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Carnivore pets and their diets
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@seeker242 I think you are taking the natural versus unnatural way out of context. More and more we find that the more we stray from what had been a natural life for humans for many many thousands of years, the more we find it makes us unhealthy. Sure, you probably won't drop dead if you eat a diet full of processed food but you won't be healthy, either, not nearly as healthy as you could be eating a diet more based on natural foods. And yes, natural foods are better, and healthier, than man-made chemical ridden unnatural processed foods. There really is no debate there. Animals are no different. They have an ideal diet for the development of a healthy body and mind, just like we do. What if our government decided the man-made stuff was what was good for us and that all natural foods had to go? Would that be fair considering what is truly best for us?
I just really abhor when people put their own human logic and philosophies and religions onto animals. When you take an animal into your life (just like a child) you are promising to do the best *by them* not by yourself. Dogs and cats and fish etc don't understand philosophies. If the vegan cat were given the option, I can about guarantee you they would go for a pile of fresh fish over vegan kibble. Because it is their nature and we should only be taking them as pets if we are willing to work with that and not push our own beliefs onto them. I do the same with my kids. I do the absolute best I can to honor who they are, no matter how different it is from me. Why would I do different for my pets?
See, what underlies all this is a fear of the natural. Bloodfear. Fear of being embodied. The desire for some kind of platonic idealistic existence.
My first teacher CTR. loved the Native American name 'Sitting Bull ' because of its earthiness..its acceptance of the earth and of the nature of things ..its sitting solidly on the soil.
That is the OP! And it's quite obvious that these people had no idea what they are doing! No reasonable conclusion can be discerned from this particular situation Other than "Feeding a cat only potatoes and pasta is bad". But, no one who is educated about feeding a cat vegan even does that to begin with!
All of this is what is called a "strawman".
"The Straw Man fallacy is committed when a person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position."
Making strawman arguments is not logical or reasonable either! The idea that it's bad because it's unnatural is horribly, horribly false!
Strawman number 2! It is when considering scientific analysis of an animals nutrient requirements. That's because you like jumping to conclusions! Not exactly a logical thing to do...
Appeal to nature reasoning and strawman making is, and will always, be illogical regardless of any particular person. Logic is inherently rigid, that is how it works! 2 + 2 will always equal 4 regardless of who is doing or not doing the math and 2 + 2 will never equal 5. That's quite rigid, it's supposed to be. When 2 + 2 can equal 4, or maybe 5 or 6 sometimes, the whole calculator becomes useless! Might as well just throw it in the garbage!
All of which neatly sidesteps the issue. Which is the utter cruelty and violence perpetuated against carnivorous animals by locking them up in houses and apartments and giving them no choice but a diet entirely different to that which their bodies are evolved to utilise.
A decision made FOR them by another species with an entirely different evolutionary history.
THAT is what the thread is about.
Perhaps it might be wise to consider using sentences such as, "My logic tells me that..."
My logic tells me that dogs and cats and parrots have evolved through the ages eating a particular kind of diet. Today they are living in a world (not natural) where their diets may need some supplements to get the natural nutrition they might be receiving in the wild.
My parrot can't fly around in the South American tropics and eat the natural foods he would normally. So his food sources contains things that supplement natural ingredients. But since parrots eat a vegetarian diet, it would be illogical to switch them to a meat diet. Just as it would be illogical to switch cats and dogs to a vegetarian diet.
That is my logic on the topic. But, I will follow your advice, seeker242, and say that my logic is THE logic, and anyone differing from my logic is wrong.
The OP was being (directly and succinctly) addressed by several of us here; ALL of us backed up our opinions in some way with various explanations about how intentionally feeding carnivorous animals strictly vegetarian diets seemed cruel, unnatural and harmful.
Some of us cited scientific studies or paraphrased them. Some of us gave anecdotal examples or referenced websites pertaining to the OP.
You, @seeker242, disagree with it all. OK, fine.
But to seriously accuse everyone of being illogical or merely tossing strawman fallacies at you, with no logic/science or nature to back it up.... is just plain wrong. Frankly, saying "Nature is irrelevant" was THE most illogical thing written in this thread- period. :::SMH:::
As for strawman fallacies, sometimes it takes one to know (show) one...
You want to stick to logic? Great.
What is the single best LOGICAL reason you can come up with for feeding a naturally carnivorous animal a strictly vegan diet? Stick to logic please.
Definition of logic (n)
Bing Dictionary
1. theory of reasoning: the branch of philosophy that deals with the theory of deductive and inductive arguments and aims to distinguish good from bad reasoning
2. system or instance of reasoning: any system of, or an instance of, reasoning and inference
3. sensible argument and thought: sensible rational thought and argument rather than ideas that are influenced by emotion or whim
I'm afraid your 'logic' is based on emotions and whim, @Seeker242.
The idea that it's bad because it's unnatural, is not and never will be logical or reasonable. This is the logic I'm using. It's unequivocally correct and always will be regardless of what anyone believes or doesn't believe. It's as certain as 2 + 2 = 4.