Any tour of a shelter indicates that there obviously IS still a serious problem with the overpopulation of unwanted cats. Entire litters of kittens are surrendered at a time.

Have you seen LOVE's "You Can Help Stop This" pamphlet?: http://www.loveallbeings.org/files/Pamphlets/LOVE-Veganism-Pamphlet.pdf

It documents speciesist oppression while promoting veganism, anti-speciesism, and liberation. Also see the video LOVE created at http://www.youcanhelpstopthis.com/

Just as with Mary's pamphlet, you have to print the LOVE pamphlet at home.

For those who need literature in large quantities and don't have the money to print materials, I recommend:

- "Why Vegan?" (order from Vegan Outreach): http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/WhyVegan.pdf

- "Vegan Starter Kit" (order from In Defense of Animals): http://www.worldgoveganweek.com/docs/vegan_starter_kit_2007.pdf

Both cover factory "farms" and slaughterhouses, but considering that 98% (or more) animals exploited for food go through industrial systems, what's wrong with this focus? You can also use "Don't Buy The Myth" pamphlets from HumaneMyth.org along with any of these.

Perhaps (no particular disagreement from me if your target here are moneyed organizations with a need to appeal to a non-vegan donor base) but essentially misses the point. Mary Martin isn't PETA or HSUS or the animal movement in general. She's asking for comment on a specific piece of writing.

And as always thank you for helping guide me on my journey… And for all you do for the animal people. <3

The animal movement is partly to blaim for that since the message they give in their outreach ofte portrait animals as sentient biomass as opposed to inviolable subjects.

The definition of veganism that reduce it to consumerism, to avoidance of animal ingredients gets a bit to narrow. And I've never been a big fan of the cat/dog analog – that it's no morally relevant difference between them the one that's sent for slaughter – so what? I understand that one want to appeal to people affection for pets, but it's not like pets are treated with genuine respect either, their still seen as subhuman. And we should not idealize petkeeping.

The focus on conditions of factory farming in US makes it not that fit for us living in the world outside.

A couple of things. While I don't disagree with the sentiment (or the claim as it's made), it'll be tough to sell the notion that nonhumans possess morals or culture when I use this at a table. It's a small niggle, but inevitably goes to the heart of *why* humans disconnect themselves from nonhuman sentience in the first place. I suppose it's a bit of a no-win argument, really; when I've tabled with other handouts in the past, inevitably there's at least one (usually more) person who says they only ever eat "humanely slaughtered" animals who were "humanely raised." Relying on suffering alone isn't enough, but suffering is *all* folks tend to pay attention to. The idea that nonhumans are anything more than automatons with a capacity for pain sensation tends to be too large a leap for folks to take, at least within the context of doing a table and handing them something to read.

On a related note, I wonder if it's worth noting some specifics around the myths of humane marketing? We're really (REALLY) fond of telling ourselves that oodles of the animals we use have been treated "humanely" (which we're all aware is largely marketing, and largely a myth, but a darned persistent one) thereby rendering use a moot question.

It makes a logical argument for veganism and abolition while exposing the awful reality of factory "farms" and slaughterhouses. The photos included focus on the exploited individuals – juxtaposing those suffering as they are confined and slaughtered with those happy when they are rescued and living on a sanctuary.