Anyone read Temple Grandin's stuff (autistic cattle pen designer)?

I'm making my way through her book "Translating Animals" and she has a
few interesting things to say about cat behavior.

Just curious whether any of you cat mavens have read her stuff, and
what your reactions are?

Thanks

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

Brian Link wrote:
I'm making my way through her book "Translating Animals" and she has a
few interesting things to say about cat behavior.

Just curious whether any of you cat mavens have read her stuff, and
what your reactions are?

Thanks

BLink

Yes, I've read it although I admit I have found it a bit dry and have
skipped around some. Someone gave it to me as a gift because I'm a
vegetarian for animal reasons (rather than health reasons) and I guess
I had a hard time getting around the cattle thing so I let it just lay
there. I can't quite understand how someone who professes to think
like an animal and understand animlas so acutely can still condone
their butchering for food albeit a more humane butchering. It's like
eating your own kind. But, yes, there were some things I found
interesting. Unfortunately, I can't think of what they were
specifically at the moment.

Candace

On 4 Aug 2006 19:58:57 -0700, "Candace" wrote:

Brian Link wrote:
I'm making my way through her book "Translating Animals" and she has a
few interesting things to say about cat behavior.

Just curious whether any of you cat mavens have read her stuff, and
what your reactions are?

Thanks

BLink

Yes, I've read it although I admit I have found it a bit dry and have
skipped around some. Someone gave it to me as a gift because I'm a
vegetarian for animal reasons (rather than health reasons) and I guess
I had a hard time getting around the cattle thing so I let it just lay
there. I can't quite understand how someone who professes to think
like an animal and understand animlas so acutely can still condone
their butchering for food albeit a more humane butchering. It's like
eating your own kind. But, yes, there were some things I found
interesting. Unfortunately, I can't think of what they were
specifically at the moment.

Candace

Temple's rationale for helping the cattle industry was pretty logical.
Humans remain omnivores, and no amount of PETA protests will kill the
meat industry. Given this, a person who loves animals should do what
they can to insure that these meat-animals are treated humanely.

A cow in a pen, led up to slaughter: If they're content in the pen,
and move unperturbed to slaughter, and are subsequently killed
instantaneously, there is no cruelty.

I love all animals, too. I was delivering phone books one summer in
the 70s, and had to walk a catwalk to an auction barn in the center of
the St. Paul stockyards. All the cattle I was walking over stared at
me the whole way. It was heartbreaking, but that's because I was
anthropomorphizing these animals, and they hadn't had the benefit of
her innovations.

What Temple Grandin is trying to do is make sure that there are no
suffering cows, pigs or chickens. That's laudatory, as far as I'm
concerned.

Contrast this to the boxes of dogs and cats sold in eastern markets.

I don't NEED to eat meat - but I and millions of other americans don't
have the resources to get a nutritionally sound diet based on
vegetables. We need to eat animals. As empathetic creatures, though,
we can insure that they are cared for humanely.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

Brian Link wrote:.

What Temple Grandin is trying to do is make sure that there are no
suffering cows, pigs or chickens. That's laudatory, as far as I'm
concerned.

I guess.

Contrast this to the boxes of dogs and cats sold in eastern markets.

Yes, that's worse, by our standards, anyway. We're used to pigs and
cows and chickens being eaten so we don't get as upset as when we see a
poor little puppy or kitty about to be eaten. Technically, a soul's a
soul and a life's a life so it isn't really any more heinous to eat cat
and dog than pig and cow.

I don't NEED to eat meat - but I and millions of other americans don't
have the resources to get a nutritionally sound diet based on
vegetables. We need to eat animals.

I don't. And i haven't for about 20 years. And I'm American. And
there are more than vegetables that can be eaten.

Candace