Do other apex predators treat their prey with more respect? The fact that you can even consider the rammifications of our meat industry and express your condemnation of it is prima facie evidence of why we are so special.
do we know they don't treat their prey with respect? why do we assume to be so. We can't know what they are thinking so assuming they are dumb and we are superior is not the right thing. Maybe they do have feelings. Its just that we don't know if they have or not.