The Vegan Cat-Lover is a series of short ebooks based on posts from the early days of this blog.

I hope anyone with an interest in animal rights will enjoy reading them, though my principal aim as always is to reach out to new and pre-vegans, helping explain the principles of and issues surrounding veganism to those who may have the most questions.

As always, I hope my musings will serve as a voice for non-human animals – those sentient beings we Homo sapiens so often regard as “lower life forms” fit only for use, abuse and exploitation.

The ebooks are available for download to your Kindle at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com, and in other formats (including iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo and most e-reading apps, and for reading on your computer) on Smashwords.

Want to know more?

• Email wendy@thevegancat-lover.com
• Join The Vegan Cat-Lover on Facebook
• Connect on Twitter @VeganKittyLover
• Read my interview on veganism and animal rights at De Lectura Obligado

Available Now From Amazon.co.uk

Is it wrong to like animals better than humans? Too cute, too ugly: two ways to avoid being eaten. What’s the issue with single-issue campaigns? What’s wrong with being sentimental? More musings on veganism, speciesism and feline friends.

#1 Bestseller in Animal Rights
Animal welfare and animal rights: what’s the difference? Are cats sentient? Is in vitro meat ethical? And what is a vegan, anyway? A short selection of musings on veganism, speciesism and feline friends.

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HelloooKitty by Gracey Stinson

People might say I talk too much about horse racing, given all the innumerable other abuses that humans pile on non-humans. But in some ways, at certain times, the racing industry angers me even more than does the meat and dairy business (which is a lot, I can tell you). All but the most ignorant of omnivores are at least passingly aware of the existence of vegetarian (and even vegan) opposition to their diet, though they may mock it. Complain about animal racing, however, and you get the kind stunned silence that greeted Ricky Gervais’s “outburst” last Thursday, live on BBC Radio.

I heard the broadcast as it happened, and couldn’t help cheering out loud. (I was on my own at the time, but wouldn’t have minded company – I’ve liked the opportunity to explain what had put the smile on my face.)

For those who weren’t there, Gervais was answering questions about his latest TV show, which has apparently caused offence among some viewers. When asked by host Richard Bacon what offends him, the writer, comedian, animal advocate and all-round good guy replied:

“Well, you’re at Aintree. I don’t think that people should make horses jump over things, being whipped, and when they injure themselves they are put down because they are not worth having around because of economic reasons. Basically a beautiful majestic beast that took 2 billion years to evolve has just been slaughtered for fun. But I don’t go to Aintree, that’s how I do it.”

What I find most infuriating about racing is that, as far as the media is concerned, it’s inconceivable that anyone could possibly begin to even imagine criticizing the “Sport of Kings”. The BBC’s sickeningly sychophantic annual coverage of the Grand National is a case in point.

Meanwhile, the authorities tinker with their whipping regulations (imagine the uproar there would be if those last two words were ever applied to – say – children), as the Grand National’s organizers deign to make minuscule changes to their fences after the death of two horses in last year’s race.

The result? The death of two horses in this year’s race (plus another over the same course two days earlier).

Astonishingly, in the immediate aftermath of the slaughter a few commentators poked their heads above the parapet to question the future of the event. It won’t last. Memories are short, and horses are “only animals”, right?

Image by Racing Kel

If you have a moment free, imagine you are not free. Imagine you’re someone else’s property, as were your parents, and their parents, and their parents before them. That makes you a slave, by anyone’s definition of the term.

Now imagine you are treated better than many in your position, but only because you’re valuable to your owner. You are an athlete, one of the best, and your owner makes his living from the winnings you bring home. So successful have you been, he continues to enter you into events long after the age at which any another slave might have been allowed to retire. (Not that retirement brings much cheer – worn-out slaves are often killed when they cease to be worth the cost of their shelter and food. Severely injured slaves are almost always killed.)

Your success has made you famous; your presence alone is enough to boost the attendance of any event. Your fans love you, some are moved to write songs about you, and all the while they tell themselves that you wouldn’t run if you didn’t enjoy it. But if you do enjoy it, why do they need to whip you to make you run faster?

Now well into middle age, you recently hurt yourself while training. Is this the end of your glorious career? The press think so. But there’s a Big Event coming up, and big events mean Big Money. And not just for your owner; for the organizers, too, who want this to be the Best Big Event Ever, and are banking on you being there to sell tickets.

So your owner takes a risk with your health – with your life, even, for five of your fellow slaves are dead by the time you take to the track. Aging, tired, unfit – you try to respond to the cheers of the crowd, but whatever it was that drove you in the past, finally fails you. You can go no further. Some of your fans feel sad; many others hold you responsible for the money they wagered and lost. But at least your fame should win you your safety, and an old age that few other slaves live to see.

And so ends the story of Kauto Star and the 2012 Cheltenham Festival. Proof if any were needed that horse racing is a business, not a sport.

Image by Valerie Buckingham

I recently happened across a blog post discussing the so-called “lucky impala” photographs. You may have seen them around the net; they tell the heartwarming story of how, instead of eating the baby antelope they have just captured, three young cheetahs decide to play with their prey before releasing him, unmolested.

(You may have also heard that what really happened at the end of the encounter – and even whether the pictures are genuine – is disputed. But bear with me.)

The blogger’s point was that her followers could “start [their] day off right by reading this”. The idea being, I suppose, that the sight of one animal escaping bloody death at the jaws of another is so inspiring, so joyous that the viewer’s spirit cannot fail to be uplifted.

If only it were that simple!

But for the blogger – and the commenters who agreed with her – may I suggest a simple way to recreate that feel-good experience every morning?

Go vegan.

