Plenty. Leather isn't just leftovers that will be thrown away if they don't make shoes out of it - they've got special cows suffering just for that purpose. Leather isn't natural or environmentally friendly - the tanning process is extremely toxic to the earth. The cows suffer greatly, regardless of your rationalizations, so don't buy leather.

• Cows Are Cool - A Peta site dedicated to the topic of leather.
• India's Cruel Leather Trade - This is another Peta site. Apparently cows aren't all that sacred anymore in India. And a huge portion of western leather comes from India.
• Earthlings (the movie) - This movie touches on a whole lot of animal cruelty issues. The leather segment is particularly good.

No, I don't wear leather shoes. No, I don't wear cheap plastic shoes that fall apart after 2 months. It just isn't that hard anymore to find high quality non-leather shoes. The best outdoor shoe companies routinely carry several synthetic shoes that are durable, comfortable, and stylish. But there are plenty of cheap vegan shoes out there too. You don't have to throw away all your perfectly good leather shoes. But if you're going to buy new ones, buy something cruelty-free next time. Here are some suggestions that have worked well for me:

• Crocs - Best shoes ever. I bought my Crocs over a year ago and I've barely worn anything else since. It's like wearing slippers all day long. If it rains, I just wear them without socks. They go with everything and last a long time.
• Keen Footwear - They have many many vegan options and are even more versatile than Crocs. You can find them online or at REI. Great for hiking or walking around town. They go with everything.
• Vegan Essentials - Chances are they've got the shoes you're looking for. Vegan Essentials has a great selection and updates it often. If you don't like buying shoes without trying them on, try them on in a local corporate store before buying online. I just bought a pair of Garmont winter boots that I am very happy with.
• Payless ShoeSource - I remember what it was like to be a broke vegan college student. If you need non-leather shoes but you can't spend a fortune, Payless is full of cheap vegan shoes.

Yes, your cats and dogs can be healthy on a vegan diet. My cats and dogs were vegan for years with no problems. But don't be stupid about it. Especially with the cats, make sure they are eating enough food and urinating properly. Get regular check-ups to make sure they are getting what they need. Don't try to switch your animal's diet overnight. Don't get the Vegetarian PetGuard for dogs - they just don't like it.

• Vegan Essentials - They took over operations for vegancats.com, which was the very first company to sell commercial vegan catfood online.
• Down Bound - They are a great company, with great ethics. Among other things they have a good selection of vegan pet food.
• Obligate Carnivore - A great book about the vegan diet for cats. A must read for anyone struggling with the decision to put their cats on a vegan diet.

If you haven't seen video footage of how meat is made, then you have no idea of the horrors involved in factory farming. The cruelty, disease, and disgusting human activities involved in factory farming is beyond the sickest person's imagination. The days of happy cows and pigs on a family farm is long gone. We've created hell on earth and filled it with innocent animal inhabitants. Please don't wait any more to change your diet. The animals can't afford it.

• Meet Your Meat (video) - This is the movie to watch if you really want to know where your meat comes from. Prepare yourself for the worst violence you've ever seen.
• Vegan Outreach - They focus on helping people go vegan and educating the public about the cruelty of the meat industry.
• Factory Farming - A great site dedicated to factory farming issues.
• Earthlings (the movie) - This movie touches on a whole lot of animal cruelty issues, but has a lot of information about various aspects of the animal food industry.