Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 hey everyone I am tempted to get a cat, but I've heard that they don't do veg diets well. I recall that dogs do ok with eggs, grains and veggies, but not cats, they need meat. is that true?? Does anyone hear have experience with raising a veg cat? dose it make a difference if they can be weaned onto veg food, rather than getting a cat used to store bought food and changing it's diet? Any ideas, or article on the subject are welcome. THANKS ~Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 hey angel - do a google on vegan cats - you will find the info you asked about eric On Jun 7, 2007, at 8:22 PM, Angel wrote: > Does anyone hear have experience with raising a veg cat? > Any ideas, or article on the subject are welcome. THANKS > > ~Angel > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Veg cats are rare but not impossible. Check out " Obligate Carnivore " by Jed Gillen. http://www.amazon.com/Obligate-Carnivore-Really-Means-Vegan/dp/0974218006/ref=pd\ _bbs_sr_1/002-1155212-3417621?ie=UTF8 & s=books & qid=1181322869 & sr=8-1 It explains how one essential acid for cats, taurine, which is normally meat derived, is added into cat food because the meat used is often so processed and of poor quality that it's not " meat " enough to sustain cats. This is true for alot of other nutrients as well. Therefore, by feeding a cat a veggie diet you're replacing a source of calories, but not really a source of nutrients. The problem is that veggie protein causes a cats urine to be more basic than meat protein, and cats start to have urinary problems when their urine is too basic. Some cats do fine on veggie diets - mine did not and is now back on natural balance reduced calorie. There are supplements you can buy to add to the veggie diet so that cats are more likely to be ok on it. That book is really great and it describes the author's own struggle with his cats on a veggie diet. He is very honest and thorough with what he knows. The bottom line is it's possible, but not always easy, and not always pain-free for the cat. Kimberly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 Hi Angel- Cats are pure carnivores. The people I know who have made their cats vegan have had very ill cats who have suffered quite a bit. I know you would never want to harm your cat so I think you may want to rethink feeding him/her substitutes for the food he/she really requires to be healthy. Just as we can live w/o meat, cats truly cannot. Dogs are omnivoress so they can be vegan since they can live w/ or w/o meat but cats, well just like wolves, and lions they need meat in order to live heathfully and happily. I know it's gross to think of having to buy meat or fish for your cat. The people I know have gone to whole foods and bought either free range or dolphin safe Tuna....not choices you would eat as a vegan but your cat is like your child right?? And he/she needs what he/she needs. I know many vegans who have made this choice. It's hard, I know as I had a cat once but she was healthy and happy till her 18th birthday and I wouldn't trade that for my own needs. Good luck! Jamie I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights, for that is the way of the whole human being - Abraham Lincoln Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 Hi Angel, I have cats that have happily (and healthily) been eating a vegan diet for almost a year now without any health problems. I feed my cats Evolution cat food that I order from veganessentials.com. I also know a few other individuals who feed their cats a vegan diet that have very healthy cats. My cats are not very ill, nor do they suffer. They have not experienced any sort of bladder or urinary tract problems and have checked out perfectly fine at their last vet visit. Dana --- Jamie Himmelstein <belittlewolf wrote: > Hi Angel- Cats are pure carnivores. The people I > know who have made their cats vegan have had very > ill cats who have suffered quite a bit. I know you > would never want to harm your cat so I think you may > want to rethink feeding him/her substitutes for the > food he/she really requires to be healthy. Just as > we can live w/o meat, cats truly cannot. Dogs are > omnivoress so they can be vegan since they can live > w/ or w/o meat but cats, well just like wolves, and > lions they need meat in order to live heathfully and > happily. > > I know it's gross to think of having to buy meat > or fish for your cat. The people I know have gone > to whole foods and bought either free range or > dolphin safe Tuna....not choices you would eat as a > vegan but your cat is like your child right?? And > he/she needs what he/she needs. I know many vegans > who have made this choice. It's hard, I know as I > had a cat once but she was healthy and happy till > her 18th birthday and I wouldn't trade that for my > own needs. > > Good luck! > Jamie > > > > > I am in favor of animal rights as well as human > rights, for that is the way of the whole human being > - Abraham Lincoln ______________________________\ ____ Building a website is a piece of cake. Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness./webhosting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 About 2 years ago I posted the question of whether cats could be vegan, and as expected and just as this time, there are varied opinions among vegans. When I posted the question, many people wrote me off-list, as they didn't want it publicly known that they were vegan yet they were against feeding cats a vegan diet. I got more responses from people identifying as vegan who were against feeding cats a vegan diet than from people who were for it. After doing my own research and after hearing from a veterinarian who is vegetarian, I opted to not put my cats on a vegan diet. While I am not comfortable with this, I decided that in my opinion, there is just too much risk. I adopted my cats from a shelter, so it is now my responsibility to do everything I can to protect them. I was told by the vegetarian veterinarian, that serious problems may not necesarrily be immediate, and can include blindness and heart failure if cats are fed a diet that doesn't meet their unique amino acid requirements. Melissa On 6/7/07, Angel <angepup wrote: hey everyoneI am tempted to get a cat, but I've heard that they don't do veg dietswell. I recall that dogs do ok with eggs, grains and veggies, but notcats, they need meat. is that true??Does anyone hear have experience with raising a veg cat? dose it make a difference if they can be weaned onto veg food, rather than gettinga cat used to store bought food and changing it's diet?Any ideas, or article on the