Americans were heartened to see news stories of animal rescue in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma––and understandably so. Anyone who’s lived with a cat, a dog, or other companion animal knows that the bond between animal and guardian is unbreakable, and our lives are made richer for it. And while the problems cats and dogs endure––homelessness, neglect, and abuse––are those of our making and therefore our responsibility to end, we can’t ignore the animals who suffer most in both degree and number, also because of humans: farmed animals. In fact, for every one dog or cat euthanized in a shelter, about 3,400 farmed animals are confined and slaughtered*.

These animals—cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and fish—endure immense suffering daily, but they have historically received the least monetary support from charity. More than 99.6 percent of the animals used and killed by humans in the United States are farmed animals**, but only 0.8 percent of donations to animal charities go specifically to preventing farmed animal suffering.

While the movement to stop cruelty to farmed animals is severely underfunded, the past decade has seen much progress, thanks to dedicated advocates, organizations, and philanthropists. Eleven states have banned some of the worst factory farming practices and hundreds of food industry leaders, including McDonald’s, Burger King, and Walmart, have pledged to eliminate these practices for the animals raised and slaughtered in their supply chains. The number of vegans is on the rise, and business luminaries like Bill Gates and Richard Branson are investing their money in plant-based and clean meat companies aimed at ending factory farming.

But there is much more work to be done.

So how do we go about helping animals as much as possible?

We can give to the charities working to end cruelty to factory-farmed animals. We can also start with ourselves, by reducing or eliminating our own consumption of animal-based foods. By doing so, we can spare the misery of dozens of animals each year––animals who don’t deserve neglect and abuse, just like our companion animals.

Farmed animals have long been ignored—until now.

*Humane Society
**USDA

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Original contribution by Nathan Runkle, Founder and President of Mercy For Animals, an international nonprofit that conducts undercover investigations and operates legal advocacy, corporate outreach and education programs related to farmed animal cruelty.