ABSTRACT
In line with the small population of farms without slaughter that are milking, qualitative-interpretative methods were chosen. These methods are suited for emerging topics and phenomena. The care-system draws on animal rights, especially right of life, and on the ethics of care. The ethics of care initially looks at significant individual relations among people, including those who cannot sufficiently care for themselves, like children, or patients in the healthcare sector. All cattle, that is, both sexes, all ages, in different health statuses and handicapped cattle, are kept on the farm and are cared for. They are part of the moral community. The intensity of care, especially for dying animals often resembles that for human family members. The animals are looked at as distinct individualities and treated as part of the enlarged family. The farmers not only rescue animals from slaughtering but also work to become a model of how to live with farmed animals and prevent slaughtering.
