# What Do Vegetarians Feed Their Cats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 15, 2003, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600 "2003-07-15T06:28:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/21 "2003-07-15T19:00:08Z")
Personally I can’t dredge up much respect for anyone who would force their diet beliefs on an _animal_. I wouldn’t force a cat to become a vegan/vegetarian any more then I’d force a rabbit to eat mice. I know some dogs are allergic to certain protein sources and sometimes have to resort to a carefully controlled vegetarian diet, but I’ve NEVER heard of a cat having an adverse reaction to meat. So if you have issues with feeding meat to an animal that requires it then don’t own a cat. There are many other pet options out there. And yes, I consider this as animal cruelty. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/22 "2003-07-15T19:43:24Z")
Firstly, as some people have pointed out, plenty of vegetarians feed their cats meat. I’m vegetarian, and so are quite a few of my friends, and i don’t know anyone who feeds their cats a vegetarian diet. Some people just seem to be looking for an excuse to bash vegetarians. Well, if it makes you feel better, go ahead. Secondly, to all those arguing about what is “natural” for cats: do you supply live animals for your cats to chase, kill and eat? Do you find carrion and leave it lying around the house for your cat to eat? Or do you buy cans or bags of processed food? And do you let your cat die “naturally” is it is hurt or injured? Or do you take it to a vet? Are your animals neutered and spayed, or do you let “nature” take its course, with the resulting spike in cat populations? Let’s not kid ourselves that domestic cats live in some sort of natural, unspoiled state. As **Maastricht** has pointed out, even regular commercial cat food has a whole bunch of non-meat stuff in it. As long as the food has been prepared properly, and tested to confirm that it contains all the nutrients that a cat needs to survive, does it really matter exactly what’s in it? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies_ > **In the wild cats only eat meat and that is what they’re designed to eat. Depriving a cat of meat is very cruel as they need it to survive. I imagine the so-called vegan cats described in the earlier link probably supplement their diet by hunting.** Well, cats are also “designed” to be in the wild, as you suggest. Some vegans or vegetarians might argue that keeping them cooped up in houses and apartments is also cruel. I happen to disagree, and i think that cats and human make good companions for one another, but your argument about what is “natural” for a cat is silly given the distinctly unnatural way in which they live under human control. As for what is “natural” for an animal, do you concern yourself at all about whether it is “natural” for millions of cows and chickens and pigs to be raised in brutal conditions, only to be placed in cat and dog food so that our cats can have a “natural” diet. As the [Vegan Cats](http://www.vegancats.com/faq.html) website says > [@](#): > > Dogs and cats live in the uniquely unnatural environment of our homes. While “in nature” they would hunt, food now magically appears twice daily in their bowls. They are given medicine to cure illnesses, and are surgically sterilized to control their reproduction. Why insist that their diet alone remain “natural”- especially when it must come at the expense of other animals’ lives? As i suggested before, i have no problem with feeding cats meat, or regular cat food. But an argument based on what is “natural” leaves itself open to a whole bunch of logical contradictions. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Gulo gulo_ > **And yes, I consider this as animal cruelty.** Does your concern about animal cruelty stretch to farm animals and the way they are raised, or is it restricted to cute, furry house pets? ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/23 "2003-07-15T19:55:20Z")
The information in the vegan cats site appears to be incorrect any way. By unnatural I meant that they simply do not have the correct equipment to live on a vegetarian diet. Most farm animals are evil and throughly deserve their fate. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/24 "2003-07-15T20:11:32Z")
I don’t see a lot of cats chewing their cud out in the wild. Anyone who would force their personal beliefs on a different species might be going just a tad extreme. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/25 "2003-07-15T20:14:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > \*\*The information in the vegan cats site appears to be incorrect any way. > > By unnatural I meant that they simply do not have the correct equipment to live on a vegetarian diet. > > Most farm animals are evil and throughly deserve their fate. \*\* Incorrect in what way? Is your last sentence irony? Farce? ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/26 "2003-07-15T20:20:20Z")
In that it states that cats can live perfectly well on a vegan diet, they can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/27 "2003-07-15T21:15:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > **Does your concern about animal cruelty stretch to farm animals and the way they are raised, or is it restricted to cute, furry house pets?** Yes it does, but that wasn’t part of the OP’s theme so I didn’t touch on that. [hijack] I believe that I should raise my own meat to slaughtering stage, and slaughter it myself. This way I am aware as to how the animal was raised, what it was fed, what medical treatments were in the animal’s life and how it was slaughtered. Unfortunately I don’t have that option at the moment and presently buy my meat from a local. This is also why I hunt. I like to be able to provide for myself and not have to depend on faceless farmers with questionable farming practices. I like to know where my food is coming from. I also like to know where my cat food is coming from, which is why I feed them human grade quality cat food. [/hijack] Now, I have absolutely no problem with vegetarians or vegans. I just get riled up when they inflict their dietary beliefs on an animal that can’t speak up for itself. I still consider it a form of abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/28 "2003-07-15T21:44:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > \*\*The information in the vegan cats site appears to be incorrect any way. > > By unnatural I meant that they simply do not have the correct equipment to live on a vegetarian diet. > > Most farm animals are evil and throughly deserve their fate. \*\* Cite on farm animals being evil? ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/29 "2003-07-15T21:48:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Woodall \* > \*\*Cite on farm animals being evil? \*\* sure: > [@](#): > > The information in the vegan cats site appears to be incorrect any way. > > By unnatural I meant that they simply do not have the correct equipment to live on a vegetarian diet. > > **Most farm animals are evil and throughly deserve their fate**. