What can a cat or dog eat and be vegan?!
What can a cat or dog eat and be vegan?
It it possible to keep a cat or a dog and not harvest fish from the sea, or add to the problem of being cruel to animals? Most cat foods are made out of animal by products or fish.
Answers:
Ill just repost this for the people who think "owning" a pet is wrong.
I am vegan but I feed my cats regular cat food.
**incoming rant***
Owning pets is absolutely not a bad thing where cats and dogs are concerned. They are a human invention due to cross breeding etc so we could make them cute and cuddly and have little creatures lying at our feet and things to play with when we were bored. Do I agree with that? No, but that happened quite some time ago and now we are stuck with a problem thats in need of great attention. I encourage anyone who has the ability and means to properly take care of a cat or dog to adopt one!! It is OUR responsibilty as we were the cause of this problem whether you believe that or not. They are not "wild" animals suited to prance around the forest and roam freely amongst the truly wild predators. Feral cats have an average life expectancy of 1-3 years. Indoor cats can live up to 20 years and beyond. Please dont let your cats roam freely outdoors unless you have your eye on them. We don't live in a society where all is good and pure in the world. Many cats who are allowed outdoors freely will contract diseases such as FIV, which is similiar to humans AIDS, or other such horrible things like Parasites: fleas, ticks, ringworm ,poisoned, or even theft. And make sure to get your pets fixed as soon as they are old enough! We recently took in 5 kittens, imagine the amount of cats that could have been produced from just those five kittens if they were allowed to stay outside and live "freely" without human intervention. Kittens can get pregnant as young as 4 months old in some cases. Adult cats can get pregnant directly after giving birth. To me taking care of them is being humane, not euthenizing them which unfortunately is what happens to a large amount of animals you see in the pound today. specificly this time of year.
***end rant***
Source(s):
*Gal D this one wasnt directed towards you, that was actually very well put and if we did live in a world where that was feasible Id completely agree
That's because cats are carnivores. They MUST eat meat. They are MEANT to eat meat. They can't even digest grains properly. To put them on a vegetarian (don't even think about vegan) diet has been done, but it's extremely cruel, as their bodies are not meant to digest plant sources except in small amounts.
Dogs are also carnivores, though they are able to digest vegetables and grains better. It is slightly easier to put dogs on a vegetarian diet (do not try vegan!!!) but it's still putting the dog at risk. Dogs in the wild eat mostly meat.
Why would you want to put a dog or cat on a vegan diet? To do so to yourself is one thing. To remove an animal so far from their natural diet, however, is cruel, unusual, and is very likely to do bad things to your pet's health.
If you're looking to change your pet's diet to this extent, talk to a veteranarian, immediately, and get professional advice on how to feed them.
they have a vegetarian food at petco and whole foods, but i don't know if that is healthy for yur pets, they need proteins and animal fats for there health. try organic my dogs and cats eat organic(caster and pollocks) for about 2.5 years and if they are indor mix it with the natural , same brand
I wouldn't do it with a cat,but I would with a dog.The oldest dog in the world is a vegan dog(29 year old border collie in Australia)
I've heard of a few dogs kept healthy on vegan diets, but Ive heard all cases of cats vegetarian/vegan are failures, which makes sense...unfortunately we can't make choices against biology and evolution. Its easy to speculate that if cats and dogs were given sentience like we have they might wish to choose differently even..but wouldn't be able to in a healthy manner. I've thought this over many times as it ties into not only my veganism, but a larger philosophical view on life on earth.
My gf and I have 3 cats and are currently taking care of 5 stray kittens and their mom..2 of which we plan to take in. With cats around daily its something i ponder often but life is cruel and I'm just happy that I was given a choice and the ability to be self aware.
The only way I can think in a perfect scenario to feed our pets in a vegan humane way would to recycle animals that die naturally as food for others. Even if this meant keeping cows domestic in a happy well taken care of scenario..and when they died naturally there bodies could be used as food. Sort of like reserves for animals that were domesticated for food..would give us a reason to keep cows, pigs and chickens around for people to enjoy like in a petting farm or observatory sort of way.
