should pets be vegan, too?
It's an unfortunate reality: most of us who opt to live within the boundaries of modern society will never be 100% vegan--not at this point, anyway. Sadly, animal ingredients are prevalent. Your car and furniture, for example, most likely were made from animal-derived glue. A few animal ingredients can ultimately slip past even the best-informed vegans.
Like most of us, I make the best choices I can. My diet is 100% animal-free. I no longer buy clothing made of wool, silk, leather, etc. and am slowly veganizing my existing wardrobe. I stopped knitting and spinning with animal fibers. I don't buy any household products, personal care products, or cosmetics with animal ingredients. I try to impose the lightest environmental footprint whenever possible. But yet, I continue to feed my cat, Bossa Nova, meat-based cat food.
Here's my personal conundrum. While dogs [and people!] generally do well on a vegan diet, cats require an amino acid, called taurine found only in meat. Vegan cat foods are available, but they contain a synthetic version of taurine. I don't feel that enough is known about it and its effect on cats to feed vegan cat food to Bossa Nova.
So the ethical questions ping-pong in my head: Should I treat Bossa Nova as a "guinea pig," and feed her vegan cat food made with synthetic taurine, knowing there's not enough data to prove this would not be detrimental to her health? Or should I continue to feed her animal-based food, knowing that this contributes to animal suffering and death? [Incidentally, I feed Bossa Nova Pet Guard. Pet Guard offers vegan options and does not test on animals.]
A few months ago at a lecture, I asked this question of Peter Singer, the famous Princeton ethicist and co-author of The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
Afterward the lecture, two women told me about how well their young cats were doing on vegan diets and tried to persuade me to make the switch with an almost evangelical passion. I understand the issue from every perspective, But at this point, I just don't feel that there's enough information to understand what happens to cats who eat synthetic taurine.
How do I justify this decision? Honestly, I don't completely. It continues to trouble me. If it were a black and white issue, the decision would be a no-brainer. I don't know if I'm right or wrong. I only know that I'm doing the best I can with the information I've got. I may change my mind in the future.
I'm interested in hearing other vegans' perspectives.
Posts
41 vegabytes:
but the thing is that most taurine is lost in the production of the meat-food, that the makers add taurine back in. (and i don't know how many use synthetic vs non-synthetic, but it's just as unnatural.
(i'm not saying you have to do it. just that that argument is flawed because of the supplementation of both. unless of course you do the raw thing.)
Well said. We're in exactly the same boat as you. I feel bad about feeding our cats meat-based food but I want to do what's best for their health. And honestly I haven't spent a lot of time researching the whole vegan cat food idea. Maybe it's out of laziness but for me this vegan journey has been one step at a time. There's always more you can do but each of us does the best we can and follows our own path.
And on one level I agree with Singer's comment about not having companion animals to begin with but all of our cats were rescued from situations where, at best they would've lived very short lives as ferals and at worst they would've been euthanized. As long as there are idiot people in the world who abandon pets without getting them spayed or neutered then I think there will be a need for people to adopt them. We have some friends who just adopted another cat because some people in their neighborhood moved away and left the cat to fend for herself (she was 6 months old and not spayed). Is it ethical in that case to let the cat become feral and start reproducing? Or to bring her to a shelter where she'd likely be euthanized? Not in my mind. Peter Singer makes me think and I like that but I don't always agree with him.
Supercarrot--could you please point me to where you got your info on taurine? Thanks.
Chris--I think Singer's answer about not having companion animals was really a rhetorical one, spoken like a true Princeton professor. He's not advocating letting cats run feral or anything like that--he's just saying that from a purley ethical perspective, in a perfect world...
I have to agree with you at this point, U.V. While I'm sure that there are vegan cats (prominently female ones) that are doing well, I dont' see what's natural about feeding obligate carnivores a vegan diet and then tons of supplements and vitamins. I feed my cats meat-based foods, but try to get high quality, vet-approved ones.
One of the ways I view veganism is as a belief that we do not have the right to determine how other animals live- whether on a factory farm for profit or on a vegan diet if they are carnivores.