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/30 "2003-07-15T21:49:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > \*\*In that it states that cats can live perfectly well on a vegan diet, they can’t. \*\* What’s your rationale for saying that? Did you actually read the descriptions of the vegan cat food products mentioned on the sites? All of them are supplemented with taurine (derived from yeast) and the vitamins and fatty acids that cats can’t absorb from vegetable sources. Do you have one shred of evidence that cats do any worse eating this stuff than they do living on the muck that’s in regular commercial cat food? (Note: I’m not advocating vegan cat food, just questioning the knee-jerk dismissals of it. I don’t know anyone who uses it.) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/31 "2003-07-15T21:56:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*I don’t see a lot of cats chewing their cud out in the wild. > \*\* I also don’t see a lot of cats catching and eating cows, but nobody complains that feeding them [beef](http://www.petluvers.com/friskiesbuffetslicedbeefandgravy.html) is “imposing their personal values on a different species.” ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/32 "2003-07-15T22:00:03Z")
From what I can see it does not provide them with animal fat, without this they’ll have many serious problems, neither can I see where it says it provides them with a source of vitamin A that they can digest. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/33 "2003-07-15T22:06:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jim B. \* > \*\*Cats are carnivores. They eat absolutely _ **nothing** _ but meat (please correct me though, if I am wrong assuming this). \*\* I’ve known cats who enjoyed a little broccoli or canteloupe on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/34 "2003-07-15T22:12:45Z")
_:twitch:_ OK, I’m going to have to side with MC on this one just for the sake of, I dunno, Discordia. Yes! Farm animals are evil! Feel no regret for eating them, for they are an abomination! Mutant livestock not fit to live in the true world! …_shudder_ OK, go on, not sure what that was… ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/35 "2003-07-15T22:13:01Z")
Yes, my cat’ll eat soggy cornflakes in milk. Just looking around it appears Cecil has covered this one before: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a960426.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a960426.html) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/36 "2003-07-15T22:13:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > \*\*From what I can see it does not provide them with animal fat, without this they’ll have many serious problems, neither can I see where it says it provides them with a source of vitamin A that they can digest. \*\* I can’t help you see any better (taurine deficiency maybe?), but the very first link that comes up when you Google for “vegan cat food” states: > [@](#): > > Taurine, vitamins A and D and the necessary fatty acids are found in certain algae, or may be synthesized from vegetable sources. Commercial foods enriched with these or nutrition supplements added to homemade foods can do the work. The foods and supplemensts we use meet the requirements of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Cat Food Nutrient Profile. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/37 "2003-07-15T23:00:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gulo gulo \* > **Personally I can’t dredge up much respect for anyone who would force their diet beliefs on an _animal_. I wouldn’t force a cat to become a vegan/vegetarian any more then I’d force a rabbit to eat mice.** You would never try to stop a dog from killing a cat? Or eating a human corpse it found? I assure you most people would. These are dietary choices, are they not? Just ones that you hold, as opposed to ones you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/38 "2003-07-15T23:28:02Z")
What some of you seem to be missing is that some dietary choices & restrictions are nutritionally harmless. Trying to take a cat off meat is not. And furthermore, it derives from a complete misunderstanding of what a cat is or how the ecology works. Carnivores serve a function as meat-eaters, just as decomposers serve a particular function, and ruminants, and phytoplankton, and the rest. Jains/Vegans simply don’t understand eco-biology, so they believe in a “Peaceable Kingdom” model of the natural world that simply doesn’t, and can’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/39 "2003-07-15T23:58:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by foolsguinea \* > \*\*What some of you seem to be missing is that some dietary choices & restrictions are nutritionally harmless. Trying to take a cat off meat is not. And furthermore, it derives from a complete misunderstanding of what a cat is or how the ecology works. > Carnivores serve a function as meat-eaters, just as decomposers serve a particular function, and ruminants, and phytoplankton, and the rest. > Jains/Vegans simply don’t understand eco-biology, so they believe in a “Peaceable Kingdom” model of the natural world that simply doesn’t, and can’t exist. \*\* This argument might have a scintilla of relevance if domestic cats were roaming free as carnivores in the broader ecosystem. But most cats eat straight from a plastic dish filled by their owners. Are the factory farms that supply the meat a natural part of the ecology, serving their designated function? Were cattle and pigs and chickens designed to be kept in tiny spaces, pumped full of antibiotics and synthesized hormones and processed food, then converted in massive factories into something to be eaten by people and animals? Again, in case anyone missed it the first two times, i’m not particularly advocating a vegan or vegetarian diet for cats. But the arguments about what is “natural” that are being made in this thread are no less naive than the “Peaceable Kingdom” argument that you denounce. Discussing the function of carnivores and decomposers and phytoplankton in the wild has virtually no relevance to what we feed our domestic house pets. We have, for all intents and purposes, taken these animals out of their natural ecosystem. It seems that the jury is still out on whether all cats can thrive on a vegan diet. Even the Vegan Cat website states that about 10-15% might develop urinary tract problems, and recommends frequent visits to the vet. But if a domestic cat _can_ live on non-meat products, i see no reason to denounce people who use such products by arguing that they are defying “nature.” At least **gulo gulo** is consistent, and realizes that the way we raise farm animals is no more “natural” than feeding vegetarian food to cats. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600/40 "2003-07-16T00:09:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by foolsguinea \* > \*\*Jains/Vegans simply don’t understand eco-biology, so they believe in a “Peaceable Kingdom” model of the natural world that simply doesn’t, and can’t exist. \*\* What do you think they think? IME most vegans know that out in the wild things get pretty nasty, but just choose not to behave like that ourselves. Of course, there’s some fools who think animals all love each other, but do you find that equates with veganism? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-cats/188600.md?page=3)