Don't Support Brands That Sell Fur

Companies that sell fur steal the lives of others that don't belong to them. But really, I don't need to tell you why, just see for yourself.

photo credit: http://www.dkbunnybutcher.com/tenReasons.aspx?c=pfs

Don't forget, other animals used for fur suffer similar if not worse fates. Also, those who support cruelty to animals for unnecessary and unreasonable purposes really are not animal lovers- having pets does not count either.

"Why Love One But Eat the Other?"

You might have seen the title phrase above through animal compassion campaigns by Mercy For Animals.

This isn't just an ad, it's a nudge towards re-evaluating our core values because our beloved pet animals are inherently no different than the intelligent and social farm animals that suffer needlessly for our food choices. A new video (less than 3 minutes in length) uploaded by Mercy For Animals gives us a reason to stop, think, and hopefully make compassionate choices for these pigs that are abused beyond belief, just because we choose to eat pigs but not dogs when the lives of both are equally valuable.

The New Food Plate

USDA has come out with a new food guide in the form of the icon below. All information regarding these new dietary recommendations can be found here: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ At the website you can click on one of the five components to find out what foods fall into each category. The USDA lists the following non-meat options to fulfill the protein category (source):

Beans and peas

black beans
black-eyed peas
chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
falafel
kidney beans
lentils
lima beans (mature)
navy beans
pinto beans
soy beans
split peas

Processed soy products:
  tofu (bean curd made from
   soybeans)
  white beans
  bean burgers
  veggie burgers
  tempeh
  texturized vegetable
   protein (TVP)

Nuts and seeds*
  almonds
  cashews
  hazelnuts (filberts)
  mixed nuts
  peanuts
  peanut butter
  pecans
  pistachios
  pumpkin seeds
  sesame seeds
  sunflower seeds
  walnuts

An interesting thing to note:

PCRM's new article on the food plate brings up the point that USDA's modified food icon is at opposition with federal subsidies for meat and diary. PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) states that currently over 60 percent of agricultural subsidies have instead supported meat and diary production, leaving only 1 percent to go towards fruits and vegetables. The USDA is advising people to take on a healthier diet with less fat content, and I wonder if it knows its suggestions clash with the federal government subsidies which give billions of tax money to the meat and diary industries.

PCRM also has a food guide that can be found here: http://pcrm.org/health/powerplate/ It is resemblant of the new USDA power plate and has "proteins" replaced with "legumes, definitely for good reason as about 68% of Americans are obese or overweight. According to the same PCRM article, more than 60 perecent of the deaths in the U.S. are caused by heart disease and other diet-related diseases. The PCRM power plate is also interactive, so feel free to click on the portions to find out how to best balance your diet!

Heartwarming Hug

I wouldn't mind being a "crazy" cat lady...

Cat Plays the Shell Game

I'm so tempted to try this with my cat!

Have You Ever Fallen for these Vegan Myths?

If you have fallen for any of the myths below, I highly recommend you check out this article that breaks each item down for you. To be honest, I haven't really thought about #4 or #5 and I am still apprehensive about #1 (for multiple reasons that I will discuss someday). #2 is the one that I was already certain of, because I recently explained to a friend why I would eat plants and not meat since plants are also living things. I definitely draw the line based on a being's physiological and biological traits which would allow it to have perception, awareness, feelings, and a capacity for pain.


1. Myth: You need to eat meat to be healthy.


2. Myth: Plants feel pain too.


3. Myth: Vegan foods are expensive.


4. Myth: They're destroying the rain forests to make tofu.


5. Myth: Cows have to be milked.


Again, the article link is here.

Picture Story: Animals in Fukushima

This is a follow-up post to Urgent: Animals in Fukushima

JEARS May 4th Animal Rescue at Namie Fukushima


All photos and captions below are from JEAR's (Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support) facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AnimalRescueJapan These photos remind us why we need to support animal rescue groups and continue to send our thoughts to the Japanese government regarding the evacuation of animals left behind.

"After reading a leaflet left by volunteers near their evacuated home in Fukushima, Moko's family hoped against hope that their dog was one of the lucky rescues. “I never thought we'd see her again,” said the mother of the family through her tears. As joyful a reunion as one could hope, Moko, a fluffy and cheerful brown and white mixed breed, greeted her family enthusiastically when they arrived at Animal Garden, Niigata, on May 2nd to take her home with them. /Joan"

This woman shared her concerns with us about evacuating from her home in the 30km zone. She said she would stay as long as possible, and imagined that she could take her cat with her when the time came to leave. She worried that her large-sized dog, however, might be a different story. She agreed to contact us for help when evacuation is imminent, and before we said goodbye we left her with some food for both pets.

These cats were left behind when someone evacuated. All three are at the Animal Friends Niigata shelter now. It is difficult to see from the photo, but the kitty closest to Susan was the most severely emaciated, and is the one we are most concerned about. After this photo was taken, she gobbled up several packets of wet food, so I have hope that she is a fighter and can recover. A vet was on hand for her arrival at the shelter, and she received immediate medical attention.

"Dennis, a Kinship Circle colleague, at a small dairy farm near the border of the 20km zone; this was the team's second visit to offer what help we could. This family-owned farm is doing the best they can with limited resources, and someone has stayed behind to care for the cows. We spoke with one of the sons, who wanted people to know that each of the cows is deeply cared about, and he does not want them to suffer. /jh"

"As we were driving through an abandoned area around Fukushima we saw a dog wandering down the street. Unsure of where he was headed we slowed down and stopped. He glanced over at us and continued on his way. We were close enough to notice a cut over his swollen eye and the scratches on his nose. His fur was also scuffed and the skin looked raw underneath. As we stopped and got out of the van he turned around and approached us, not in the least wary. After giving him some food and noticing that the vicinity was completely empty we leashed him and he jumped excitedly in the van. We named him Benji. Now we are all on our way to the shelter."

"One of our volunteers feeding a very hungry kitty that the team rescued in Fukushima."