Not sure how many will agree with me and this is entirely hypothetical and fanciful at best..but I can't think of any other ideology other then completing letting domestic animals go extinct, which is even more a shame imo.
A cat cannot eat a vegan diet. A cat is what is called an "obligate carnivore", meaning it MUST eat meat. Feline anatomy and physiology demonstrate that this animal is designed to hunt down and digest animals. There are some companies that sell vegan cat food, but it is NOT the cat's natural food, and those foods do not supply optimum nutrition. Even if they contain all the recommended nutrients, the carbohydrate and gluten content makes them intrinsically unhealthful.
Dogs naturally consume a wider variety of foods than cats, but they are still carnivores. Remember that they are descended from wolves. Dogs will survive better on a vegan diet, but do better with a more natural source of food.
I do not think there have been any long-term studies on the effects of a vegan diet on cats or dogs.
Cats are carnivores and need taurine to stay in good health.
Dogs are omnivorous, and many have been happy on a vegetarian diet.
I personally think the best way to feed a cat as a veg*n owner, is to feed the cat a pet food that uses organic, free-range meat (non factory farmed), avoid all major brands (especially those who put road kill in their food) and to ensure the cat has access to the outdoors, so that if it really wants to go out and forage/hunt, it can.
I know this isn't truly vegan, but if you are going to be putting yourself in a position where you are caring for an animal (especially maybe a well domesticated cat who is unable to hunt due to age or disability), then you have to provide for that animal adequately. That goes for everyone who has animals in the home.
It's not a perfect scenario, but then, humans love of 'pets' is hardly natural either. It's usually the animal rights folk who have to clear up litters of unwanted kittens, abused and unwanted animals etc. So although I'm sure there's a fair few anti-vegetarians who are going to say "You're buying that cat meat, you're as bad as we are! etc", then they need to understand that many vegans and vegetarians have to make this sacrfice to pick up the mess that others have left in the first place. Most ethical vegans and vegetarians avoid pet shops like the plague, and tend to rehome rescue animals. In the long term, vegans and vegetarians would like the idea of 'pets' phased out (where creatures are purchased for their entertainment purpose) and replaced with people understanding ethics more, preferring to see animals in their natural habitat as opposed to being in a cage (such as rabbits).
All the time, we get people say "Oh you're veggie! you love animals more than people!"... Yet these are the people who spent X amount of money on buying a 'pet, keeping the 'pet' and buying 'toys' for their 'pet', without thinking that they coud do the animal a favour by not buying its slavery, and give the money to a good cause, like Fair Trade or Save the Children.
Whilst still on the subject of cats, vegan alternatives do exist, but because of a cat's carnivorous diet, these alternatives are often called 'supplements', rather than a balanced food (though I have seen one here: http://www.veggiepets.com/acatalog/benev...
If you have to buy an animal meat, it can never come from a source involving factory farming. The '4%' meat in most major brands of cat food is probably guts and gristle, no actual chicken or beef. On that note, I find cats being fed non-bird and non-fish flavours very strange. I've never seen a domesticated cat take down a cow or a pig. I imagine their similar-sized wild ancestor could not do so either. I don't think people should feed their pets commercial pet foods based on this, and imagine that cats unable to forage/hunt who are fed solely on big brand cat food are the ones succeptible to health problems.
With dogs, there exists lots of vegetarian dog foods. When transferring a dog to a veggie diet, always keep an eye on the dogs health, perhaps taking it to a vet a month or two into the change for a general check up.
Even though it's against their natural state they can successfully be vegetarian/vegan. Visit veganpet.com.au - they supply vegetarian cat and dog food with all the nutrients required.
It's not possible. Your pet will die if you try to feed them vegan.
I heard that dogs manage fine on a veg diet, but not cats? I agree with you that pet food with fish and other animals adds to the problem of animal suffering and especially overfishing of the seas (which is one of the biggest environmental issues) . Even though it is natural for those animals to eat meat, the way pet food is made by humans, and the whole meat industry is neither natural nor compassionate. (I don’t believe in “happy meat” either.)
