What do you think the rational value is in discussing animal behaviour using deontological assumptions?

I don't understand the premise of your argument then. I thought you were trying to say the animals are too smart to eat, but then here you are saying they're too dumb. IIRC there have been studies that show plants also "feel" and react to humans, so where are you drawing the line between what is and isn't acceptable to consume by us? What if the human is too dumb to understand that what it is eating has advanced cognition, is it still wrong or do we give them a pass for being too dumb? I don't think you can simplify this matter so easily with a drive-by comment like yours.