A friend of mine who grew up on, what was then, the outskirts of Denver, had the misfortune of an alcoholic gambling father who routinely beat my friend's mother and stole from her whatever small amount of money she brought in performing housework for others. That left my friend, the oldest child to forage in order to feed his two brothers, two sisters, his mother, and himself. They ate anything and everything - sometimes gorging on water simply for the sensation of a full stomach.
The neighbors caught on as to why so many pets were disappearing and, together, set-up my friend's family with rabbit hutches and a chicken coop.