My flat-faced cat, Sophia.
So this is a controversial topic in the vegan society. If you are a vegan, how can you feed your cat meat? It was brought up on a Vegan Freak Radio show as well and it inspired me to relay my input on the situation.
I have a cat. My cat eats food containing fish. She loves her salmon. She is a picky eater but is a big fan of the natural foods I buy her. People have asked me many times if I feed my cat a vegan diet, or if I plan on converting her. And I’ve considered it since I don’t like to promote the use of animal products in any form. But I have come to the conclusion that my cat will most likely continue to eat meat. I may try out some vegan foods with her at some point but I cannot deny the fact that cats are, in fact, carnivores.
Putting this in perspective, I started watching the BBC show Planet Earth
I know it can be a tough concept to grasp, but we have to remember it’s not just about human interaction with animals. Just because humans don’t need animal products does not mean we can deny the rest of the creatures on earth what they require to survive. That would be animal cruelty in itself. Animals out in the wild have survived out there for a long time using their instincts to know what they need to eat and how they need to get it. Just as they know how to make mating calls, how to migrate, when to hibernate, etc. And though house cats don’t need to hunt for their own food anymore, their bodies are still designed to get nutrients from meat.
There was a time when humans survived out in the wild by hunting their own food. But that’s not to say meat was what humans were intended to eat. We don’t have claws to grab our prey. We don’t have teeth designed for ripping flesh. We killed these animals by creating weapons because we were incapable of killing animals without them. In other words, our bodies are not designed for meat consumption. Planting seeds, collecting fruits and vegetables and grains- this we can do. But cats are natural hunters. I accept this fact and give my cat the nutrition she requires to stay happy and healthy.
Ryan Says:
I wonder if you’ve ever read the book “Obligate Carnivore” by Jed Gillen. This quote summarizes one reason why, if I were to rescue a cat, I would feed him or her a vegan diet:
“The [relationship between predator and prey] cannot be said to exist between the cats and dogs that live in our homes and the barely recognizable animals that have been turned into pellets or packed in cans that magically appear in the their bowls twice a day … When they eat meat, it is not because they are following some immutable instinct that has developed over millions of years; it is simply because we have chosen to put some in their dish and they have learned to recognize it as food.”
While an improper vegan diet can contribute to feline UTI (caused by mineral crystallization in the urine) this book offers several easy and effective solutions to eliminate and prevent this problem—solutions that can even be effective for male cats with this problem who still eat meat!
I learned so much about what goes into cat food, and specifically what needs to go into cat food, from this book. I highly recommend it.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Emily Says:
Thanks Ryan. I will have to check out that book. But I’ll have to disagree with them on one factor- yes we feed our pets pellets and they no longer need to hunt for their food, but I cannot deny the fact that cats are indeed still predators. If you let cats outside, they often times will capture and kill rodents (many dogs do this as well and feeding dogs a vegan diet is another topic for debate). It’s a natural instinct for cats to hunt. Moreover, a fascinating fact is that if a cat’s owner dies, there have been many reports of the cats eating their owners, whereas a dog will lay by the owner’s side and starve. But cats have been domesticated for only half as long as dogs (yet another debate is weather it’s ethical to promote animal domestication). It is nice to know that there is the possibility of raising healthy cats on all vegan diets. But it is not my goal to try to convert carnivorous animals into plant eaters. Getting humans to stop eating meat is a large enough battle for me. And it just makes sense. Our bodies are not designed to digest meat or dairy. We are not natural carnivores. But I cannot deny the fact that many many animals are.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Evita Says:
Great site Emily!
I think the fundamental issue here is that people need to understand basic animal evolution and biology. Humans are anatomically set up to be herbivores, we have learned over time to deal with meat in our gut but in no way,(science can prove this), is eating meat a natural thing for our system.
On the other hand some animals really were set up as carnivores to begin with like cats and dogs, hence it is okay if they eat meat products, as vegans/vegetarians we just have to accept that. I think people who give vegans/vegetarians a hard time about their carnivorous pet really have a lot to learn about biological anatomy of species. In no way can we and our eating habits be compared or measured against a cats (or any other natural carnivore)
But just as humans have evolved to tolerate meat, I am sure dogs and even cats can evolve to tolerate vegan diets. It may not be the healthiest for them, just as is the case with meat and humans but hey that is a personal choice.
August 15th, 2008 at 6:13 am