Stories that caught my eye over the last week…

Mail Online. Oh No You Don’t! West Hollywood Fur Group to Sue Over the Nation’s First Fur Sale Ban. (Accessed 10-11-11)
“‘We made history. We’re the first place in the world, I believe, certainly the country, to take that step and ban fur,’ said Ed Buck, an organizer of the local group Fur Free WeHo.” Will they try to ban silk, leather and wool next?

Global Animal. Paws For The Cause Hits the Runway. (Accessed 10-11-11)
You’ll never see a cat doing that. Much too sensible.

This is Hull and East Riding. ‘You’re Barking Mad if You Allow Farm to Expand’. (Accessed 10-11-11)
Some interesting comments (plus the usual old rubbish) on this tale of the vivisection industry vs protesters vs locals.

BBC News. Credit Crunch ‘Prompts Abandoned Pets Rise’. (Accessed 11-11-11)
So sad. Victims without a voice.

And finally…

Action News 5. Activists Outraged About Memphis-based Cat Recycling Company. (Accessed 10-11-11)
I had to include this one for the title alone. As for the article… sense of humour failure or what? (See webuyanycat.com for a similar idea, though with slicker presentation.)

Image by Krdan

Stories that caught my eye over the last week…

Fallen Scoop. Will Lady Gaga Wear a Lettuce Dress in India’s First Formula 1 Race? (Accessed 04-11-11)
The answer, unfortunately, was no. Good try, though. Bryan and Ryan would’ve loved it.

Aol Lifestyle. Should We be Proud that Drugs are Tested on Animals? (Accessed 04-11-11)
Another question, another answer in the negative (IMO). Professor Robert Winston disagrees.

Care2. Mercy For Animals Debuts New Commercials. (Accessed 04-11-11)
And another good try that doesn’t go all the way. Never be ashamed to say you’re vegan!

Metro. No Choice But to Shoot: Police. (Accessed 04-11-11)
““Like most people, I was horrified,” said [Twyla] François [head investigation officer of Canadians for Ethical Treatment of Food Animals]…“It was really unnecessary to do what they did.”” Spot the hypocrisy, anyone?

And finally…

San Francisco Chronicle. Vegan Flush: A New Diet Plan Aims to Help Flush Toxins with Natural Food. (Accessed 04-11-11)
I first thought this was a cruelty-free bog cleaner. But no! It’s proof that even vegans aren’t immune to fad diets. Though maybe I wasn’t entirely mistaken… “The Vegan Flush 14 day diet promises to “Cleanse your body and pollute your toilet”. Referencing the increased bowel movements experienced by most participants.” Bon appetit.

Image by Rasbak

One year ago today, I published my first post on this blog. On that November evening twelve months ago, World Vegan Day 2010, I made a promise to post here once every week – which I have to admit I didn’t keep, and not entirely due to circumstances beyond my control.

Like every other year, this one has had its ups and downs. We lost our beloved old Bagpuss, but we gained a kitten, Baby Bagpuss, and, rather less expectedly, two giant African land snails. And there’s been encouraging news regarding Snofru’s health recently, so our feline/molluscan family is doing as well as ever.

I still hope to post every week, and I even hope to read your comments. As I said one year ago today:

What Are You Doing for World Vegan Day? Are you celebrating veganism, or promoting it to others? Perhaps you are going vegan today? Or had you never heard of World Vegan Day before reading this post? Whatever thoughts you’d like to share, please post them in the comments box below!

Happy World Vegan Day 2011!

Image by Dee Golden

We had Baby Bagpuss, our six-month-old ginger kitten, castrated last week. He’s recovering well, and while we may miss the comedy value of his increasingly frisky pre-op behaviour, our 15-year-old, Snofru, certainly won’t.

We were aware of the (low) risks of the procedure, of course – as well as the much-cited benefits of less spraying, straying and fighting. And most importantly, from the social responsibility point of view, when BB is older he won’t be out on the town every night fathering kittens left, right and centre (and if they looked anything like their dad, they wouldn’t be hard to spot).

Some vegans – and others – would say we were wrong to meddle with the fertility of a fellow sentient being. In my opinion, it might be a “biological imperative” to pass on one’s genes to the next generation, but that doesn’t make reproduction a right – for cats, humans or anyone else.

It’s not as though there aren’t already enough unwanted kittens in the world (and many times more than enough Homo sapiens).

Gary L. Francione says it all. Nothing to add. (Except thanks to those nice people at Reddit for bringing this wonderful article to my attention.)

(The Rorotoko article linked above had made a big impression when I published this micro-post elsewhere back in February 2010.)

Image by PPDigital

Stories that caught my eye over the last week…

The Gazette. Hot Dog! Nitrite Labels Might be Misleading. (Accessed 16-09-11)
This article describes the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as “a veiled animal-rights group”. With all the veiled animal exploitation groups in existence, surely we’re allowed one?

The Sun Daily. Cats Still Missing in Petknode Case. (Accessed 16-09-11)
Horrible.

Herald Sun. Activists Call for Gillard to Stand Up for Animal Rights. (Accessed 16-09-11)
And hand up if you know what a spoodle is.

Florida Keys. Animal-rights Activist Arrested at Gunpoint in Key Largo by Miami Officer. (Accessed 16-09-11)
As a commenter puts it, “[b]ecause taking photos and trying to dismantle a fence to free captive wild animals is such dangerous business.”

And finally…

The Portland Mercury. Neighbors Plan Protest of New Vegan Strip Club. (Accessed 16-09-11)
This all looks extremely complicated and, as the writer points out, the locals’ objections have little to do with stripping (or veganism, for that matter).

Image by Polylerus