# Fight my ignorance, help my blood pressure: aren't cats carnivores? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731 "2009-04-02T16:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/21 "2009-04-02T21:46:44Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > If commercials are bothering you to the point of raising your blood pressure, you might want to consider a Tivo. But then I’d have to deal with that brain-damaging _dik-dook_ sound. Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/22 "2009-04-02T22:25:19Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I was going to post that when they kill Mr. Bunny, they rip his tummy open and eat his gut and it’s contents. > Guess I did anyway. 🙂 Don’t think of it as Mr. Bunny, think of it as Hopping Haggis. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/23 "2009-04-02T22:28:36Z")
I think it’s the excusitivity that confuses folks. Most animals will put stuff in their mouth, then they feel with the inside of their mouth and spit out what shouldn’t be there. But every so often the animal will swollow it and develop a taste for it. For example there are bands of chimps in the wild that have never learned to eat termites. They don’t know how to do it. But if you take a chimp who has this skill (or even a human the wild chimps can watch) and if you put this chimp in view of the chimps who lack the termite eating skill, they quickly learn how to make a spear from a stick and stick it into a termite mound and “fish” for termites. I have also heard of cows in the fields that develop a taste for ants. They will go out to the ant mounds and lick around to get them. Most birds at some stage of their life eat bugs, like when they’re babies. Even if they grow up to be exclusive plant eaters. Hummingbirds will consume small insects while they drink nectar. Animals in general aren’t too fussy about what they eat. As long as it doesn’t cause their stomach’s distress they will continue to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/24 "2009-04-02T23:19:10Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > Don’t think of it as Mr. Bunny, think of it as Hopping Haggis. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/25 "2009-04-02T23:53:33Z")
I had a cat whose absolute favorite snack, hands down, was romaine lettuce. Unfortunately, there was a coyote in the area at the time whose absolute favorite snack, hands down, was cat. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/26 "2009-04-03T00:02:42Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Unfortunately, there was a coyote in the area at the time whose absolute favorite snack, hands down, was cat. Awwwwww. Poor bunnykitty. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/27 "2009-04-03T00:16:19Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > Yes, [hypercarnivores](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercarnivore) like dolphins, eagles, snakes, marlin, most sharks, and octopuses. Just to make something clear: When we’re talking about meat, we’re not talking just about the muscles that we, humans, generally refer to as meat, but ALL THE FREAKING ANIMAL. The carnivores are not going to discern between a piece of leg muscle, the muscle around the spine, heart, liver, and guts. They’re going to eat from everything. This is a somewhat important distinction to make, as some pet owners confuse the two and then feed their dog/cat _just_ muscle parts, leading to nutritional deficiencies. And some raptors and snakes, at least when sick, can be force fed calorie dense goop with the nutritional requirements they need. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/28 "2009-04-03T00:17:42Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > But then I’d have to deal with that brain-damaging _dik-dook_ sound. Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! > > 😉 TiVo’s have an option to turn that off, you know. First thing I did when I got my TiVo was to turn off the sounds. (Sorry for the hijack, I’m just fighting ignorance on a different topic). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/29 "2009-04-03T00:43:16Z")
Lord knows, I’ve been feeding my cats a raw food diet, and while Flavors of Tuscany it ain’t, there is a crapload more in it than chicken breasts. Turns out it’s a lot more work to build a mouse than it is to catch one and eat it. (No vegetables or grains, however, which is the point for my kitty with the gross poops. Of course, he’s the one who taught the others how to get into bags of potato chips, bags of crackers, and bags of goddamned bread.) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/30 "2009-04-03T01:51:08Z")
Mrs. Plant, Worlds Greatest Dog Maven, feeds a raw diet to her dogs. It is 33% vegetable matter, but it is cooked or run through a food processor to make it like Mr. Bunny’s veggie filled gut. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/31 "2009-04-03T02:17:03Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > She once jumped up on the stove and took several bites from a pan of cornbread. Corn is an ingredient of most dry cat foods. She smelled the corn and said, “Oh! That must be for me!” But since that seems to be a cat’s attitude about the universe and everything in it, it can be expected. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/32 "2009-04-03T02:21:50Z")
I tend to assume that cat food manufacturers are adding vegetables more and more often to their products because it’s cheaper and bulkier than the equivalent in meat. And then they advertise this to us as a Good Thing for the same sorts of reasons that your phone company tells you it’s “for your convenience” that they’ve halved your free minutes and taken away your itemized billing. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/33 "2009-04-03T02:23:32Z")
