Let's fight about having a cat. Maybe someone will come and cut it in half for us!
I had an interesting thought this morning: Does the precept against killing apply to cat ownership?
After all, cats are meat eaters. Let them roam around freely and they will catch birds or the little blind snakes and mice. Also, most cat food contains meat. There's no way around it, having a cat involves killing. And there are too many cats. They're bad for local ecosystems. Too many people have them. You could keep them indoors and raise them on vegetarian cat food, but I think most people would consider thatmcruel to the cats.
I think considering these kinds of questions is a question of whether the precepts are seen as a living or as a dead practice.
Because the answer is not cut and dry. On a farm where cats serve as pest control to keep grain safe? I don't think there is much issue. They're staff, hired to perform an important job. They cut snakes in half.
Having a cat in a densely populated area however is contributing to the too many cats problem and one has to be aware of the consequences of one's choices when doing self examination.
What to you think? Cats or no cats? And what do we do if we realize this and already have two of them in our home when we notice this? Can't get rid of them, can't keep them. Now doesn't that sound like a dose of Zen?
Probably not. But then again, I can see this being a very personal question.
Submitted May 24, 2023 at 10:20AM by dota2nub https://ift.tt/BHflpCn
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