Oh OK...got it...I was thinking you know Kraft Mac and cheese or something. So basically cows/chickens would be extinct if we didn't eat them...they don't exist in a non-domestic form. There are specific laws regulating how they are handled and killed....Same with research animals if they lose 30% of body weight they must be sacrificed etc. Sending a cat to a shelter ensures that it will be euthanized if needed rather than starving to death.