Do you have to be a vegetarian to care about animals?

Question

This user is accusing me of not caring about animals because I eat meat sometimes.

Answer 1

god made animals for food so no you dont even have to be  a vegetarian at all

Answer 2

That is ridiculous. Meat is a part of a healthy humans diet. The only thing that changes this natural fact is personal philosophy. I am not a vegetarian and never could be. You don't have to swear off meat to love animals.

Answer 3

My dogs eat meat all the time.

Answer 4

Of course not.  There are many other ways to care about animals.  

However, once you start paying attention to what is going on in our society on a daily basis to animals just for the sake of us having food, it may make you want to turn vegetarian.  Once you start really seeing how animals are treated just so we have eggs, milk and meat, it's pretty hard to eat meat without feeling some sort of guilt.

Another option is to buy from local farmers.  It doesn't cost as much to get the product to you and the animals are almost always raised cruelty-free and organic.

Answer 5

No, of course not.

I eat meat, but I work in a pet shop and have three pets of my own. I'm never cruel to animals in any way- I even eat organic and free range meat, and most of it is sourced locally and therefore is better.

So no, that user is wrong and an extremist.

It's not meat eater equals puppy killer, after all, or even livestock killer.

Answer 6

Nah- that's just a radical. I eat meat in nearly every meal but love animals. Humans are naturally omnivores. We are designed to consume meat as well as fruits and veggies.

Answer 7

I don't think so. I eat meat and I care about animals. I care about the way animals were treated before they were slaughtered for meat, as well as how they were slaughtered. Vegetarianism is not a viable option for everyone, as not everyone wants to research the diet and do it properly.

Answer 8

You should care about how humanely your food is treated before slaughter and how humanely it is slaughtered.  Avoid factory farms and companies that have already been cited for animal cruelty. (Proctor & Gamble, Perdue, Gillette, KFC, etc)  I eat wild game and free-range meats.  I feel very confident that the animals were quite happy and healthy before I ate them.

You can respect and treasure animals and still eat them.  See: native tribes all over the world that venerate the animals which sustain them.

Answer 9

No! I'm not a vegetarian, but i am a HUGE animal lover! That's ridiculous, don't listen to that person.

Hey, animals eat meat too!

Answer 10

I LOVE animals but I eat meat. A person can't live a normal, happy life without complex carbohydrates, protein, sugar, and water. All of those are found in meat!

Give or take the type of meat. Now, do I eat it every waking moment? NO!

I plan to be a vet and even as a vet I'll eat meat. The person telling you this is a loser, knows nothing about todays economy, or the real world.

Tell them to go talk to a flower...

Answer 11

no way that is stupid you dont eat dogs do you? cats? then your ok you dont have to be a vegetarian to love animals even animals eat animals

Answer 12

you don't have to be a vegetarian to love animals.

Answer 13

Nope, I eat meat everyday.    I am not naive enough to think that only vegetarians care about animals

Answer 14

he's got a good point, you'd be a hypocrite to do both