One of the best things vegans with cats can do to be a friend of the animals (other than adopt them in the first place from troubled lives) is to keep them indoors where they are safe and won't terrorize birds, rodents, insects and other small animals. Housecats are the number one killer of birds, and the don't often kill for food, just for sport.
i found it on the info page of veganpets. i don't know where the mod got the information from though. i'm sure you could find it easily.
http://community.livejournal.com/veganpets/profile
maybe call the companies of the food you plan to feed and ask them directly if they add extra taurine, and if it's natural or synthetic?
Hi UV & all,
I think this is a really interesting issue. We have two dogs and a cat (all shelter rescues), and so far they are all on meat-based diets. I used to have a roommate with a vegan cat, and that poor cat was so skinny and unhealthy and cold all the time (he was always desperately huddled by the heater)... and unfortunately that experience has really colored my opinion.
Also, my current thinking is that it's not really our place to dictate that an animal should be vegan. I get my pets really high quality food, with "human grade" organic ingredients (recognizing of course that there's still a lot of trouble with both of those distinctions)... and then I hope for the best.
My pets are all outdoor pets, and our cat Yummers does catch rodents from time to time (rats and gophers). I don't love this, but I also don't choose to keep him inside. If the animal is uninjured, I put it back outside and lock Yummers in... and if it's mortally wounded I encourage Yum to make quick work of it all. I hope it's not too gruesome, but it brings him a lot of joy and then he doesn't need any cat food for a day or so.
I understand that dogs can be healthy as vegans, but the few times I have tried to feed my dogs samples of veg dog food, they have refused to touch it. :( I've found it really hard to learn about what are the fully safe and nutritious options out there. A lot of companies say that they don't do animal testing, but then one assumes that they are relying on all the data derived by other companies that DO use animal testing... sigh.
I guess having pets really does bring up a lot of issues, and helps us stay humble as vegans - recognizing that we can't ever be perfectly cruelty free. Thanks for bringing up these thoughts!
i was thinking about this just this afternoon.
I normally feed my cat, Sugar, dry food. She's old - had a loose tooth pulled and the doctor told me to feed her some wet, canned food. Seeing the meat really gets me thinking about the issue of vegan cat food.
However, I'm of a similar opinion that there's not enough out there to say whether one is better for cats or another. So..I continue to feed her the meat-containing food.
I just want to do what's healthiest for her. She's been on the same food since she was a kitten (she's 11 now!). She's prone to bladder infections and changing foods is risky for her.
Great questions, UV. Tough issues to deal with because of all the different opinions out there. I've heard vegans yell at other vegans for putting their cats on a vegan diet, and others judging those who feed them meat. I also read up on the taurine issue, and I'm honestly confused by it all. It is added back in like calcium is added back into cow milk? How will we *really* ever know what's best for our pets anyhow?
My dogs are all veggie dogs and are doing well. It took me a long time to research then find the appropriate foods that work for them. They are doing great. My cats, however, still eat dried regular cat food. (PetGuard, actually!) They are doing well and are healthy on it. Maybe someday I will begin the journey to transition them, maybe not. I have other battles to deal with at the moment, like finding a more "green" car than I currently have, and getting rid of an old leather sofa that now disgusts me. Lol! I'm just doing as you are: Doing my best that I can, and constantly learning and improving. I'm not ready for the "cat food" battle at this moment, and I'm not concerned about being judged for it.
I think you are such a great role model and inspiration to others with how you live and the choices you make. Enjoy Bossa guilt-free, and be proud of all that you do to live cruelty-free. Oh, and if you ever find a vegan cat food...let me know. Lol!!
I have read the same things that Supercarrot has said about synthetic taurine being added to ALL cat foods, regardless if they have meat in them or not.
I think it depends on whether your cat has UTI problems or not as well. My cat didn't do well on 50% vegan and 50% prescription (meat-based) food, so I put her on all prescription. Obviously, this is not the vegan idealistic choice, but it's what will keep her alive (and the other choice is to have her and other animals die if we don't adopt them, so some animals die regardless if we keep pets or not). You can feed your cat a vegan diet and also supplement methionine for UT health, but that's not 100%.
Also, it's not natural, anyway, for your cat to eat a chicken or a cow and I really question whether the meat-based cat foods are healthy, what with the recent increases in cats and other companion animals fed commercial getting cancer and tumors.
Either way, we are causing our cats to eat an unnatural diet in an unnatural setting for them.
If you want to lessen your meat impact, you can do 50/50 as I did and see how well your cat does?!
