does anyone have vegetarian pets (cats especially?)

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Permalink Reply by Chicory on November 19, 2008 at 6:39am

how would you feel about getting unfertilized eggs straight from the farmer.... one where you could see the chickens running around in the grass? There would be no life inside the egg, and they would come from happy chickens. egg yolk is nutritious for cats. Sorry if I sounded snippy... but I am hard when it comes to cats... I work with animal advocates in the area of abandoned and ferals, so I see a lot of abuses and injustices. I often have to knock on a person's door and be really blunt and harsh with them or they don't listen. I'm sure it is possible to feed a vegan diet, I would just do a lot of research t make sure you are supplementing correctly. I was so upset to see those two seal blind seal points with their huge pupils and know that it was totally preventable. Good luck, hope it works out!

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Permalink Reply by Claire on November 19, 2008 at 10:14am

Yes, cats are 100% carnivores and without a sufficient raw meat/bone diet a deficit could form over the long haul. People are not designed to eat meat, but cats are, and there's no point in screwing with nature.

Please don't put your cat on a vegetarian diet - cats are carnivores. Tigers, lions, and other feline animals do not eat vegetables; it is unnatural to make them do so. Please check out www.rawfedcats.org to see why. Cats have the teeth structure to eat meat and chew the hard bones, and without the ability to do so all sorts of dental problems can occur. Cats need to eat whole prey - I feed mine whole chicks and mice. It is unnatural to feed "cat food". People eat whole fresh fruits and vegetables, they don't want it ground into paste and frozen (that would be what a commercial vegan cat food is - or raw meat cat food). They need whole prey. Cats have very acidic bodies that vegan (alkalizing) foods don't support. The acidic digestive tracts contain parasites which digest the meat much faster than an alkaline body (human). You don't have to participate in the meat industry; you can order from specialty raw whole prey sites for pets, like www.prey4pets.com. I know this isn't anywhere near the realm of what your thinking, but I think it's the right thing to do. My Blueberry has been eating a whole prey diet and she is the most amazing thing. I am not trying to attack you here, just try to look at this a little more carefully.

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Permalink Reply by Kaybee on November 19, 2008 at 10:56am

...I dont know if you can assume that the author of the post, or that all of us, necessarily see ourselves as deserving of the most "natural diet." For me, the priority for my diet is to have the most compassionate diet. if it were to turn out that in order to have a compassionate diet, that my diet would be less natural, I would do it. If people ARE able to find a more compassionate diet for their pets that is well-balanced and still allows that animals to thrive, even if it requires supplementation, etc, I think that choice should be respected, as long as the animals are well cared for, are having their nutritional needs met, and are thriving. Sure, we are "guardians" of our pets, but what about all the other creatures on this earth? I think we should be guardians of ALL life. Looking out for some animals and calling them pets, while killing others and calling them "dinner" for our pets just doesnt follow good logic. While I recognize that cats' natural diet is carnivorous, if there is a way to provide a diet for them that still allows them to thrive but does not create additional death and violence in the world, I dont think people should be attacked for trying to do it.

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Permalink Reply by Blueberry on November 20, 2008 at 9:21am

I do find it rather hypocritcal that some people feel that feeding a cat a vegan diet is cruel.

Farming and slaughter is also incredibly cruel, slaughter isn't humane you know, animals know they are going to die and they suffer the most horrendous fear before they die in the most horrendous painful circumstances.

People in slaughter houses often torture the animals, too, I visited one once many years ago and witnessed it and is probably the reason why I'm vegan today.

Most organic farm animals aren't fed naturally either, most are fed grain and grain is most definitely not a natural food for a cow, grass is. No one seems to care about the cruelty to the farm animals. Hypocrisy of the western world.

I agree it is a tricky situation but perhaps it is best not to keep pets at all particularly carnivorous ones.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren O on November 19, 2008 at 12:05pm

you need to make sure your cat gets enough nutrients, also if you aren't going to give him some bones/hard fibers you will need to brush his teeth, keep those teeth clean and he could make it another 11 years, my first cat was 21 when she died of heart failure ate an all commercial wet/dry food diet 1/2 her life indoor/outdoor cat and the 2nd 1/2 indoors only and she was a horrible hunter but a giant love! My second cat died at 14 from rotted teeth, he was a stray when I suckered him into letting me pet him and gave him food, he was an excellent hunter and also a giant love. I blame his rotted teeth which we never brushed. Now we have another cat (along with my mother's 8 yr old calico) that we got from the shelter, hes just come out of his shell and turned into a big love too! I have to brush his teeth because they are getting stinky. He hates all but commercial dry cat food(he won't eat anything else) and he is a monster bug hunter (all other animals scare him because they make noise he was probably abused wherever he was as a stray before the shelter got him) but we got him off the science diet they were feeding him at the shelter because it clearly wasnt making him a healthy boy (he was incredibly gassy) now he only gets bouts of gassiness when my fiance makes popcorn and gives him one popped kernal to lick (hes crazy about salt) sigh.

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Permalink Reply by Mica on November 19, 2008 at 12:37pm

Well I think you've just said it all, have you ever seen a healthy animal doing it's natural thing in nature with a toothbrush? No I haven't either.....;)

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Permalink Reply by Claire on November 19, 2008 at 12:45pm

Crystal, I totally understand why you don't want to have meat in your house and I respect that, but just as you want to have the best diet for you I think your cat would want to have the same as the other guy said. It's a free country, no one's gonna tell you what to do, but you really don't want to risk any nutritional deficits by feeding a vegetarian diet to a natural carnivore. I wish I could feed vegetables to my cat but I have been told by holistic veterinarians who support a raw diet for cats 100% that a diet with fruits and vegetables is not sustainable for the long term. She said that all sorts of cats she's seen who have been put on a raw vegetarian diet have ended up with renal problems in the long run and the last thing you want is to see your cat get sick due to this. I understand your ethical/etc problems with feeding meat but there are many more carnivorous animals in this world than many would think and you need to look at that. No one is gonna boss you around but I'm just saying nature intended for cats to be carnivores, according to their tooth structure and their digestive systems. I do not agree with a vegan diet for a cat. I have read straight that Dogs are omnivores, and cats are 100% carnivores.

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Permalink Reply by Eve on November 21, 2008 at 10:17am

Just a quickie...I'm at work and not supposed to be in here,... Anyone who has a problem with a cat or dog being turned into a vege...check out http://www.vegepet.com/

I worked breifly for a vet, and dogs and cats end up suffering the same the ailments that we blame of the consumption of meat. Our dogs became veges on the cusp of having our puppy put down when she developed arthritis. My Dad would nearly weep carrying a whimpering little dog out onto the lawn. It was 11th hour advice and after spending literally $100s on vet bills that we didn't have...this not only saved her (died when she was 15yrs old) but our other dogs raging eczema cleared up within days. (Please use the advice of a vet or the above website)

Yes, cats may go onto hunt for fresh meat, yes there have been in the past cases of blindness, but this issue has been resolved.

If you want to talk about cruelty and suffering, have a look at the testimonials on a website like the one above. The health and joy spring back into these animals lives like these changes in diet have done to ours. If you ever hear of anyone with a vege cat or dog, try and get a chance to meet them. All the ones I have met have turned out to be exceptional.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, but try and make it an educated one as well as heartfelt.

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