to eat.  weve taken them in, imposed our views and feelings on them, and its selfish to try and change whats there.  they have no idea or control of how they get that food, or how it ends up in their dish.  thats our doing. 

i used to feel the same way when i was younger, but even though ive made the changes i have, i still find it easy to relate to their other aspects.  i do everything i can to make sure Sassy isnt out hunting; she knows not to go after my critters and ignores them for the most part.  she has too many positive points and they far outweight the one or two "negatives" she may have.  im sure there are many negatives about me shes not thrilled about, but she humors me.  Same with the dogs; i just dont give them a chance to hurt anyone, and they are kept away from the critters, for the most part (with Speedy, i trained Sinbad to leave her alone; Lady was curious but not a threat, and i think Sinbad was just curious as well). its about understanding, and acceptance.  every pet is going to have some aspect you have to accept, not always about diet.

ive been one off an on, since high school i guess.  but i felt that way when i was pretty young, too.  i am able to separate my feelings from my love for those who have to eat meat.  for example, im sure you dont avoid your family because they still eat meat, right?  so whats the difference with a cat or dog?  are they any less loveable?  i definitely dont think Sassy, for example, is any less of a companion because of her need to eat meat.  keep in mind they dont have a choice, unlike people.  they require meat to live.  my family and i sometimes clash, but we all get along and i havent decided im not going to change my views of them because of what they eat.  changing my views on my pets wouldnt make sense either.

 

i read a lot on chinchillas last night, because id like one or two down the road.  but ive changed my mind, i think.  they are really delicate sounding, have to absolutely never be exposed to high temps, need a pretty rigid diet, and a lot of other concerns.  they are also very sound sensitive and can literally die of a heart attack if exposed to loud sounds (that one hits hard tonight because of all the noise here!).  they need a lot of exercise, have specific vitamin requirements, and the list goes on.

reposting this, not sure why you deleted it?

 

From: <NOBR>ßëåû†ïƒû�?§Þì®í�?Þåm</NOBR> Sent: 7/4/2005 9:56 PM

i said how I feel and that's all iam gonna say..i said i need time to think and whatever i decide is how it is gonna be for me..nuff said.. btw i don't feed my family..iam not gonna cook/handle meat for them..they can do it themselves.. iam glad you have things all worked out within you..good for you and more power to ya..