Don't you see the problem with terms like "matter of factly slitting a throat" taking a life be it animal or human should never be seen in such a light and the simple truth (ok my truth) is in the vast majority of cases killing sentient creatures is simply unnecessary so any suffering with such an act does qualify as inflicting unnecessary suffering and i just wish the laws that prohibit such things would be extended to farm animals. Don't get me wrong what you are doing is preferable to going to the store and purchasing factory farmed meat and I myself have considered hunting as a source of protein but the bottom line is the vast majority of us could survive without inflicting pain on other creatures and to choose a path that doesn't cause the minimal amount of suffering just seems unethical.

I appreciate your concerns, especially since I used to feel exactly the same way. However, as I learned to farm, I realized that no food comes without death. I'm not just talking about the death of the soybeans that made your tofu (although, to me, a plant is just as important as an animal), but about the thousands of wild critters that had to die when that soybean field was tilled, sprayed, harvested, etc.

To me, the most ethical way to eat is to use permaculture to mimic natural sytems. You get more food per acre, which means you're killing fewer wild animals, and permaculture systems also tend to allow more wild animals to move into your cultivated areas and thrive. Several studies have suggested that small scale farms produce more per acre if they include animals, and my experience has backed that up.

In addition, if you eat animal products of any kind (eggs, dairy, etc.), animals were killed in the process, so we might as well take advantage of that meat. I could go on and on, but the upshot is --- I think that my own gut reaction toward vegetarianism, and that of many other citified people, is based on a misunderstanding of the way the natural world works. Currently, I believe it's more ethical to grow your own food in a permaculture system including animals for meat.