Vegetarian Cats?

[Guest guest]

AnnieAcid <annieacid> wrote:

> Does anyone feed their cats/dogs vegetarian diets? If

> so, I'd like recipes for this, as I want to take over

> the feeding of the cats from my mom especially to

> control Ziggy's weight, but feel uncomfortable about

> the meat thing... I've heard it's not so great to feed

> a cat a vegetarian diet, though, so if anyone also

> makes their pets food that is not vegetarian, I'd take

> those recipes, too... If I was forced to, I suppose

> I'd buy tuna/fish or organic meat (ugh), but just for

> the cats...

 

 

 

There is a company called Vegpet that makes vegan pet foods and

supplements that can be found at www.vegpet.com Their website is worth

looking through.

 

However, most authorities say its not a good choice for cats. From the

Vegetarian Society information sheet:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/catfood.html

 

Cats - a vegetarian diet?

Although it is possible to keep dogs on a vegetarian diet

satisfactorily, cats are more specialised and you are advised to

consider carefully before changing your cat to a vegetarian diet.

 

Cats are natural carnivores and are unlikely to willingly forego meat

from their diet. Cats fed on vegetarian diets are likely to look

elsewhere for their preferred meat diet, and many cats will hunt and

kill small rodents and birds.

 

Cats require certain nutrients from meat that cannot be obtained in

sufficient amounts from plant foods. These include taurine, arachidonic

acid, vitamin A, and vitamin B12.

 

Whilst cats may enjoy certain plant foods, vegetarian diets high in

fibre and polyunsaturated fatty acids may be detrimental to a cat's

health. High fibre foods can fill the cat's digestive system without

providing the necessary nutrients in sufficient concentrations. Excess

polyunsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils can lead to a vitamin E

deficiency related illness.

 

If you do decide to give your cat a vegetarian diet, then a supplement

is available from:

Katz Go Vegan, The Vegan Society, 7 Battle Road, St.Leonards on Sea,

East Sussex, TN37 7AA

This is a powder which can be added to your cat's meals. If you do not

feel it is appropriate to feed your cat a vegetarian diet, then you may

find it preferable to use concentrated dry cat food rather than canned.

Most major cat food manufacturers now produce concentrated dry foods

which may be less offensive to handle for vegetarian cat owners as well

as conferring health benefits for your cat in comparison with

traditional canned food.

 

Vegetarian cat owners should always be prepared to seek professional

help by contacting either their veterinary officer or an animal

nutritionist through the RSPCA.

 

 

 

 

 

Personally, my dog gets an organic specialty dry food, and the

occasional table scraps (including some meat from my roommate).

 

HTH.....

--

Sherri

 

Failure: when your best just isn't good enough

www.despair.com