Vegan…Cats?

Last year HSUS unveiled a brand of vegetarian dog food called “Humane Choice,” to much derision. It’s one thing for HSUS to promote meat-free or vegan diets to people, but asking people to force it on Rover is another matter. The idea of meat-free dogs also faced a bit of professional skepticism.

On Tuesday the Toronto Sun reported that the notorious wingnuts at PETA—an HSUS ally in the push for animal rights—are now pushing for cats to go vegan. That’s certainly odd—cats are obligate carnivores, after all.

The Sun dialed up HSUS for its take on PETA’s attempts to get cats to “go veg.” Fortunately, an HSUS representative panned the idea, telling the paper that “I hope this is not a trend, or we will be seeing a lot of sick cats. It is not appropriate to feed cats a vegan diet.” (This is one of the few times we’ve seen HSUS and PETA disagree on something.)

It’s refreshing to see HSUS take a sane approach. But (and there always seems to be a “but” with HSUS), an HSUS representative appeared to take a different line regarding vegan cats just a few weeks ago at HSUS’s annual “Taking Action for Animals” conference.

“Humane” Meat: Past HSUS vs. Present HSUS

The Humane Society of the United States has become more radical since animal rights activist Wayne Pacelle took the helm in 2004. That’s especially true regarding HSUS’s attitude toward the diet of the vast majority of Americans. And a discovery from the vaults of HSUS history adds some new context.

In 1993 HSUS co-published “The Humane Consumer and Producer Guide.” What’s unique about this guide is that it is a comprehensive survey of farms across the country producing animal products in what HSUS termed “humane sustainable agriculture.”

Was HSUS promoting meat? Not exactly, but it’s worth a closer look.

The Murky Sea of Cult Money

Remember “Supreme Master” Ching Hai? She’s the reputed Taiwanese cult leader we reported on last year. That’s when HSUS’s top (vegan) M.D., Michael Greger, got cozy enough with Ching Hai to appear on her “Supreme Master TV” network. Now we’ve learned that Ching Hai’s international empire recently gave HSUS a $50,000 donation. Is it any surprise that HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle is now a big admirer?

For the unfamiliar, websites promote Ching Hai as God’s "Immediate" and "Direct" Contact. Hear any alarm bells yet?

“For Animal Liberation to Become Possible”

Paul Shapiro is a member of the “Animal Rights Hall of Fame,” and in charge of anti-animal-agriculture campaigns at the Humane Society of the United States—a moderate-sounding animal rights group that most Americans believe is affiliated with their local humane societies. (This is not the case.)

Appealing to mainstream values is a strategy that the Humane Society of the United States employs constantly, but the group’s end goal is far out on the fringe: By the “humane” treatment of animals, HSUS means an end to all human uses of animals, whether on the farm, in medical schools, at the zoo, or on the dinner table. That’s something mainstream Americans just don’t agree with.

Skeptical? Before Shapiro adopted HSUS’s more moderate “animal protection” tone, he was all about “animal liberation.”

PETA Lets the Cat out of the Bag

This website is not about PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), but today is an exception.

PETA Vice President for Policy Bruce Friedrich is a long-time animal-rights movement insider. He’s been at PETA since 1996, and is seen as one of the movement’s more frank and unapologetic spokespersons. (Friedrich’s commentary about arson and violence in defense of animals speaks for itself.)

He’s also an open advocate for strict veganism—meaning not a single trace of milk, cheese, eggs, or meat in people’s diet. This makes him an honest broker about where the animal rights movement wants to take the global food system. Contrast that attitude with the Humane Society of the United States’ softer “now we’re vegan, now we’re not” approach.

It’s natural to regard the Humane Society of the United States’ attitude toward food as a head-scratcher: Is it the same as PETA’s, or is it not? First HSUS pours millions of dollars into political initiatives that seem only about taking egg-laying chickens out of cages. Then its chief health official appears in a photo-op promoting the idea that no one should eat eggs at all. Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle created “vegan only” internal policies at HSUS, but insists that he’s not trying to create more meatless eaters.

Bruce Friedrich recently published a Huffington Post essay that should be read by everyone who finds these omnivore-or-herbivore word games puzzling. (For the record, we don't care if you're vegan or not--that's a personal choice that everyone should be free to make. But we do have a problem with activists who hide the ball about their agenda.)

Is Your Dog Beggin’ to be Vegan?

About a year ago, the Humane Society of the United States put its logo on a new brand of dry dog food called “Humane Choice.” What separates Humane Choice from top brands? It’s vegetarian. There’s no meat (or eggs or other animal protein) in it at all.

Along with a few other writers, we expressed serious skepticism. After all, dogs aren’t natural vegetarians. Isn’t that why the term “canine teeth” refers to chompers that are designed for chewing meat? Is the Humane Society of the United States taking its preferred no-meat diet for people and pushing its animal rights ideology on pets that have no say in the matter?

Regardless, HSUS’s kibble made its way from a manufacturing plant in Uruguay to Whole Foods stores. While many of the animal rights group’s own Facebook fans balked at the idea of meatless dog food, authoritative opinions were generally lacking.

Veterinarians, however, are now questioning whether Humane Choice is indeed the right choice for dogs. Yesterday, CNN took a look at whether meat-free dog food is a nutritionally appropriate way to feed dogs, in a segment aptly titled “A question of thriving vs. surviving.”

Humane Choice didn’t fare well.

HSUS Plays Chicken with Whole Foods

Meet Miyun Park. She’s a former Vice President for Farm Animal Welfare at the Humane Society of the United States. In 2009, Park’s résumé landed her a job as Executive Director of the Global Animal Partnership (GAP), the organization administering a new 5-tier animal-welfare rating system recently unveiled by Whole Foods Market. (To see GAP’s tax returns, click here.)

To judge from glowing media reports of the new meat, dairy, and egg labeling scheme, Miyun Park sits at the nexus of the animal-welfare mainstream and America’s foodie elites. But Park and GAP aren’t exactly what they seem.

GAP is beginning to show signs of a legitimate vegan takeover, led by Park—who, as the farm-animal VP at HSUS, was crystal clear about her desire to eliminate as much livestock farming as she could.

More on that after the jump.