Farmers often talk about how stupid chickens are and they, therefore, have no problems eating them. But yet pigs are smarter than most dogs and we eat lots of pigs (but almost no dogs). Where does the line get drawn?
The interesting thing to me was that if we forgot to feed them they would always seem to be able to take apart the fence and get out to eat. The patriarch got out and visited the other pens before he passed away which reinforced my feeling that they treated each other like family.
Read the first google hit for pig intelligence if I haven't already gone on too long on the subject.
Still?
Why do you think it's ethical now to eat animals, given what we already know about them?
Joy to man? I in no way advocate killing people's pets.
But to answer your question, I would rather die quickly sooner then slowly in agony later.
I would much rather die quickly much sooner, them be ripped apart by predators, or die of starvation or a horrid disease, or exposure.
And as to dying now, I have a distinct concept of now, and while animals can plan for the near future, I've never known a dog who's plotted for years.
Cheetahs are faster then humans and birds fly, etc, but that's not what I'm talking about.
Or to put it another way, do you think that death, pain and suffering cease to exist when you're not eating animals? Do you think living in the wild is like a happy frolic in the park?
For me, the issue of eating animals doesn't spring from a consideration of their level of intelligence - otherwise, I guess it could be open season on many of us.
I personally grew to feel it is wrong to harm sentient beings.