Any Vegetarians/Vegans here?

[StoryBook]

I think most on this thread have accepted the non-solipsistic extension of suffering (and the right not to suffer unnecessarily) to humans.

Some have argued that animals don't have the capacity to suffer, or to suffer "as we do." In my opinion, that's an ignorant argument. It's clear by watching animals, at least mammals and birds, that they are capable of great suffering. They react similarly to humans in many situations. It would be easy enough to dig up some scientific papers proving pretty categorically that animals suffer.

Others have argued that humans don't need to care: that is, that there's no reason to include non-human species under the umbrella of morality, and to extend to them the rights that humans enjoy. To me, this position is inexplicable, because the REASON people sympathise with each other is that they've learned as children to put themselves in other people's shoes. And yet people seem incapable of putting themselves in the animals' "shoes," and to arrive at what seems to you and I the obvious moral decision. I cannot see what logical idea or position draw the line after human suffering, but before that of animals that obviously suffer similarly to us.

I agree that animals do suffer, and there is research on it. Animal do not have the same rage of emotions that we do and they don't waste time thinking about what happened in the past and don't think about the future. They see the present. They don't feel guilt.

You can cry about every poor hurting animals all you want. You can even protest against that nature of death buy being a vegan. I don't really care.
I do care about animals, that's why I learn about them. Animals die. If you don't eat the meat someone or something else will. It is a fact of life. It is in nature for death to occur. We have been killing animals for food for billions of years. I do not approve of abusing the animal for fun(we are not cats), but I do see it as acceptable to kill an animal with the intention of eating it. It's not enjoyable, death never is, but it is acceptable as a fact of life. Everything dies.

What is the difference from killing an animal and letting that body go to waste,and animal suffering to death and the body going to waste(aside from the scavengers), or killing the animal and using it for nutrients?