To feed or not to feed
By vanny
@vandana7 (102655)
India
August 25, 2026 3:29pm CST
Some of you maybe aware that I feed stray animals, and some animals that are not stray but owners leave them on the roads at the mercy of who-so-ever chooses to feed them.
A few like male calves are tied with heavy metal chains. Because they can fetch enough as beef.
The need to feed them comes from the knowledge that it is blistering hot, and their throats maybe parched. So yeah, I have fed them. And some goats too.
One person said the other day, you hasten their death because once they are sufficiently filled out, they will be slaughtered.
It is a profound thought. I never thought it that way.
But my mind sought to justify ... oh ..I don't have any control on that...but I am able to give them a few moments of joy, so why not?
It seemed ok logic, and yet not ok.
What would you do in my shoes? I am on a guilt trip right now, because I fed a few of them today.
7 people like this
7 responses
@vandana7 (102655)
• India
27 Aug
@kareng The pain is, they are so impatient to get whatever little i choose to give them. They feel happy to see me, and when I feed them, I feel sad, hey you gonna put on another half kg with this, and the butcher is gonna be the happy guy you gonna be die faster because of me. Overall, it does not feel ok, am I doing it to feel the pleasure of feeding them, or out of genuine concern for them. When I think like that, I feel I am wrong. Watermelon and Musk melons in summers are fine bananas are not.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (102655)
• India
29 Aug
If someone were feeding me with an intent to kill me, I wouldn't trust the person. Hell, I feel guilty even if I feed a cow. I feel like a hypocrite. Look today I feed you, tomorrow I am going to separate you from your calf, and maybe kill it, and take away your milk. That kinda feeling.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (195969)
• Boise, Idaho
25 Aug
I'd feed them. People are so selfish and assinine.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (195969)
• Boise, Idaho
31 Aug
@vandana7 .......Goid. I think many do. Some can smell better than humans and some hormones in the human body are expelled and some animals can smell it.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (142589)
• Marion, Ohio
26 Aug
It's a good thing. They shouldn't have to have an empty belly
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (102655)
• India
26 Aug
We have famous politicians who say it is fine to slaughter cows imported from other continents... kinda species differ...I don't know if I should be getting angry or laugh at it. I felt I have increased their health by that small percentage... which makes it easier for the butcher to select them, and a few days lesser to live.
1 person likes this
@Aansh13 (11478)
• New Delhi, India
29 Aug
I don't think you should feel guilty for showing kindness to an animal that is hungry, thirsty, or suffering. The reality is that you don't control what ultimately happens to those animals, but you do have control over how you treat them in the moment. If an animal is standing in the heat, thirsty and uncomfortable, giving it food or water is an act of compassion.
The argument that feeding them somehow hastens their fate seems to place responsibility on the wrong person. The decisions made by owners, traders, or others are not yours. What you are doing is easing discomfort and making life a little better for creatures that cannot care for themselves.
Personally, if I were in your shoes, I would continue to feed and provide water for them. Even if their future is uncertain, I would rather know they experienced some kindness than leave them hungry because of something that might happen later. Sometimes we can't change the whole story, but we can improve a small part of it, and that still has value.
Your concern and guilt actually show how much you care. Many people would simply walk past without giving those animals a second thought.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (102655)
• India
30 Aug
You make very valid points...yeah..the decision to sell is not mine...removing discomfort ..helps...them and me too...I feel loved and recognized...by an animal that does not use those words. Kinda bond... a different plane, and the pleasure is all mine. :) Thank you for explaining. Kareng's comparison with a baby...just broke that guilt.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (102288)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Aug
No need to feel guilty, I think it is bad enough for those poor animals to be tied by such chains,
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (102655)
• India
29 Aug
It is very bad. The goats roam around freely. People do keep water for stray animals. Only these calves don't have access to it. That is the reason I feed them some fruits. Though I feed goats too. And dogs too. But ...these calves have me confused...am I doing right or not...actually goats too get killed, but I feel they eat at other places. Here, I am the sole feeder...and so the guilt is on my conscience.
1 person likes this
