# Milk for the vegan cat

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-vegan-cat-cows-milk
- Themes: humour, animals, kindness
- Life situations: pets, imposing beliefs on others

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Years ago, while vegetarian, Ajahn Brahm stays in a house whose owners are trying to make their cat vegan, feeding it soy milk. When they aren't looking, he slips the cat some cow's milk. The cat loves him for it.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I had this when I was a vegetarian many years ago. I was staying in a house with a vegan cat. At least the owners tried to make get their cat to be vegan and they feed it soy milk. I was a vegetarian at the time. So when the owners weren't looking, I slipped the cat some milk. Oh, the cat really loved me for that. You know, some cow's milk instead of soy milk. That poor old cat.

## Teaching point

(A light aside on kindness to animals as they are.)

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Staying with people who were trying to raise a vegan cat, Ajahn Brahm slipped it some cow's milk when they weren't looking, and the cat adored him. Small, slightly naughty kindnesses count. Let creatures, and people, be what they are, and don't let good principles turn into unkindness.

## Source

- [Having a Good Relationship with Life | Ajahn Brahm | 9 October 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3C-49o_78) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 11:19 to 11:54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3C-49o_78&t=679s