Pets (Companion Animals)
Once our eyes have been opened to the cruelty inflicted upon animals by the meat and dairy industry, cosmetic testing, and even entertainment centers (looking at you, Seaworld!), choosing to go vegan is an easy decision to make for many of us.
We don’t need chicken on our plates. We don’t need milk in our glasses. We don’t need tallow in our lipsticks. We don’t need to visit circuses. We don’t need…you get the picture!
Eschewing animal products because of their innate cruelty or choosing not to patronize places where exploitation occurs, therefore, is simple, but there are tougher questions associated with going vegan.
One of the biggest amongst them is, Should vegans keep pets? Even use of the word “pet” is highly debated in many vegan circles, with “companion animal” being the preferred term.
We thought long and hard over including a section on vegan pets, or companion animals, on Happy Happy Vegan, but the conclusion we came to is this: it’s happening, so we need to talk about it. We want to bring you the best information we possibly can, so choosing to ignore a subject isn’t really on the agenda here, but we do understand if you consider the term “vegan pet” to be an oxymoron.
As with all the sections here on HHV, this is a work in progress. If you have any questions, ideas, or comments about vegan pets please do get in touch.
LET’S STAY IN TOUCH, SHALL WE?
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