Cherie
oh, and all you have to do is look at a bag of meat-based cat food and you'll see taurine in the ingredients.
i meant "commercial cat food" in my previous reply.
cherie
Our cats aren't vegan either and it's something that I am getting tired of having to defend when I'm with other vegans. Jim and I are both torn over it, but I feel that my main responsibility to them is to take care of them in the best way possible to my knowledge and I'm not comfortable with the vegan cats foods.
I made a commitment to them and although elements of my follow-through on that commitment trouble me, I have to just do my best, buying the best and most "ethical" food I can. It's a hard thing and we revisit this topic often because we're so torn over it.
Taking care of another animal is a big responsibility and it's hard not to consider your own ethical view when deciding what to feed them. As we removed more and more processed food from our own diets, we did the same with our dogs. We feed a raw diet, and while certainly not vegan at all, we feel this mimicks what they would eat in nature. While I sometimes have an ethical conflict with it all, they are both thriving and I am comforted by the fact that I know exactly what they are eating.
There are some alarming stories out there about the processed pet food industry.
Chere--I only feed B.N. food made with fish and chicken. I actually do think it's natural for a cat to eat chicken. BUT I won't give my cat anything made with beef. (THAT would be really ridiculous. If Bossa Nova saw a cow, I think she'd run away.)
Wow...interesting! You're right, there's so much to think about. Not just the sneaky, hidden animal products in so many things, but the options for cat food that don't leave you much of a choice: should the cat eat meat or something synthetic that is possibly harmful? I'll be interested to hear if there's a resolution for this.
Yeah, I wonder what my cats would do if they saw a cow.
I think my cats would eat mice and insects. Not sure about a chicken.
Trust me, I am not faulting you for feeding your cat meat, as I do mine and most people do, especially since there is no nutritionally adequate vegan cat food available, that we know of. I was just saying maybe, if YOU wanted to, you could do half and half.
Cherie
I should also mention, with regard to dogs, my sister's German shepherd is a vegetarian now. Prior to that, on a meat-based diet, she started to have hip problems and itchy skin. I know her hip problem is better now. Not sure about the skin.
I do know that my sister deliberately buys veg food for the dog, so she must have noticed a great difference/improvement.
Luckily, it's an easier choice with dogs.
Cherie
Good questions, UV! I have to side with Bazu on this one. I really couldn't put it better myself.
Sammy is not a veggie pup, as he has many grain allergies, but he also has many meat allergies as well. He also has a very sensitive stomach, so I have to be very careful about what he does eat. I don't know if I could feed him veg even if I wanted to!
I am not a vegan but I do agree with a lot of what you're saying.
To me, this makes a lot of sense.
"Listen to your body because your body will never lie to you. Your mind will play tricks on you, but the way you feel in your heart, in your guts, is the truth. Don Miguel Ruiz"
Go with your gut and let go of your mind for now...
I feel like you took the words out of my mouth... I think about this a lot. I could write a novel here about this, so I won't but I just have to say a few things:
I want to have Killian be happy and healthy. He has UTI issues, crystals, so he is on crappy prescription medicine food. I hate it. I want to give him good food, whole organic foods, but I'm having a hard time finding it.
I also don't want him to be a guinnea pig, so to speak. I agree that we don't know enough about vegan diets for cats and that is why I actually don't even think about it anymore.
But what I do think about is finding a balance, maybe keeping him on the crappy prescription food, or just finding a perfect food to keep his magnesium levels down, but either way I don't want him getting sick or worse in my 'testing' process. With that said, I guess bottom line is that we shouldn't force cats to be vegan, but I know plenty of healthy, thriving dogs who have been vegetarian/vegan their whole life and eat mostly "people" food. I agree with giving cats a mix of their own food and some organics that we would eat ourselves.
I have done plenty of research on pet foods and it sickens me to no end, but what I do now is find the best food I can, make some, let him mooch off of my good foods, and also make sure his condition is stable. I think the most important is finding a good quality commercial pet-food, regardless of if it has meat in it or not.
oops, I did kinda write a novel, sorry.
I understand your dilemma as well, UV. I've found myself going back and forth on this same topic all the time. Instead of posting a long-winded ramble here, I'ma just post a link to an entry in which I mulled over the topic myself. Good luck!
