Comments | veganpeople: Hybrid diets for cats?

devolute in veganpeople

Hybrid diets for cats?

Sep 17, 2008 18:15

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? ( Read more... )

companion animals-feeding, dependents-companion_animals

Comments 64

catnip13 September 18 2008, 05:08:26 UTC

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 September 18 2008, 05:15:53 UTC

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 September 18 2008, 05:35:29 UTC

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 September 18 2008, 05:47:47 UTC

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.

Thread 7

ohyourgod September 18 2008, 06:48:19 UTC

This website has a lot of good info on feline nutrition: http://www.catinfo.org/... )

catnip13 September 18 2008, 14:22:42 UTC

I've added nutritional yeast to my cats' food before. Most of them are great with it, but one gets horrible skin ulcers from it.

(totally not saying that you should stop. Just putting that out there in case someone else tries it and gets the same problem, so they know what might be causing it)

ohyourgod September 18 2008, 16:38:08 UTC

Good to know. Thank goodness Riley doesn't have that problem. One night after dinner, I left the canister on the table, closed. He knocked it onto the floor and was wrestling with the canister trying to open it. That's how I found out he liked nooch.

evol September 18 2008, 17:35:55 UTC

Hahaha... if we don't put it up in the cupboard tightly closed, our Curtis would have both paws in it, eating it straight. It's happened once. My partner mixes a teeny bit in his food sometimes now that we know he's batty for it.

(The comment has been removed)

catnip13 September 18 2008, 14:27:59 UTC

I think my friend with 11 cats goes through 3 pounds of raw in 2 days, so I'd guess, on average, with one cat, a pound would last about a week.

devolute September 18 2008, 17:39:26 UTC

Thanks for the info. Do you work at a pet store? I've been digging up info on good local places to get pet supplies, and there seem to be quite a few in Oregon that are more environmentally concerned (and more concerned with animal welfare). So that's good news! I'll look for the brands you've mentioned, thanks!

jameslentz September 21 2008, 02:35:48 UTC

While it might be only slightly relevant, my wife and I feed our ferret an entirely vegan diet. Ferrets are obligate carnivores just like cats, and actually have slightly higher requirements for fat content and certain amino acids. We have only had him since February, but he (the Dude) is thriving. Luckily, my brother-in-law bought a ferret (Slinky) roughly the same time we got ours, so we've had a (admittedly rather small) control for our experiment ( ... )