How is patent leather made? I need a pair of dress shoes. Plain dress shoes + patent leather shoes are both made from cow? see details?

Hello.  After a few years, my dress shoes got worn out.  Before buying a new pair, I wanted to know how both kinds of men's dress shoes are made: regular and patent leather.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but plain/regular/normal men's dress shoes are made of leather, right?  (Like most sneakers).  I've seen "faux leather jackets" in stores before (faux meaning French for fake).  Yet, on patent leather sneakers in stores, I've never seen a "faux patent leather shoes" on a box.

I care about cows (I don't eat roast beef, or for that matter chicken, turkey, buffalo, etc.)  I care about animals.  So, I was going to buy a pair of regular dress shoes.  Unsure what to do, I left the shoe store.  A friend told me how, it's just the way of the world, but a cow's skin in used to make dress shoes.

So, yahoo answerers, I thank you for answering this question.  I'm clearly no expert here.  I love how patent leather shoes look, so shiny.  Yet, are more cows killed (and used) for each patent leather dress shoe than for a regular dress shoe?

Any information is greatly appreciated.  Please no rude or sarcastic answers.

Thank you