I’d ask about this raw diet, er, stuff (my wife won’t feed our dogs any raw meat for health reasons, but she also won’t feed them, or us, soybeans because they are "not good for you), but I’d probably regret it. It’s the same reason I don’t delve too deeply into her soy phobia and sneak a half-soy burger from the AM/PM when I feel the urge. Yes, bad dorm food ruined my taste. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/34 "2009-04-03T03:41:58Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I’d ask about this raw diet, er, stuff (my wife won’t feed our dogs any raw meat for health reasons, but she also won’t feed them, or us, soybeans because they are "not good for you), but I’d probably regret it. It’s the same reason I don’t delve too deeply into her soy phobia and sneak a half-soy burger from the AM/PM when I feel the urge. Yes, bad dorm food ruined my taste. I don’t do it for my dog (couldn’t afford it, as much as he eats!), just for the cats. I use the recipe on [catnutrition.org](http://catnutrition.org), although I’ve been unable to source chicken hearts and refuse to mail order them on principle so I add taurine. If anybody’s interested, the ingredients are: Raw meaty bones (I usually use chicken thighs) with skin and fat and all that that comes on them Liver Hearts or taurine Egg yolks Glandular supplement Salmon oil Vitamin B-complex Vitamin E Optional - kelp, dulse, and psyllium for fiber The litter box improvement has got to be seen to believed. However, it is a giant pain in the ass and requires a meat grinder. Also, it’s really gross to make, especially the part where you clean the meat grinder. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/35 "2009-04-03T04:45:12Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I don’t do it for my dog (couldn’t afford it, as much as he eats!), just for the cats. I use the recipe on [catnutrition.org](http://catnutrition.org), although I’ve been unable to source chicken hearts and refuse to mail order them on principle so I add taurine. If anybody’s interested, the ingredients are: > > Raw meaty bones (I usually use chicken thighs) with skin and fat and all that that comes on them > Liver > Hearts or taurine > Egg yolks > Glandular supplement > Salmon oil > Vitamin B-complex > Vitamin E > Optional - kelp, dulse, and psyllium for fiber > > The litter box improvement has got to be seen to believed. However, it is a giant pain in the ass and requires a meat grinder. Also, it’s really gross to make, especially the part where you clean the meat grinder. At some point it’s got to be easier (and more enjoyable for the cats) to just provide them with live mice. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/36 "2009-04-03T04:53:24Z")
It’s worth noting (or, perhaps not…) that cats are both carnivores and Carnivores. Also, not all carnivores are Carnivores, nor are all Carnivores carnivores. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/37 "2009-04-03T12:52:09Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Corn is an ingredient of most dry cat foods. She smelled the corn and said, “Oh! That must be for me!” I give her a good dry cat food, where chicken is the first ingredient. But what she really likes is cheap treats where the first ingredient is corn (I have tried to explain the whole carnivore thing to her, but she doesn’t listen). The smell of the cornbread probably reminded her of the treats. She knows she’s not allowed on the counters or the stove. Usually she’s pretty good about it. But now if we make cornbread we put foil over it, just in case… ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/38 "2009-04-03T14:19:18Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > All right. > > So it’s the un-learning option. I can live with that, hate it though I do when it comes to dumb-ass commercials. > > Thanks, all. Really? Sound like you were correct. Cat don’t need veggies. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/39 "2009-04-03T14:38:34Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Are there any carnivores that only ever eat meat (or even that never eat anything but meat if meat is available)? I tend to doubt it. For native North American mammals, Polar bears are the closest - they normally eat only meat (and whatever plant matter is in the guts of the occassional non-marine mammal prey, but their preferred food is seal, who are carnivores themselves). All other native North American mammals include a greater or lesser amount of plant food as a standard part of their diet. On the flip side, the only native North American herbivore which appears to be exclusively herbivorous is the groundhog - all others have been observed in the wild to eat meat when available (including observations of caribou scarfing up migrating lemmings! and I have personally seen a cute little chipmunk detour on his way back for another handout of peanuts to pounce on and quickly consume a large caterpillar.) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731/40 "2009-04-03T15:09:49Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] I was going to post that when they kill Mr. Bunny, they rip his tummy open and eat his gut and it’s contents. Guess I did anyway. [/QUOTE] You killed Mr. Bunny and ate his guts? :eek: 😉 [QUOTE=KarlGrenze] Just to make something clear: When we’re talking about meat, we’re not talking just about the muscles that we, humans, generally refer to as meat, but ALL THE FREAKING ANIMAL. The carnivores are not going to discern between a piece of leg muscle, the muscle around the spine, heart, liver, and guts. They’re going to eat from everything. [/QUOTE] Yes. The most telling example of this was coming home to find half a squirrel - the lower half. I mean, a clean severed line somewhere in the abdomen. Ah, cats! I’m sure she just wanted to share. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fight-my-ignorance-help-my-blood-pressure-arent-cats-carnivores/491731.md?page=3)