Serious question for vegans:???!
What do vegans do if there home has rats, ants, fleas, etc?
Also what do they feed their cats? Cats are carnivores and need animal protein, hence their teeth.
Thanks in advance.
Answers: I'm asking this out of genuine curiosity.
What do vegans do if there home has rats, ants, fleas, etc?
Also what do they feed their cats? Cats are carnivores and need animal protein, hence their teeth.
Thanks in advance.
I'm vegan. Regarding pests like fleas, rats etc. I would call an exterminator. I am not going to risk my health or my family's health for the sake of a few pests. But veganism is about minimizing harm and animal exploitation. These animals are in no way exploited. And applying the harm principle, there is a greater potential of them harming us if we don't get rid of them.
I don't have any cats or dogs. But I disagree with those that feed cats and dogs vegan diets. It's wrong. Cats and dogs should be fed their natural diet. Veganism is a personal choice. It isn't fair to force it upon your pets. the best alternative is to buy them free range meats.
I'm sure there will be some who disagree, but that is just my personal opinion on these 2 matters.
[edit] some feed them cat and dog food, some insist on feeding them a vegetarian or vegan diet. I think it's a grey area for some and it's a topic of debate. but I am personally against it. Forcing an animal on an unnatural diet seems to contradict the very definition of veganism. If they are so concerned about what to feed carnivorous or omnivorous pets, then perhaps the shouldn't have them. Or at least feed them a less cruel alternative such as free range pet foods (which are available).
Vegans feed their cats something called ''cat food''.
Vegans feed their dogs something called ''dog food''.
It's really simple when you think about it. :-)
[edit] Vegans go with the flow of Nature. It's cruel to FORCE a cat to live on a vegan diet. Cats need meat (for taurine, protein etc etc)
However, humans don't need to eat meat. Which is why I am going vegan from vegetarian.
Really some of these questions...cats and dogs can't chose to be vegetarian or vegan...they are carnivores...hello...we humans can chose to be vegetarian or vegan because that is what we were meant to be hence all the molars...the Garden of Eden...etc., so of course we feed our carnivore pets meat...would you as a carnivore feed your cattle or horses meat? Of course not because it would make them sick.
As far as pest in the house...I'm pretty sure most vegans would use humane traps for rats and mice. As far as ants & fleas I'm sure some vegans find alternatives to poison like salt and soda which ants and fleas hate (it repels them and makes them want to leave the house)...as for me...a pest is a pest and I'm not that anal about disease carrying vermin. I would call an exterminator to rid my house of insects, but rodents I can trap and release.
I would take whatever non toxic steps required to get rid of the pests.
My cat eats an organic cat food made from free range chicken.
Being a vegan means you do what you can and all you can to minimise your contribution to animal suffering and exploitation; it doesn't mean you sacrifice your own health or safety - allowing animals to endanger your health and safety and that of your family, particularly your children, is not vegan it is irresponsible and stupid.
Though a dilemma, because you don't want to harm life, it is essential to rid your house of rodents and other pests if you have an infestation. Some people have talked about using humane traps for rodents and releasing them outside
Unfortunately they don't come into the house singly - they move in en masse and breed very quickly - so catching them singly and putting them outside isn't really a practical option.
If taken outside they will soon find their way back in anyway.
There is no point in being sentimental about mice and rats - they are a huge health hazard and a danger when in your home. A danger because they need to gnaw constantly and will present a very real fire risk by gnawing on electric cables. A health risk because they spread disease - they are there for your food and will contaminate that; mice urinate and defecate constantly and that will be spread around wherever they go. Each female mouse can have 5 - 10 litters per year of up to 13 young each time; each of the new born mice will be able to breed at about 7 weeks. Do the maths and see how quickly the population will increase – you’ll never catch them all.
A better option is to try and prevent pests coming in. You can get a plug-in device that emits a noise inaudible to humans but intolerable to rodents and to other pests like cockroaches; make sure your kitchen is squeaky clean, with no food scraps or crumbs to tempt them in; and try to block up any holes or gaps where rodents might get in - bearing in mind that if you can get a ball point pen into a hole, a mouse can get through it. They tend to stay away if you have a cat, too.
If having tried all the above you still get an infestation you have a responsibility to deal with it properly. Your health and safety and that of your family comes first.
I'm vegan and I would call in the exterminators if precautions failed - just as I would defend myself against any creature - animal or human - that was threatening my health, safety or life.
Today I treated my cat with stuff to rid him of fleas - I don't want him to suffer and I don't want to be bitten - and yes I'd squish any flea that jumped on me
I feed my cat meat. It's a cruelty to do otherwise, because they're carnivores. I chose to be a vegan, he didn't. Some vegans attempt to feed cats a vegan diet, but those cats will be supplementing their diet at other people's homes - cats aren't fools - and with mice and birds.
