Vegetarian?

Mikey had a bad day at school a few days ago. I sent him a hot dog for lunch. I guess at one point a child mentioned kicking his cat and Mikey strongly objected. He's very sensitive to any living thing. SO then another child mentioned Mikey was eating an animal...

Mikey got very upset.. I am not even gonna say what happened because I am not happy he takes this approach to issues but it wasn't good.

So he's talking to me later. He doesn't know hot dogs are animals..he also eats chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers. I am starting to worry because quite honestly if he connected them...I am almost certain he would NOT eat them.

How do I explain to him? How do I say "Yes, cheeseburgers are cows and.. chicken nuggets are chickens.. " I am pretty sure he'd be scarred. I don't know what to do...So I am researching vegetarianism.

So one day... when he gets it and decides he won't eat it... I have other options. I can show him whats ok to eat and what isn't. I can set him at ease. I am fairly certain once he understands he is eating animals.... he will be DONE.

Cause this is the kid who freaks out if he thinks a bug is near him but won't let me kill it.. I have to catch it and set it out to find its family. There was an almost dead dragonfly in the road one morning waiting for the bus.. I promised him he was going to find his mommy and as soon as he got off the bus that afternoon he looked. The dragonfly was gone and I told him he had found his Mommy. Of course he hadn't.But Mikey needed that reassurance.

So once he gets that he is eating animals.... I am pretty sure he will stop. I worry about what he's gonna say to anyone else eating them ><