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Is vegetarian cat food an option for obligate (true) carnivores, as are our domesticated cats?  Does vegetarian cat food meet the dietary needs of your cat?  There are arguments for and against feeding a cat a meat-less diet.  Also, there’s difference of opinion from vegan and vegetarian groups.

Your cat has unique needs

Cats have unique needs as obligate carnivores.  They require amino acids, taurine, vitamin A, fatty acids, vitamin b12, niacin, thiamin, and arachidonic acid found in meat sources, which are deficient in plant sources.  Vegetarian/vegan pet food companies supplement their products with synthetically produced nutrients to account for these deficiencies.

Many argue that a cat cannot be a vegetarian cat; that cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet because of their distinctive metabolism.  Their digestive systems cannot break down the cell walls in vegetable foods to extract the nutrients.  Cats cannot convert beta-carotene to active vitamin A, tryptophan to niacin or linoleic acid to essential fatty acids.  Taurine is also extremely important because if your cat is lacking in taurine it could cause immune system problems, blindness or neurological impairment.  Incidentally, synthetic taurine is also used in commercial meat-based cat foods because the naturally-occurring taurine is neutralized in the rendering process.

There’s also anecdotal evidence and information supporting a vegetarian/vegan feline diet.

Evolution Diet Pet Foods, makers of vegan foods for cats, dogs and ferrets, says that its products are healthy and nutritious, and, if anything, have extended the lives of many cats and dogs, even reversed chronic health problems.  Their website says they are the “Greenest, cleanest, cruelty free and lowest in C02, CH4 and heavy metal emissions”

In 2006, the first study of the long-term health status of cats maintained on nutritionally-sound vegetarian diets was published in a leading veterinary journal. Most were clinically healthy, excluding minor blood value changes in three cats that were fed partly on table scraps.

Vegancats, a leading vegan cat food manufacturer, points to the frequency of urinary tract problems in cats “because of the relative acidity of meat to vegetable protein, many vegan cats suffer from them”.  They also refer to ways to minimize or eliminate this problem.

Is conventional cat food a good option?

Our current farming situation, especially with regards to animals and meat, is out of control and unsustainable.  Factory farms are not regulated and animal abuse and neglect are running rampant!  Animals are fattened as fast as possible and then carted off to the slaughterhouse.  Land is also being misused and “gobbled up”…from everything to water use to destroying the soil.

Meat is tainted with everything from synthetic hormones, chemicals and herbicides to disease!  This can be found in the meat for human consumption…our pets get the “leftovers” or what was unfit for us to eat.  Most commercial meat-based cat foods contain some amount of the non-edible slaughter house waste; the “three Ds”: diseased, disable or dead animals.  In addition, it may include euthanized veterinary and shelter animals, flea collars, insecticides, road kill, plastic, sodium pentobarbital drugs used to kill animals and other discards.

To feed a vegetarian/vegan cat diet, or not to feed?

I know there are many pet parents/guardians who do not want to feed their cats meat, particularly if you are vegetarian or vegan.  I, being a vegan, have debated about this issue for a long time.  I want to live as Earth-friendly as possible and not contribute to the atrocities of factory farming and its environmental/ecological impacts.  However, as parent of three cats, I want to ensure I provide them with a healthy and optimal diet.

Years back, I tried feeding my cats vegan cat food (VegeCat and VegeCat Kibble).  My cats didn’t like it, so that was the end of a vegan option.  To mitigate this, I purchase human-grade, organic, by-product-free, holistic commercial cat food.  For a while, I bought Wysong’s vegan kibble, which I mixed with moist food and water. I haven’t attempted to introduce again a total vegetarian/vegan diet.  I will try Evolution moist cat food as an addition to their current diet and see how they like it and suits them.  As vegancat.com suggests in their Q&A, one can feed a cat a partial vegan diet.  If it works, I will incorporate it fully.

If you are going to feed your cat a vegetarian/vegan diet, you do have to be careful and make sure you cat is getting their optimal nutritional needs.

How do you start feeding a vegetarian/vegan diet?

DO NOT instantly make changes to your cat’s diet.  Integrate some vegetarian/vegan options with their current food and wean them off their old food slowly.  Keep in mind, cats do regurgitate their food (different from throwing up) for many reasons and it will not be uncommon if they do this once in awhile.

DO your research.  You can make your own cat food, but make sure you know your cat’s nutritional needs.  You will need to add supplements, etc. and it may take to trial and error to find out what your cat likes to eat.   A good source of information is Vegetarian Cats & Dogs by James Peden.

That sounds intimidating, how can I make sure I’m giving my cat what they need?

Check out Harbingers of a New Age.  They offer vegetarian/vegan food, recipes and supplements that meet your cat’s needs. Their food also meets the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO ) nutritional guidelines.

Other resources:

www.vegancats.com

www.vegforlife.org/dogscats.htm

http://www.petfoodshop.com/ Evolution Diet Pet Foods

http://www.ixamall.com/hpusa/CFLit.html Vegan Cat Institute

But isn’t a vegetarian/vegan diet unnatural?

Felids are true carnivores.  Most domesticated cats are not exactly getting a “natural” diet as do their wild cousins; that is, live, fresh prey.  Unless your cat is feeding on birds, rodents and other live small prey, his/her diet is probably being provided by you.  And you probably get dry and/or moist cat food from the pet store.  And how “natural” are the ingredients in the conventional commercial cat food?  How much meat do they even contain?  The main ingredients are typically grains.  You also find meat digest, meat meal, and meat by-products. Meat, seldom.

Your choice

Of course you want what’s best for your precious cats.  Their safety and health is foremost.   It’s also important to consider all factors when you choose your cat’s food.  Consider the benefits,

risks and impacts of each cat food category (conventional meat-based; holistic, organic, by-product free meat-based diet; fresh, raw meat diet; home-made or commercial vegetarian/vegan diet).  You might decide that vegetarian cat food or having a vegan cat is worth a try.  Whatever your choice, you need to find the right balance for your cat, yourself, the animals and the planet

Marisa

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