Vegan Cats - is it healthy?

Jul 31, 2008 02:20

I was talking to my friend, who is vegan, and who has two dogs that he feeds vegan foods to. I was skeptical at the health benefits at first, but after I researched vegan dogs and their foods it seems A-ok to me. But what about cats? Dogs I understand because they're omnivores and normally make the transition easily. But cats are mostly carnivorous ( Read more... )

animals-cats large & small, dependents-companion_animals, opinion-buying for others

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ash_is_scarlett July 31 2008, 13:29:54 UTC
i think it's wrong, because it is unlike their natural diet. and unlike us, they are not making the choice to eat it. if it were natural for cats to eat veggies, wild cats would have plenty of chances to do that.

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soiamme August 2 2008, 11:19:45 UTC
you are one to talk, you aren't even vegan yourself...

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ash_is_scarlett August 2 2008, 13:30:11 UTC
yeah sorry because i don't believe in financially supporting the meat industry my opinion sucks. i forgot compassion was the only one reason not to eat meat, silly me!

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ash_is_scarlett August 2 2008, 13:33:45 UTC
i'm also not going to justify my opinion and reasons for being freegan to someone on the internet, it's a personal choice and i'm not giving the meat industry a dime of my money, and you vote with the dollar. nor am i supporting the pollution and industry in vegan foods as well, which cause waste in their production and transport.

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matt_nothing July 31 2008, 13:33:02 UTC
wow I am really interested to find out about this, as I've never even heard the question asked.

thank you!

maybe next we can discuss if freegan food with milk and dairy is ok to eat for vegans?

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liadlaith July 31 2008, 14:15:56 UTC
But what are your thoughts on honey?

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br0ken_dolly July 31 2008, 19:49:18 UTC
mmmm... donuts.

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redlemon July 31 2008, 16:03:09 UTC
I would never be able to do so. My kitty has digestion issues to the max, mostly due to her being such an anxious kitty. We had to put her on a nearly 100% meat diet to keep her tummy happy, and she cannot tolerate any grain. She does sneak a few veggie bites from our rabbits though.

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catnip13 July 31 2008, 16:30:46 UTC
If you get a copy of Dr. Pitcairn's guide to Natural health for dogs and cats, there is a set of recipes and a feeding schedule for what is called a "minimal meat diet," I think you serve fish 3 days a week and dairy and egg daily.

Personally, I feed my cats a super high protein extra meat food, poultry based, because I'm classist that way. I'd rather feed my cats birds than mammals, and they do better on the high meat diet. I have a 17 year-old, 2 14 year-olds and a 7 year-old. The 17 year-old has good kidneys but is hyperthyroid, so needs the extra calories. I don't necessarily recommend that food for all cats, but it is what works for us, and is what my (also vegan) vet recommended.

What my opinion comes down to is "If you can't feed a cat meat, get a rabbit or a dog." My dog thrived on a lacto-vegetarian diet, I hadn't eliminated dairy yet.

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k0r2n3h August 1 2008, 15:37:26 UTC
I've completely given up pork, and am working on cows and chickens, I rarely consume it, but afters some thought and consideration I would like to try my best to not consume meat at all.

All of my cats where adopted from no kill shelters or found. :)

Yea, I got mixed reviews overall on cats. Like you said, it all just depends on the animal. I'm sure cats would do better on a vegetarian diet than vegan, because of the eggs maybe? Idk, I'll read more about it.

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ash_is_scarlett July 31 2008, 17:33:28 UTC
cats are natural carnivores, not omnivores. i consider it animal cruelty to force them from the diet their bodies are made for, and i won't be able to be convinced any differently. if you have problems buying meat, don't get a cat. it's animal abuse to me.

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ash_is_scarlett July 31 2008, 19:58:25 UTC
I'm aware they weren't made to be domestic, but all of our cats were rescue kittens found abandoned and we nursed them back to health. Should we have left them to die, since THAT is natural?

But I know if I give my cat the choice, he will walk over to the bits of steak or chicken my family cooked him or go eat the mice in the basement/backyard over any mixed dry food, or gross wet food (ugh the odor of it!)

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soiamme August 2 2008, 11:23:09 UTC
it would have let another animal live if the cats were left to die... just some food for thought.

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