I use what I can naturally... tea tree oil is a whizz at killing fleas, and humane traps for mice, although tbh I live in the countryside and the critters run in when its cold and soon run out when they see my cat (who i swear is terrified of them, even he's humane lol) but if all of that doesn't work then yeah I'd have to give in and call the professionals, veganism is about being healthy... but you cannot be healthy if an infestation is making you ill!
On another track... medication is also an issue... many items are not suitable... but i must say as someone who has adjusted their diet for health purposes I'm not going to put my health/life in danger to avoid a tablet with a gelatine coating. Many people may disagree, but the way I see it you have to be sensible about these things.
Oh and the cat gets frozen white fish (coley etc) as if he's gotta eat meat etc I'm not letting him be pumped too full of chemicals if i can avoid it!
If my home is infested with vermin, all bets are off. If I find a spider, it goes outside alive, but with something like rats or roaches, seeing one means there's many more you can't see. And they're dirty and unhealthy to live with. If there's a humane way of ridding a house of rats, great, but if not my family's health and safety is the highest priority.
I don't have a cat, but if I did, I would feed it meat. Cats are obligate carnivores. They can be fed vegetarian food with supplemental taurine, but I think the more responsible thing to do it feed a carnivore meat. It's what nature intended and if you can't deal with that, maybe a cat is not the companion for you. Dogs are another story; they are biological omnivores and can absolutely thrive on a vegetarian diet. Mine is not vegetarian because I live with my meat-eating boyfriend and as long as there's meat in the house I see no reason to deny my dog something I think he'd prefer. He eats food made from organically raised, non-factory farmed chicken and gets plenty of veggies to snack on because he loves them.
I did not eat rats, ants or fleas before i was vegan, that has not changed now i am one, so i don't keep any in.
What my cats eat is their business, what someone else eats has absolutely no reflection on my own veganism, my cats, my sister, the prime minister - whoever. My mum eats meat, that does not mean i am not a vegan.
Well I kind of have charge of my girlfriends cat that just moved in. I did not feel comfortable feeding her animal products so I bought her vegan cat food on line. I have started her off by mixing her old food with the new vegan food. So far she has been eating it all and seems more spry. I plan to feed her solely vegan cat food when she runs out of her old food. Female cats can much more easily go vegan than male cats but I hear it's all an issue of ph balance which some claim some brands to have.
I also have a 100 pound Husky dog who has been vegan for years and is healthier now than when I feed him meat based dog food. His coat is more shiny, he has more energy, and he's not such a fatso. He was starting to waddle there for a bit. He eats all his food and acts eager for more so I know he likes it.
As for "pests" when I had fruit flies I cleaned up really well and kept opening a window at the right time. I would lure them outside with food and also at times capture them feasting in my trash and took them outside. In time they were gone and I did not have to resort to killing.
I also had a problem with wood roaches. From time to time I would just catch them and put them outside. In time they too seemed to just move on.
I did years ago resort to poison for a mice problem. I felt bad about it but I had tried every trick I knew (no kill traps, sonic devices, cleaning up, etc) and still there was mice pooh everywhere. So I took the least painful way I could find to get rid of them.
In this instance I considered my life at risk because of the feces so I did what I had to do to preserve my life. I believe it OK to take a life in self defense. Looking back at it there were other things I still might have tried so we'll see again if that situations crops up.
In any case we are called to do what we can not be Jainists and wear masks so that we don't breathe in bugs and carry sweeping brooms so that we don't step on small animals, though that idea does have some appeal to me. I do however think there are often compassionate solutions to most problems if only given enough mindful thought.
I use traps to get rid of bugs in my home. I don't have a huge problem with mice, but I have seen a couple and used a humane trap to get rid of one. My cat has caught a couple of others, and since they did not survive, I got rid of their bodies.
I do feed my cat meat. I can live without meat, but she cannot. I find natural pet foods made without any "meal" or unknown byproducts. However, she shows quite an interest in my food, especially potatoes. She also used to go bonkers when I ate soy ice cream.
Vegans are usually concerned with humane/ethical treatment of animals. This means that if a vegan owns a pet, he/she will want to treat it humane. Therefore, the pet will be fed something that is good and healthy for it. Since dogs, and most importantly, cats cannot survive w/o meat and the nutrients from meat, vegans would most likely feed their pets the healthiest dog or cat food possible (it does not have to vegan though). I feed my dog Science Diet and Eukanuba brands b/c they're most recommended for the health of my dog.
As far as insects are concerned, I do not have any, but I keep an ultra sound plug0ins in the house. It does not affect any other animals, just insects, and keeps them away. I know that there are rat/mouse/etc. traps on the market that are harmless to the animals. If I needed one, I would buy the one that keeps the animal alive, and that I could use to catch and then let out somewhere in the wild. With that said, in the extreme situation, I would chose my family, and my pets' safety over insects or some other animals and call exterminator.