VEGAN CATS
i feed my pup 1/2 veggie, 1/2 meat. that way 1/2 of me feels better.
I have two cats, one who is, as the vet puts it "UTI prone", though he hasn't had any UTIs, he does eat food formulated for UTI prone cats. I feel the same; that they are natural carnivores and that's not something for me to really mess with.
I also have a Box turtle, and 1/2 of his food should be from a meat source - mostly insects. In the summer, each of my turtles has an outdoor pen built to most closely mimic their natural enviornment, and the box turtle has a rotting log and plenty of spots to dig for bugs. In the winter he lives inside, and I sometimes buy the jumbo meal worms and feed them to him live - he eats them from my hand. Sometimes this to me seems worse than feeding the cats their food, but at the same time, it is much healthier and closer to what he would eat, were he outside. I just feel worse about it because I am holding out a wriggling, live worm for him to crunch into.
This is a very sensitive subject for vegans and I wish there was an easy solution for us all. When she was a kitten, I used to feed my cat, Bailey, a very high quality meat-based food but a while back I switched her to Evolution vegan cat food. The vet (who is not a vegan) always comments about how healthy she is and how great she looks. She was slightly overweight on the meat-based food and initially lost about 1 pound on the Evolution food but her weight has since leveled out and remained very consistent. It is in the “normal/healthy” range. She also lost the flabby belly waddle that she used to have on the meat-based food. She has tons of energy, silky and soft fur, great breath, and minimal poop.
I have to say, I agree with Peter Singer in that we really should not have pets at all. We want the companionship and continue to breed animals solely for our enjoyment but we force them to live unnaturally and far removed from their pre-domesticated wild lives.
Humans are very selfish creatures. Is it right that we commission the deaths of cows, pigs, lambs, and chickens so that we may serve our own interests and have a cute pet to cuddle? Is it right that we give one life priority over another?
There is very little scientific evidence regarding vegan cats and Marty & I understand that our cat just might be considered a “guinea pig” and that her life might be shortened by feeding her a vegan diet. If she was not adopted at the animal shelter as a kitten she would have been put to sleep and her life would have ended after just a few short months. If she was adopted by someone who let her go outside, she would only be expected to live four to five years. Bailey is an indoor only cat and has so far lived to be 6 years old. So even as a vegan, she has outlived her outdoor (and most likely meat-eating) counterparts. I don’t know how long she will live on a vegan diet and I will never know if her life span is greater than or less than it would have been on a meat-based diet. I simply cherish every day I have with her and am grateful that her diet does not contribute to the suffering in the world.
My greyhound, Noble, is an entirely different study. When we first adopted him, we tried to feed him every vegan dog food out there (approximately 6 different brands). Unfortunately, he could not stomach any of them. The woman who runs the adoption agency we got him from said that greyhounds usually need high protein and fat diet. We tried him on a meat-based high protein and fat diet and noticed an immediate difference. Within 24 hours, he no longer barfed or had diarrhea. I am now trying to come up with a way to provide him with a high protein and fat in a vegan form but it is really difficult. Most vegan dog foods fall short by about 10% in the protein department and 10-15% in the fat department. I’d prefer to feed him a commercial pet food and supplement the additional protein and fat with vegan human food. I calculated the costs of feeding him solely vegan human food and it would be far more than our budget would allow since he’s 85 pounds and eats more calories a day than a grown man. I’m still looking into other alternatives and hope I can find a diet that is both agreeable with Noble and compassionate.
So, there’s my long-winded story.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that there is a one-size fits all answer to this conundrum. I'm interested in hearing what you decide to do with BN.
That's great that your cat is thriving, VV! And I totally agree with what you're saying about how a cat would have been put to sleep or died in the outdoors, getting hit by a car...These are all things that warrant thought and each individual's decision on what they think is the least harm. Maybe there is no "one" answer.
This is funny - my cat Pepper loves vegetables. I can't even count the number of times he has stared longingly at my vegetables and grains or ate some pretzels (homemade ones, dammit!) or bagels, the many times I've caught him in the sink eating a strawberry leaf, broccoli stalk, or carrot.
If any cat were "meant" to be herbivore, I think it's my Peppy. haha
This is a good question--obviously no easy answer...
First off, I definitely agree with Peter Singer's "ideal" of no companion animals at all. But, given that sometimes the best thing we can do for an animal is to bring it into our lives and give it a loving home, I don't see a problem in our world today with having cats and dogs--plus they're such a joy to have around!
