Do (cows, sheep, etc) feel pain when slaughtered?

Question

was there tests done to measure the pain in such animals if there was any ? and how close is it to the human pain experience ? ONLY experts answers please , no answers from animal activists OR Meat Lovers please , coz i know your answer !!!!

Answer 1

No - once they're slaughtered they can no longer feel pain.

Answer 2

Yes, of course they feel pain and also perceive it as pain.  The perception of pain is evolutionarily adaptive (i.e., it's good for you).  For example, when you touch something hot and feel pain, you learn not to touch that hot thing again.  So pain is one of the oldest sensations found amongst animals.

The perception of pain (the mental image we get of it) is going to differ in cows in detail from humans because of differences in brain structure.  But they'll certainly still feel it and be aware of pain generally.

That all said, slaughter houses have been refined in recent years (mostly...) to minimize stress on the animals as well as to minimize the chances the animals have to become aware of the impending action.  The kill actually occurs by a blow to the brain (except in Kosher slaughter houses...), and this results in a very short time (milliseconds) between the initial blow and unconsciousness.  So while they undoubtedly feel pain, it's probably for less than a second.

To me, the bigger problem is the anxiety leading up to that moment.  While things have gotten better in recent years (thanks mostly to a woman named Temple Grandin who wrote an interesting book on the subject), I personally think they could be much better still.

Answer 3

Obviously.  Would you feel pain if someone slaughtered you??  

Answer 4

there alive........i'm thinking they feel and if your not a meat lover or an animal activist what are you? is there an in between. also how might you measure one's pain when being killed (screams, cries, whimpers)  

Answer 5

That really depends on the method used to slaughter the animal. In civilized countries, there are animal rights laws which insist on a certain standard of welfare in slaughterhouses. Here, animals are killed using a bolt gun - that is, a gun in which a slim metal rod shoots out into the animal's head, then immediately retracts into the gun. This renders the animal instantly braindead - it is very quick and the animal does not suffer. It is like a person being shot in the head - it's about the quickest and most painless death possible. After this, the animal's throat is cut to allow the blood to drain.

However, in kosher slaughterhouses the animals are killed simply by cutting the throat - 'kosher' means 'fit', and the animal must be awake and aware when killed in order for those of Jewish faith to eat the meat. This means they do not allow the animal to be 'stunned' with the bolt before the throat is cut. It is also the practice in many third world countries to slaughter animals simply by slitting their throats - I think it is fairly obvious that killing an animal in this way will cause suffering, since the animal will feel the blade cutting its throat, and does not die instantly but bleeds to death.