subject are welcome. THANKS~Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 To me the choice seems simple: our cat is not vegan. There have been no studies that prove the safety of a vegan diet for cats, yet plenty of horror stories from cat lovers. The entire veterinary profession is united against the idea - I've never heard of a single pro-vegan cat vet. On the pro vegan cat side, there is a single book written by the owner of a vegan pet food business, and the occasional success story. I think it's fine to experiment on your own health, but our animal friends aren't capable of communicating directly. Often they hide pain and ill health so they don't appear weak, only to fall into a rapid decline. If you want to reduce animal suffering related to companion animals, save up the money you would have spent on vegan cat food and donate it to programs that spay and neuter stray cats. On Jun 8, 2007, at 10:15 AM, Kimberly Peterson wrote: > Veg cats are rare but not impossible. Check out > " Obligate Carnivore " by Jed Gillen. > http://www.amazon.com/Obligate-Carnivore-Really-Means-Vegan/dp/ > 0974218006/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-1155212-3417621? > ie=UTF8 & s=books & qid=1181322869 & sr=8-1 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 > Unfortunately, I have to agree with Melissa and Jamie. The four cats that > I currently am privileged to be guardian of ( all of whom were personally > rescued by my partner and I), like their sister before them, who lived to > the ripe old age of 21, eat a meat -based diet. I do not like purchasing > food for them that contains the remains of other dead creatures, but I > feel that I do not have a choice, because their welfare is at stake. I > think that since I rescued these cats, I have ultimately saved their > lives, and must be committed to providing them what they need to eat to > survive. I have met many people in the humane and shelter movement that > are veg/vegan but feed their rescues a meat-based diet. While some > veg-based diets are available, I have never heard of a > veterinarian-endorsed one that has been fed exclusively for the lifetime > of a healthy cat. I feed my felines primarily very high quality dry ( > organic/human grade, preservative-free) dry food , with occasional cans > of organic canned food. The later is very gross, admittedly, prompting me > to keep separate dishes and utensils from ours so that the none of their > food comes into contact even with our dishes. But, they really enjoy it. > So, my advice to you, Angel, is to think about the welfare of the being > you are considering adopting. ( If you as a vegan adopted a human infant > that you were told was allergic to soy and required to have dairy milk, > what would you do?) . Saving a life, which is what adopting a homeless > animal is from my point of view, might entail some other sacrifice of > one's belief system. Hopefully, one day someone will come up with an > animal-free diet for cats which provides long term health for them. > Believe me, I will be the first to advocate it. But, until then, my cats, > present and future, will continue to eat animal-based diets. > > Shelley > > ( with input from :Jerry, Jesse Diana, Sandy and Ivan) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Consider a rabbit, or other herbivore, instead of a cat. There are many rabbits also in need of homes. And they're also lovable, and in need of love. For more than 30 years I raised cats (as carnivores while I was veg*n), and I still experience them every bit as lovable as they ever were. To those who argue that it's unfair to cats to force them to eat what is unnatural and risky, I agree. But how about fairness to those cows, turkeys, fish, etc., (ie: potential cat food) who are at least as deserving of retaining their lives? And how many other animals are you willing to sacrifice in order to give the best possible life to one animal? Robert Belsherpbelsher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 I have 3 cats. I have not explored the vegan option for my cats because I heard what Steve submitted below...cats do not do well on those diets. Does anyone know of a cat food company that, in some sense, treats their animals/fish in a humane manner? For instance, I refuse to buy any IAMs products because of their horrid treatment of animals. Is Paul Newman's line (or others) more humane? If getting your animal a vegan food is not an option, can we support a company that isn't vegan - but kills in a humane manner or allows their chickens free range? I am not sure this makes sense. Just a thought.... Mari , Steve Simitzis <steve wrote: > > To me the choice seems simple: our cat is not vegan. There have been > no studies that prove the safety of a vegan diet for cats, yet plenty > of horror stories from cat lovers. The entire veterinary profession > is united against the idea - I've never heard of a single pro-vegan > cat vet. On the pro vegan cat side, there is a single book written by > the owner of a vegan pet food business, and the occasional success > story. > > I think it's fine to experiment on your own health, but our animal > friends aren't capable of communicating directly. Often they hide > pain and ill health so they don't appear weak, only to fall into a > rapid decline. > > If you want to reduce animal suffering related to companion animals, > save up the money you would have spent on vegan cat food and donate > it to programs that spay and neuter stray cats. > > On Jun 8, 2007, at 10:15 AM, Kimberly Peterson wrote: > > > Veg cats are rare but not impossible. Check out > > " Obligate Carnivore " by Jed Gillen. > > http://www.amazon.com/Obligate-Carnivore-Really-Means-Vegan/dp/ > > 0974218006/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-1155212-3417621? > > ie=UTF8 & s=books & qid=1181322869 & sr=8-1 > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 Wow Thanks everyone for so much great info, and heartfelt opinions about vegetarians owning cats. You've given me much to think about. I appreciate every response. ~Angel , " Angel " <angepup wrote: > > hey everyone > > I am tempted to get a cat, but I've heard that they don't do veg diets > well. I recall that dogs do ok with eggs, grains and veggies, but not > cats, they need meat. is that true?? > Does anyone hear have experience with raising a veg cat? dose it make > a difference if they can be weaned onto veg food, rather than getting > a cat used to store bought food and changing it's diet? > Any ideas, or article on the subject are welcome. THANKS > > ~Angel > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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