The principal difference ia that you see the death of a non-sapient animal as murder and I ascribe it the same ethical weight whether a person or a lion does it. It’s not “dissonance” it’s a foundational disagreement on inherent morality, our place in nature, and the “value of life”.

There’s lots to complain about regarding the factory farming industry (environmental impact foremost in my mind, and the needlessly inhumane conditions they’re raised in) but eating meat is not imo itself a cruel act.