Several people have mentioned that 1) it's not natural to feed a cat a vegan diet, and 2) it's not our place to choose a vegan diet for other animals. I agree with both of these statements. I would feel weird choosing a vegan diet for my dog or cat, knowing that he or she was originally designed to be a carnivore. Every livinig thing was designed in a certain way, and just because I feel like I should not eat meat, that does not make it wrong for my cat to do what is natural for him or her to do.
Of course, in the world we live in where we feed our cats and dogs canned meat that surely is not what nature intended, I can definitely see both sides. I don't have any animals right now, but if I did (and when I do) I would definitely do my research to make sure I was making the best decisions for their health while at the same time minimizing the cruelty imposed on other animals! Very touchy, I imagine...
Thanks for bringing it up! It's been interesting to read all the different responses.
i just wanted to reply to vivacious vegan in terms of homemade vegan diets for dogs. my 65-lb pit-lab mix, neeley, has been on a homemade veg diet for well over a year now and we actually find the costs to be the same, if not slightly less, than the high-quality, non-animal-tested, organic meat-based diet we were feeding her before. and she is in much, much better shape! she is almost seven years old and has the energy of a puppy again!
i really wish my cats could be on the same diet as neeley, but i also am unconvinced by the research as well.
i find singer's argument fairly enraging at this point (it's a common one), but that's beside the point. :)
keep up the great work! i love your blog!
Well, I lived with my kitty for seven years when I went veg. She was 10. I could not see making such a drastic change for a cat, who is a meat-eating animal. I stopped getting the Eukanuba stuff that my ex swore by and found pet foods that were not as animal-unfriendly. She's now on a combo diet of Wellness canned and prescription dried because at 15, she's starting to have renal insufficiency.
She's also a skinny little gal, and I am desperate for her to eat what she can.
As for pet guardianship, we provide animals a home, and in return, they give us comfort and companionship. I think humans develop connections with nonhumans that we shouldn't deny.
Hi
I think Peter Singer's point, whilst not immediately helpful to your predicament, is very worthwhile and pertinent. If we choose a life where the main aim is to reduce harm and treat animals with equal consideration of rights, then what is the ethical judistification for keeping companion animals?
It is important that we, as vegans, acknowledge that in order to feed a meat diet to carnivorous animals, are participating in the farming, exploitation and death of other animals. The only option that I can see is not to keep carnivorious animals as companions. It is difficult - I love cats and wish I could have one but I cannot, in pursuing my ethical argument, keep one. Please don't anyone be offended by my argument, there is one big hole it - I have a parrot. I do think though that we cannot shy away from where meat-based pet foods come from.
Kind regards
Zodie
How come so many of you don't seem to understand that the only way to find out if a vegan pet diet can work for your pet is to try it?? Do you think anyone is ever going to fund a study to show the long-term health effects?? Are you waiting for Oprah to do a show on healthy vegan animals??
I know people with healthy vegan pets. It is possible. As a vegan, it is really your duty to at least try to feed your animals in a way that doesn't cruelly kill other animals. Order a few different varieties of vegan pet food to find one that your pet likes. Feed it that for a few months and watch it thrive. You will feel good knowing that you're not killing animals, and your friends will see that vegan pets are healthy. Then they will stop killing animals, and it will be a chain reaction.
A lot of these comments sound like things I've heard people tell me about a vegan diet for humans. "People need meat to survive" and "there's no way you can be healthy without dairy" and "I knew a vegan once, he was so thin." It's very close-minded to think this way. Do a little research and you'll find that many pets do well without meat.
Anonymous: You write such an inflammatory, holier-than-thou comment, yet you do not have the courage to sign your name. I will listen to anyone's opinion, whether they agree with me or not--but I only respect the opinions of people who sign their names and who leave out the sarcasm. ["Are you waiting for Oprah to do a show on healthy vegan animals??" Please.]
You say "It's very close-minded to think this way." Just who is being close minded? This is not a black and white issue.
I may eventually try some vegan food for BN, but certainly not because you are telling me it's my "duty" as a vegan. Who made you the Vegan Police?
Why don't you go direct your anger and frustration at somebody who deserves it. We certainly don't.
....And you don't even have a pet!
