is it healthy to raise a cat vegan?
Are you fuckin for real? I hope you are just asking this question out of curiosity, because if you are for real you are a very cruel, or horribly dim person.
Assuming you are just curious, the answer is no. NO! NO! NO!
It is difficult enough for a human to eat a healthy vegan diet. A cat is not a human. Felines are carnivores. Not omnivores like humans. It would be cruel and inhumane to make a cat a vegan.
my roommate made me ask, though she know says your reply was biased. is there any sort of online source that can spell this out? not trhat i don’t trust your opinion
*now
Well, let’s see. Cats are carnivores.
There’s nothing magic about meat. Your cat has needs for specific nutrients such as a variety of amino acids (in proportions roughly reflecting those found in meat), minerals (including trace elements), vitamins, essential fatty acids, and water. There is no reason you could not synthesize such a diet from non-animal sources. However, this would require significant knowledge on your part and would be costly.
The following site doesn’t discuss synthesizing a diet suitable for cats but does point out some difficulties. Read the second paragraph under Carnivore beginning with “Felids are considered obligate carnivores…” http://zcog.org/zcog%20frames/Mammal%20Nutrition/MammalNutrition.htm
If the cat goes outdoors on it’s own regularly (like once a day) and are fairly fit, it may be possible. Cats are very smart in the manner that they know if they need something, if their diet is lacking and they have to opportuntiy they will hunt for the lackign nutrituion, and will get it from birds, mice and bugs.
Biased?! With all due respect if your roomate has it in her tiny little head to try and raise a cat as a “vegan” you need to report her to the Humane Society so someone can take a poor cat away from her before she damages it with some other silly stunt. A cat will die a cruel and painful death if she tries this.
The very best thing for a cat nutritionally is a small rodent which has the right balance of protein, minerals, roughage etc. Failing that some canned or bagged cat chow is a second best choice.
Don’t let her hurt a cat!
Unlike many animals, cats cannot manufacture the amino acid taurine. Taurine is almost completely lacking in vegetarian and vegan diets, and is obtained almost exclusively from meat. Lack of taurine results in eventual blindness and cardiac failure.
You can supposedly give cats a taurine supplement if you want to feed them a vegan diet though I’ve never tried this diet. My cats and I are largely carnivores. Here’s a site that talks about vegan diets for cats though.
http://www.drwoodley.com/cat-nutrition.html
Guys, I think a simple “No” would’ve sufficed.
percypercy: Considering taurine comes from meat, where do you think the supplemental taurine comes from?
True, icephoenix, but the OP wanted an online cite.
Maybe I am biased. After all, I wouldn’t force a carnivore (like a cat) to eat plants any more than I would force a herbivore (like a horse) to eat meat.
But perhaps your roommate would believe the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. Here’s something on cat nutrition from their website:
In fairness, they do mention a nutritional supplement that you can add to the cat’s vegetarian food, but then they go on to say:
I don’t know if this means to check with a professional before you put your cat on a vegan diet, or to be ready to run off for an emergency vet visit when Kitty develops health problems as a result of the vegan diet, however.
Amino acids are fairly simple, chemically, and most can be synthesized. But then there are the other nutritional requirements cited by Spoons. Cats evolved eating meat, and IMO forcing them to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet is cruel.
Oh, and we don’t do simple “nos” around here, as they aren’t very informative.
I’m surprised no one has linked to Cecil’s column yet:
Q.E.D. is entirely correct in that felines require taurine, available only in meat. I must admit I have heard about “supplements,” but given the track record of those who claim to be vegan, I would be extremely dubious about those claims unless backed up aby a reputable scientific source.
Speaking of reputable scientific sources, the National Academy of Sciences just released a "450-page report by an international team of experts [which] is the most comprehensive assessment available of the daily nutrient and calorie requirements for dogs and cats.
Although it is intended primarily for scientists, pet-food manufacturers, and veterinarians, the report also includes tips on how to recognize when dogs and cats are overweight, and on what and how to feed the animals to keep them healthy."
The full report costs $$, but here is a link to the report’s website, which includes portions of it:
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/petdoor.html
And a link to an FAQ:
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/cd_cat_faq.html#q1
which states:
Here is a link to a press release on the report, which in part says the same thing:
Vegan cat foods contain taurine derived from yeast. Yeah is correct; while cats require the nutrients present in meat, they can get along perfectly well given the same nutrients derived from non-animal sources. Personally, however, I think it would be better all around for the vegan types to get a rabbit instead.
[quote[they can get along perfectly well given the same nutrients derived from non-animal sources.[/quote]
(bold mine)
It would seem from the above cites (all of them) that cats may be able to survive on non-animal nutrients, but that is a far cry from “get along perfectly well”.
This has been asked before: putting a cat on a vegan diet, even one that has been designed for cats, can cause your cats nutriential and digestive system problems.
In short cats are canivores and it’s cruel to try and force them onto a vegan diet, one they will likely supplement anyway by catching animals.