vegan cat food

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

Can anyone share any info about vegan food for cats? Though I've

never been comfortable feeding my cats meat products, I have been,

because I've heard conflicting information on whether putting cats on

a vegan diet is healthy for them. Some say that cats are omnivores

and it is not healthy, while others say that their cats have never

been healthier.

 

I just bought a vegan food from Wysong, which says it's for feline

and canines, which is kind of strange. The website says " Designed to

be used with meats which are non-allergenic for your specific animal.

Does not achieve feline protein recommendations. This product is

intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. " So it sounds

like they recommend that cats not be completely vegan.

 

What about Evolution? Does anyone have any experiences with this or

any other vegan brands? I'd rather be able to buy it a local pet

store than have to order on-line.

 

I have 2 older cats, approximately 12 and 13 (just an estimate as

they were adopted at the SPCA and they did not know for sure how old

they are) and a 4 year-old cat. I am conflicted about whether putting

them on a vegan diet will be the best thing for them or the worst

thing, especially given the ages of my older two.

 

Thanks for any thoughts and/or info,

 

Melissa

[Guest guest]

Melissa-

 

I had two cats that I fed home-made vegan catfood. They were healthy

and happy! I used a supplement Vegecat (www.vegepet.com) in order to

ensure my kitties got all the necessary nutrients--Vegepet sends

recipes with the supplement. It takes a couple hours once every

couple weeks to mix and bake the food, but it's a lot cheaper than

buying vegan cat food! And you can be sure to include all the

nutrients your cats need.

 

As for the store-bought stuff, I think I've used both Wysong and

Evolution and the cats liked those. Again, the issue here is expense.

 

You may have trouble getting your kitties to move to a veggie diet

(the food is usually less flavorful 'cause it doesn't have a bunch of

gross crap in it). You should start mixing small amounts of veggie

food in with their regular food, increasing the fraction of veggie

food over a couple weeks. This is a more healthy way to transition

between diets for your kitties, anyway.

 

But I might warn you: this may be a difficult process. I moved out of

my apartment and my ex-roommates, although veggie, were too lazy and

poor to continue feeding the cats vegan food. I regained custody of

the cats a year or so later and have so far been unable to convert

them back to vegetarians--they just won't eat it! They're so used to

the superflavored non-veggie food that they refuse anything else.

So if it works, congrats. If not, maybe ask the vegan food

manufacturers for advice. Regardless, it's probably a good idea to

start with kittens next time.

 

A few other points. My cats *love* nutriyeast. We used to put it in

the home-made food or just sprinkle it in their bowl. They loved it.

That and lima beans.

 

And as for the fools who claim that cat's are carnivores/omnivores

are ... well, fools. Cats weren't meant to eat highly processed pet

food any more then they were vegan snacks. Moreover, look at the

ingredients of your mainstream pet food: most of it is corn or soy or

the like; meat " products " are really only in there as flavor. Bah! to

that, I say. Go veggie!

 

But I might talk to your vet or contact Vegepet or Evolution or

Wysong for more specifics regarding diet and health. I feel that your

pet's health is important (and your responsibility), and if feeding

it meat products is necessary to keep it healthy and confortable, I

don't really see an alternative. Maybe if it can go hunt outside,

your cat can get meat via natural means and without supporting the

meat industry.

 

Good luck.

 

-Sam

[Guest guest]

I'm not an expert - I'm still transitioning my cats to be vegan, and it hasn't taken yet. But I do know that the only thing cats need that they cannot get in a vegan diet is the amino acid taurine. Herbivores and omnivores produce their own taurine, but true carnivores such as cats can only get it by consuming it, and it is not in plant products. However, a synthetic version of it that does the same job is the secret ingredient in Vegecat and some of the other vegan cat foods. Taurine is what's missing in the foods that say they are only "supplemental".

 

No offense Sam, but I wholeheartedly disagree that letting your cats outside will allow them to get meat "naturally". Cats are domesticated animals, literally man-made through breeding. They depend on humans for their food, thus non-feral cats rarely kill for food. They hunt only for play and only because they still have the instinct to do so.

 

Letting your cats outside will only lead to problems with fleas & ticks, disease, fighting, injury and possibly even death due to fast cars or immoral people. Some older cats that have always been allowed outside will not like to be shut in for the rest of their lives, but when you're starting with a kitten please make them a permanent "indoor cat" from the start.

 

-Mike Borg______________________"I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men." - Leonardo Da Vinci

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