I've been mulling over this post since you wrote it, UV, and I shared it with a vegan friend who indicated that her choice to be vegan was personal, and because she wouldn't force it on any other human involuntarily, she wouldn't force it on her cat.
My question revolves around urban cats and their propensity to kill (and sometimes eat, at least partially) mice in apartments and houses. My own do this often and they perform a valuable service to me, as I look at it as something that is extraordinarily "natural" in a wholly "unnatural" environment. How would vegans view this corrolary issue of mice-catching (and also, what does a good vegan do when she realizes she has a mouse infestation but wants to rid herself of the mice)?
Meg, in response to your comment, one of the main reasons my cat is a vegan is so that I do not have to support the abhorent factory farming industry. If my cat were to catch a mice, I would not have a problem with that. However, twice, my cat has had the opportunity to catch mice before and each time, she quickly jumped up to the highest spot in the house. She didn't seem to have any interest, but I believe she is probably not the norm. She routinely catches, kills and eats crickets, moths, and other assorted insects. I don't have a problem with that either. If we had a mouse in the house that we wanted to remove, I would use the No Kill Mouse House. You can see what it looks like here. http://www.abundantearth.com/store/mousetrap1.html You can catch the mouse without inflicting any harm and then release him back into the wild.
I have wanted to post about this issue on my own blog for awhile now, so I was glad to see what you had to say. I definitely feel for your situation, since I mull it over in my head all the time. I feed my cats Pet Promise, which is a meat-based cat food that contains no hormones, by products, etc. Looking at various pet foods, even in a "natural" foods store, is so discouraging because even the organic brands, like Newman's Own, use highly questionable ingredients like chicken "meal." I hate supporting the meat industry, but at the same time, I don't feel comfortable forcing my naturally-carnivorous cats to be vegan. I think we all want what's best for our pets and at this point, I'm unsure what the answer is. Because of the way they process pet food, natural taurine is usually diminished and supplements are added to the food anyway (which I think someone mentioned earlier), so is avoiding feeding our cats a vegan diet for this sole reason really logical?
All that to say, I don't have an answer yet (but sure wish I did). Such a conundrum...
What about the idea of evolution of our diets, and the possibility for an evolution of cat's diets? We are no longer cavemen, and our own systems have changed over all these years. House cats are so far removed from lions in the wild - why can't it be possible that they would do just fine with vegan food too? Surely the first humans didn't croak because they ate berries. At the same time, its an issue I can't make up my own mind on this issue. I've only been on a vegan diet for just over a year (12 years vegetarian), and my cat is almost 14. She's on PetPromise because of the whole animal-by-product issue, but I've given her Evolution Vegan wet food and she loved it. That's what makes me think it's possible.
As for Mr. Singer's comment - sure, in a perfect world, and I believe that is what he meant. But we humans have contributed to this overpopulation and have a responsibility to care for those we have displaced. Even though none of the folks on this site are responsible for the blatant irresponsible breeding, or the ignorant owner, we will care for these creatures because we know its the right thing do to. No gas chambers for humans, no gas chambers for animals. We each have to decide which is most important issue: ending animal abuse through factory farming by choosing only vegan, or make as little of an economical demand on the industry as possible.
I'm not ready to go out and catch a squirrel for my cat, nor a bird. But my dog is the healthiest 6 year old my vet has ever seen, and she's on v-dog vegan food. Loves the stuff. It's so complicated of an issue though. I was hoping I'd read enough here to help make my mind up, but I sense a 50/50 split. Great topic, and we should find others who share our beliefs and choices so that we can develop the support needed to face the meat-eating public.
Hello,
i like your blog and i read about your problem with vegan pet food or not...and most of the comments.
My cat is 17 and one year ago i tried amicat, a french vegan cat food. It contains everything cats need.
I tried vegan pet food because my cat vomited all the other food, no matter if raw or best qualitiy, she had massive health problems and the vet sugestes to..well, put her to sleep.
The vegan cat food had been the last straw and she did not vomit, she ate it hapily and her health problems like with the teeth or with the..well...anal glands? do not know what you call it in english...
Normally we spend each month 50 bugs at the vet, but after 3 months with the vegan cat food...nothing...
I never thought it would make such a big difference. even the strays i care for love this food..she only needs have of the amount i had to feed her with normal pet food..it is exensive...but not as expensive as if i had to take her every month to the vet...
