Hybrid diets for cats?

[devolute]

I know this has been discussed to death, but I have some questions about cat food... I haven't been able to find any information from people who have fed their kitties on a combination diet of vegan and meat-based cat food. Is this a bad idea? I know cats are obligate carnivores, but does that mean they shouldn't be eating anything plant-based?

Comments

[catnip13]

Really, honestly, in my fairly extensive experience (I've volunteered for cat rescue groups for over 20 years, been caretaker to one cat or another for almost 30, and been involved in the care of well over a hundred different cats), even most premium grade cat foods have too much plant matter in them. Cats thrive the best on super high protein grain-free meat-based diets. I've seen cats with life-long skin and coat problems, thyroid problems, diabetes, allergies, persistant recurrent bowel and urinary tract difficulties and other chronic health conditions drasticly improve and sometimes completely eliminate their symptoms

[devolute]

Thank you very much for this information. Do you have any specific recommendations on brands of food? I wouldn't mind getting raw meat as well; is it usually possible to buy scraps locally? (I haven't ever bought raw meat, so I don't really know!)

I plan on spending $300-$400 per year on a cat if I adopt, but I know if he/she has specific medical or dietary needs that that could change. Also since I do care about the quality of the food, I know I might have to be a little more flexible in terms of budget. Does that seem reasonable?

[catnip13]

My OldCat(tm) is just too picky about things and likes her kibble, so we feed EVO kibble and a canned food (which I am out of, so can't check the brand) about every other day, here. Most of the rescuers that I work with use Grandad's. My vet free-feeds EVO and offers the canned high-meat foods twice a day. Seriously, you should see some before and after shots of some of her kids. It's amazing. She takes the highest-need cats (ok, not JUST cats. She's got dogs, rabbits, a tortoise and a pot belly pig, too) from the group, gets them stable and healthy and then passes them on to another foster home, so she's got a constant flux going on.

[catnip13]

That is pretty reasonable for a young to middle aged cat, barring unusual emergencies, but one emergency vet clinic visit could wipe that budget out. You don't really need annual baseline bloodwork on a cat under the age of 7, and more recent theories from veterinary immunology researchers also indicate that vaccines, beyond the kitten series, are probably unneccesary. It gets more expensive as they age. Kittens are more prone to infections than mature cats, so the first year can be costly too, especially with bottle-babies, who lack the breastmilk antibodies from the mother cat.

A really good way to develop a good relationship with a veterinarian is to volunteer with a rescue group for a while. Even if you can't foster, if you can help with pick up and drop off for spay-days, or adoptions, you'll get to know who the best and most reasonably priced vet in town is.

[devolute]

Thanks for all of the info; I'm glad to get a response from someone so knowledgable about cats :) I'll take all of your advice into consideration!

[lostvirtue]

I did actually try to feed my cat a "raw" diet (not canned) and my cats wouldn't even touch it... it was odd.

[catnip13]

LOL. I had the same problem, with both raw and home cooked food. My cats were like "What the hell is this shit and where's the cat food?" That is why we do EVO kibble. But if you can get your cats to go for it, it is great for their health.