Ideally cats and other carnivore pets would catch their own food. As animals they are perfectly capable of that; it is their environment that usually doesn’t encourage their natural behavior. But unfortunately pet owners are stuck with making that choice for them. If you own a pet I don’t know what else to suggest, but to find out more about those pet food companies and see which does "the least harm".
I couldn’t make a choice like that, which is one of the reasons why I don’t have a pet. (another is that I believe in abolitionism- some time in the future of course) I love cats and dogs, (and yes they should eat meat!) but I also love fish, cows, pigs, ducks... If these animals live or hunt on their own conditions it would be "survival of the fittest", but the way farm animals and fish are treated by humans sort of destroys that idea.
In my eyes cows, fish and cats are equal. Pet food companies are cruel to some species; Even though I *understand* that you can’t feed a cat with bird seeds, and you are forced to make that choice between these animals. And it is only human to choose those closest to us.
I believe that in an ideal world all animals would be free, living on their own conditions, (oh, I'll get some thumbs down for this!) where the carnivores would catch their own prey without the need for humans to be the cruel middle hand. And where animals that naturally form packs can live in one, with their own kind. And without human hunters to threaten these animals survival, of course. We have made dogs and cats depend on us. But their closest relatives in the wild are doing just fine without human interaction. They are actually always better off left alone.
Introducing pet and farm animals to the wild for instance in safe, animal reserves is something that I hope will happen in the future. I don’t believe that we should let the cats that are used to humans "roam free" in the city, (but if you live somewhere in safe enviroment, letting them out should be ok) the way things are today, before anyone points that out to me. That wouldn’t do any good for them.
What you can do today as a pet owner is to take care of your pet, and do what you feel is right.
I'd also like to add that I dont believe in keeping parrots, fish and other exotic animals since these unlike cats and dogs already have a better suited habitats for them. So even though their pet food doesnt support meat industry, I dont understand why keep a creature with wings in a cage, or take a fish out of the ocean and put it in a bowl for own amusement.???
I was shocked when I found out that some tropical fish is caught with dynamating and cyanide which of course destroys the coral reef and kills everything else near by. I prefer admiring animals in their natural habitat.
Don't do it.
Don't have relationships with animals if you are veggie or vegan.
They are carnivores.
Their biology is not designed to survive without meat.
Making them go veggie is not natural.
Neither is putting other animals in cans to feed to the animals in your house.
Neither is having animals in your house in the first place.
All epidemics and weird infections suffered by humans arise from close proximity / relations with animals.
We should break the habit.
Feed poor people. Hug people. Be nice to people. Give up this animal habit.
Did you know that the largest cause of infantile blindness is exposure to ground that has been walked on by dogs/cats who, in their ****, carry a parasite that enters the bloodstream and causes blindness ?
I watch my neighbours walking around picking up dog ****, unaware that the grass is already contaminated.
Get these creatures away from our kids.
Don't flame me - a friend is blind for this reason.
added--
so all the flamers would rather see blind kids than lose their pets - typical righteous veggies !
Cats and dogs are carnivores. They need meat. Cats can go blind without the amino acid taurine, found in meat.
Let's see: you have an ethical objection to exploiting animals for food--even though it's a regular part of nature--yet you don't mind exploiting animals for amusement and companionship, despite how un-natural that relationship is?
No offense, and I'm not judging you, but I do like to ask tough questions about apparent contradictions in belief systems.
cats are carnivores. they have the teeth that prove it. i wouldn't force a vegan diet on my animals. i know it sucks cause it contributes to the killing of animals, but it is not fair to force my lifestyle on other animals. i'm lucky to have my dog :)
They should be free to go and find a natural diet like we are free and not kept as amusement objects by so-called vegans.
Maybe they should eat vegans !! (some poodles do)
Cats are naturally carnivores, Dogs are naturally omnivores, Humans are naturally herbivores.
It is as unnatural to force a Dog or Cat to be vegan as it is for humans to eat animal corpses.