There is a swiss producent of vegan cat food...he calls it vegusto...they are working with vegecat...the american supplement...30% protein in the fresh food..very good for my cat because she does not eat as much as when she was young.
This american supplement to make food at home is produced and controlled by vets and scientist..and avalaible since 20 years...i think that is long enough tested for its safety with cats all around the world.
The taurin in the normal pet food is synthetic because it is cheap...and why concentrate it difficult from meat if you could have it for some cents?
All the taurin in energy drinks, baby food/milk supplement/cat food and bodybuilder products is synthetic...
And babys need taurin like cats do...and think how long synthetic taurin is in commercial pet food and in mothermilk supplement..if it would not work...how would have the babys, that got no mother milk ,survived?
I do not know if every cat would like to eat vegan food, my cat is very picky and only likes amicat and vegusto...i tried to cook for her but she does not take a look at it...but the strays love it...
Tastes are different...and some cats are allergic to some ingredients like gluten or soy..but there are brands without gluten or soy..my cat is allergic to animal proteins...sounds crazy but thats fact..if she is eatin onle little piece of meat she starts vomiting...
Try amicat, i do not know if it´s available in USA but it´s high in protein and fatty acids hat are essential and the taste seems to be very good...or to cook for your cats...
If they do not like it you have tried and that is all you could have done...sometimes they like a different brand or eat only small amounts because these food is not heavily perfumed like normal pet food and like with fast food and kids, cats too have to relearn how to taste.
I know from my cats and my friends that have vegan pets too that with the supplements the food is safe, or you buy complete food like amicat if you do not feel safe to cook.
If your pet needs more calories oil from seeds is much more cheap and healthy than animal fat and proteins...
Gluten is like meat in it´s protein...but if you make it yourself you can have 2 pounds for 1 bug, here in germany, meat is minimum 3 bugs.
Or peas, beans, lentils...you know as a cook how much protein is inside these legumes...no need for meat...and expensive???
The hell no! Only if you have to buy commercial vegan food because of a picky old, old princess^^
I know a cat from a friend that does not like vegan food, well...that can happen...but i tried and that is all ..she eats what she likes and i am happy about my healthy cat and the stray cats that like the vegan food^^
Best wishes, cyrell...if you wanna talk more, i will watch your blog ;)
I can understand the ethical dilemma as I have a dog myself. Personally, I don't feel I have the right to impose a strict vegan diet on him when his body is clearly designed to be a carnivore. That said, I do offer him veggies as well in his diet which helps to lessen his meat intake. It is a tough choice, ethically, and I respect both sides. I have only been vegan for five months now and, as my children are all old enough to make their own choices about what they eat, I don't impose my diet on them either though they have happily sampled and enjoyed some of my vegan foods.
All my pets have always been rescues. Humans have domesticated animals for pretty much all of their existence -- and there is a symbiotic relationship between humans and many kinds of animals that allows both species to thrive.
To say "don't have companion animals" and maintain that it is incongruous with being a(n ethical) vegan is really ridiculous to me.
People like animals. Some animals like people. Having companion animals reduces stress, provides an outlet for humans, gives the animal a caring home and a life of leisure (more or less).
My cats occasionally kill rodents -- but since I live in a city, I don't let them eat their prey (if I can catch them in time) because of concerns that the rodents may have ingested poison (believe me, Carmine makes short work of any rats or mice and eats ALL of the creature, head, bones, fur and tail).
I feed my cats a meat-based cat food. They are very healthy and I'm comfortable with them eating chicken -- as companion animals for thousands of years, cats have always eaten other kinds of animal protein as scraps, garbage or whatever. I've had cats catch and eat rabbits and squirrels -- and though it might be available, I'm not going to start feeding them a diet of raw dead, skinned rabbits (though such a diet is available for pets).
Additionally, two of my cats love fruit and vegetables. I let them eat pretty much unlimited amounts of fruit, vegetables, quinoa and nutritional yeast (ok, within reason).
Because they are autonomous beings, and they don't speak English, I have to let their behavior dictate their diet. They definitely prefer to eat things that are meat based, even though they may fight over chopped up raw broccoli stalk.
I discover this post quite late, and so let you a comment about Vegan Pet Food on your post of the 17th of september 2008.
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