Action alert: Post a comment about vegan cat nutrition

[Ari Moore]

An activist I know sent me this link: Is it ok to feed my cat table scraps? The author writes, "cats are carnivores, they need meat to survive and be healthy. A cat's digestive system is different than that of humans and other omnivores. Forcing a cat to eat a diet not based on meat proteins will inevitably lead to health problems and eventually even death."

Maybe some folks here would like to chime in with their own views and experience? If you do comment, please do so respectfully...

[Ari Moore]

awesome comment, jody! you should post it on the article, too!

[Jody]

First, read Jed Gillan's book Obligate Carnivore.

I would be careful feeding cats table scraps. Cats shouldn't eat garlic or onion at all, and I would worry that those table scraps would probably have some of that as an ingredient.

Cats need the amino acid taurine which is found in meat. However, meat is not the only source of taurine. It can be manufactured synthetically (from vegetable sources), and added to other vitamins and minerals deemed to be healthy for cats. I wouldn't try to assemble the mix of nutrients myself; I am not a veterinarian or a chemist. But I buy it from a reputable dealer. My cat eats a kibble high in plant protein and has eaten a plant based diet for 5 years. She is a poster cat for the vegan cat movement! My main ethical dilemma with "forcing" my carnivorous cat to be a vegan was would I be harming her by feeding her vegan cat kibble just so I could have a cat? Would she be at least as healthy on a plant based diet as if I fed her an expensive brand of cat food? Happily, she is so healthy for a 5 yr. old, I am absolutely convinced I did the right thing. The cats belonging to my neighbors or those I see as a volunteer at the local humane society have bodies shaped like footballs, are obese, and have dull, dirty looking coats. When you learn about the ingredients of commercially prepared pet food, you realize that cats aren't eating anything close to their natural diet anyway: birds, mice, insects. When is the last time you bought your cat a can of cricket stew or sparrow supper? No, it's beef, lamb, chicken, tuna etc. Have you ever seen a cat chase and kill a cow, sheep, or even a chicken and then eat it? Forget about the tuna... We have been brainwashed into believing that whatever Purina puts into a bag of pet food must be what that pet needs to eat. But pet food is just a convenient way to sell the byproduct/waste of the slaughterhouses. I won't be a part of that.