What is the vegan stance on working animals?
For example, a farm I used to work at had a number of cats hanging around the barn that would kill mice and rats, similar to ship cats.
Another farm I worked at had a dog that would roam the fields killing various birds and rodents.
And of course the thing that brought this up for me is horses. It's not super common like it used to be, but horses (or other pack animals) are still used for transport in many instances, such as to get supplies to remote locations. Also I believe pack animals are also still pretty common in many rural areas of developing countries.
Ultimately we can’t determine an animals consent in the matter. I lean towards “is the animal treated with dignity and respect?” As a key factor.
I partially grew up in an area with lots of agriculture and cats were often kept and treated as disposable (adopted a kitten that was named CB for coyote bait). I don’t think the way those cats were kept was ethical.
Another thing is the question of “is animal being allowed to act within its nature”.
A cat is going to hunt, infamously so. You’ll be hard pressed to not have a cat engage in rodent hunting if you keep in an area with potential prey. Treat it well and take good care of it and the cats probably living a happy and fulfilled life acting within its instincts within the guard rails of responsible stewardship (like providing healthcare, reliable food and clean water access, and affection).
Have you read “Black Beauty”? It’s eye opening to how inhumane horse treatment can be. I’m skeptical of claims they can be humanely kept due to the amount imposition and restriction required, a horse does not instinctively want to pull a carriage.
Sled dogs are also often abused, but many working breeds truly take joy in their role. Play fetch with a retriever and watch their tongue happily loll. Giving them the chance to go get something is like giving a person their dream job. Don’t abuse that enthusiasm and treat them kindly and it’s not an unfair exchange (they were bred to instinctually enjoy it and we have a responsibility to give them good lives now that we selectively bred them into existence). A mastiff is going to be a lazy cuddle puddle until it’s time to be a protector, but that’s a whole nother can of worms regarding the morality of animals as guards and existence of shepherd breeds in relation to the keeping of herds.