Cows used by the dairy industry are intensively confined, continually impregnated, and bred for high milk production with little concern for their well-being. In 2017, more than 9.3 million cows were used to produce milk in the United States. In the same year, more than 3 million dairy cows were slaughtered for meat.

In 2019, 33 million cattle were slaughtered for beef in the United States. Young calves are nearly always separated from their nurturing mothers and often endure a series of painful mutilations including branding, dehorning, and castration. Within their first year, they endure the long, stressful journey to a feedlot, where they will be fattened on an unnatural diet and then sent to slaughter. Mothers mourn the loss of their babies in the dairy and meat industries.

When allowed to live naturally, cows are very social with other cows and people. The are very gentle, even with very small animals! Cows prefer to spend their time together, and research has shown that cows have favorite friends and can become stressed when they are separated from one another. In a study measuring isolation, heart rates, and cortisol levels, researcher Krista McLennan found that female cattle had lower heart rates and lower cortisol levels when with a preferred partner compared to a random cow.