Kas: Vegetarian.

Warning: This post is going to contain disturbing facts abnd images about the slaughter of animals. If you don't think you can handle it, don't read on.

Well, Heather, you've inspired me.

I've spent the last hour reasearching animal slaughter, and the production of meat. Its horrific. I mean, I downloaded a video from youtube that actually made me cry... And i haven't cried in 6 years. My stomach hurts right now, from watching that video.

Heres the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgYa1nbqTB4

But, im warning you guys. If you faint or throw up easily, its a pretty bad video.

And here are a few facts that i found about slaughter houses...

1. Animals are killed by first being stunned with electricity or a captive bolt gun (ie. a bolt is fired into their heads) before having their throats slit & being dipped into boiling water - all this happens while the animals is still conscious and moving. This all occurs whilst they are on a production line being hung upside down from a moving conveyor belt - this is factory farming.

2. Calf leather comes from babies killed at just 2 weeks old. These Veal calves are confined in stalls in the dark, unable to move & are fed on pigs blood ,chocolate & dried milk.

3. Chicks are debeaked without anaesthetic to prevent them injuring each other in the unnaturally confined conditions they are kept in - this is equivalent to having your fingernails pulled out without anaesthetic.

Theres are so many other horrific facts like these, but these struck me the hardest.

I think things about the cattle are really what got to me. I live in a farm, and we raise cattle. But ours aren't sent to slaughter houses. We breed them, and they have over 1000 acres to roam on. The only ones who are killed are the bulls, but they aren't stunned, have their throats slit, or dipped in boiling water. They are simply shot in the head. But, still, i've always hated it...

Anyways, last year one of our female cows died of a broken leg. But she had just had a calf, like two weeks before that. So, when she died, i took the calf and bottle fed it for 7 months. When i first got him, he was no bigger than a medium sized dog, and he was scared out his mind. It took him about a week to actually eat out of the bottle, and eventually he would come running when he saw me walking out there. I named him butch. He became the sweetest thing, and when he was old enough to eat grass and feed, I moved him from the barn out to the field with the other cows. He's a little more than a year old now, and he weighs about 400 pounds. I've made my grandpa swear that he will never sell him. See, he'll never be big enough for them to want to eat him, but he is big enough to breed. So, my grandpa agreed that next year he'll be a breeding bull, and from then on thats what he'll do. So, when he dies, it will be of old age or sickness. Hopefully, thats not fo a really long time though. :)

When animals feel pain, they scream too.

So, im going vegetarian.

-K