FAQ about Animals products and Veganism

http://www.peta.org/about/faq/search-frequently-asked-questions.aspx

• What’s wrong with wearing wool?
• Does animal experimentation save human lives?
• How is a company certified as cruelty-free?
• What is the difference between “animal rights” and “animal welfare”?
• My doctor wants me to take Premarin, but I understand it’s made from horse urine. Is this true?
• Why doesn’t PETA promote “free-range” chickens, eggs, and dairy products?
• What about insects and other “pests”?
• What should I do if animals are being abused in my local pet store?
• Don’t vegetarians have difficulty getting enough protein?
• What’s wrong with drinking milk? Don’t dairy cows need to be milked?
• If animals aren't meant to be eaten, why are they made of meat?
• I heard that some vegetarians sued McDonald’s for using beef flavoring in its French fries. Who won?
• Has animal experimentation advanced our knowledge of cancer?
• Are animal experiments valuable to AIDS research?
• Why shouldn’t cats be allowed outdoors?
• With animal exploitation so widespread in our society, I sometimes get discouraged. Do you have any words of advice?
• Is there a humane way to get rid of mice and rats?
• Animals are not as intelligent or advanced as humans.
• Why are companies included in the “do test” category?
• How does a charity get included on the cruelty-free list?
• Why should we worry about animals when there are so many problems involving humans?
• Is aquaculture bad for the environment?
• How can vegetarianism be healthy? I know a vegetarian who is unhealthy.
• Vegan options are more expensive than their nonvegetarian counterparts. Can I afford to go vegan?

• Are animal ingredients included in white sugar?
• Is it true that some companies actually use dog and cat fur in their products?
• Is it all right to buy my new puppy from a pet store?
• Don't scientists care about the animals they experiment on? Doesn't their research depend on the animals’ well-being?
• Where do zoos get their animals?
• Does eating meat really cause impotence?
• Hunting fees are a major source of revenue for wildlife management and habitat restoration.
• If animal exploitation were wrong, it would be illegal.
• Have you ever been to a slaughterhouse or vivisection laboratory?
• What’s wrong with beeswax?
• If everyone turned vegetarian, it would be worse for the animals because so many of them would not even be born.
• My biggest problem with commercial fishing is all the unintended animals who are caught, killed, and thrown away. That’s not an issue when fish are aquafarmed, though, is it?
• Eliminating all animal ingredients from the foods that I eat and the products that I use sounds challenging. What am I supposed to do?
• Where can I find cruelty-free business suits?
• Where can I find alternatives to goose down?
• I used to like to visit animals at the zoo, but they seem so sad. How does PETA feel about zoos?
• How do circuses train animals?
• What’s wrong with the rodeo?
• Is it OK for vegetarians to eat shrimp?
• My friend has chickens and they’re treated very well. Is it ok to eat their eggs?
• How can I help prevent “roadkill”?
• What types of companies will I find in the online shopping guide?
• Which cosmetics are cruelty-free?
• I am considering a career in animal rights. Do you have any advice?
• Are there wildlife organizations that I should be concerned about supporting?
• Why shouldn’t people drink milk and eat dairy products? Cows don’t need to be killed to produce milk, right?
• If I stop consuming dairy products, won’t that put me at greater risk for osteoporosis?
• People have always eaten animal products. Why should we stop now?
• Is recreational fishing OK with PETA if the fishers throw back the fish they catch?
• What can I do to help put a stop to the cruelty in the fur industry?
• Why does PETA give fur coats to the homeless?
• Don’t zoos help to preserve endangered species?
• I love seeing the animals at the circus, and they don’t seem to mind performing. Why does PETA protest the use of animals in circuses?
• What is the most humane way to cook lobsters—boiling them or steaming them in the microwave?
• Is wine vegan?
• What rights should animals have?
• How can I find out which health charities fund experiments on animals?
• Why do some product labels say, “No animal ingredients,” when they contain beeswax, lanolin, buttermilk, etc.?
• I thought that Procter & Gamble had stopped animal tests. Why is it still included on the “do test” list?
• I’d like to wear fake fur, but I don’t want anyone to confuse it with the real thing. Any suggestions?
• Don’t existing laws ensure that animals in labs are treated humanely?
• Farmers have to treat their animals well or they won’t produce as much milk or lay as many eggs.
• What do vegans eat?
• Is it OK to eat roadkill?
• What’s wrong with wearing leather? Aren’t the cows going to be slaughtered for meat anyway?
• Where can I find a vegan tie?
• Can children learn physiology without dissection?
• Is it OK to declaw cats?
• I’d like to write a letter to my local paper regarding a terrible story they printed, but I’m not much of a writer. Is there anything I should know?
• What inspired your “Got Prostate Cancer?” Campaign?

• Most animals used for food, fur, or experiments are bred for that purpose.
• How can you justify spending your time helping animals when so many humans need help?
• Do the funds raised by the U.S. Postal Service’s breast cancer stamp benefit organizations that test on animals?
• Why does PETA include companies in the cruelty-free company section that utilize animal-derived ingredients or byproducts?
• Why does PETA sometimes use nudity in its campaigns?
• There are mice living in my basement. I don’t want them there, but all I can find at the store are glue traps, poison, and mousetraps. Do I have any other options?
• I’m interested in becoming more involved in the fight to end animal abuse, but I’m not sure where to start.
• Is commercial fishing bad for the environment?
• Won’t reducing intensive meat production be sufficient to improve the environment?
• I have heard that ketchup contains animal blood and/or other animal-derived ingredients. Is this true?
• What are some alternatives to eggs?
• Is the fur industry really as cruel as people make it out to be?
• What’s wrong with silk?
• How are racehorses usually treated?
• My neighbor keeps threatening to hurt my companion animals. How can I stop him?
• Does PETA have an office in Canada?
• What’s the reasoning behind the “Tax Meat” Campaign?
• What about plants?
• Where can I buy nonleather sporting goods?
• I thought that Gillette had stopped animal tests. Why is it still included on the “do test” list?
• Do candles contain animal-derived ingredients, and if so, are there alternatives?
• What’s wrong with wearing wool?
• How do I report animal cruelty?
• Without hunting, deer and other animals would overpopulate and die of starvation.
• Don’t humans have to eat meat to stay healthy?

• Can I get enough protein as a vegan?
• But don’t cows need to be milked?
• Where can I find a list of animal ingredients and their alternatives?
• I recently became a vegetarian and will no longer buy leather. Does that mean I should get rid of all the leather products that I already own?
• If we didn’t test on animals, how would we conduct medical research?
• Do peer review and animal care and use committees at universities prevent painful or repetitive studies?
• What’s being done about BonsaiKitten.com?
• What are the dangers of using choke and prong collars?
• Can shellfish feel pain?
• Animals don’t reason, don’t understand rights, and don’t always respect our rights, so why should we apply our ideas of morality to them?
• Hunting is much less cruel than factory farming.
• What can be done to stop charities from experimenting on animals?
• I thought that Colgate-Palmolive had stopped animal tests? Why is it still included on the “do test” list?
• If everyone switches to vegetables and grains, will there be enough to eat?
• Why blame me? I didn’t kill the animal.
• Don’t we need to eat meat and dairy products to be healthy?
• What’s so bad about eating eggs?
• What about fish in the wild caught by commercial fishers?
• Where can I find a warm winter coat?
• What do I do if I think my vet or groomer has harmed my animal?
• What’s wrong with Iams?
• How do aquariums treat marine mammals?
• Why does PETA believe that pro-life activists should be vegetarian?
• At least the animals on factory farms are fed and protected.
• It’s almost impossible to avoid using all animal products; if you’re still causing animal suffering without realizing it, what’s the point?

Animal rights means that animals deserve certain kinds of consideration—consideration of what is in their best interests, regardless of whether they are "cute," useful to humans, or an endangered species and regardless of whether any human cares about them at all (just as a mentally challenged human has rights even if he or she is not cute or useful or even if everyone dislikes him or her). It means recognizing that animals are not ours to use—for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation.