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Have you ever heard of someone making their cat a vegetarian?
- Thread starter EnzoLeya
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- #22
I second adopting pets that are naturally vegetarians!!!
I used to be a vegan and a vegetarian. It would never have occurred to me to go against the nature of an animal.
As a human being I can make choices but animals can't. I hope they get their cats taken away.
As a human being I can make choices but animals can't. I hope they get their cats taken away.
Wow. A lot of us on here are vegetarians/vegan, aren't we? I have been a vegetarian for about 15 years now (started when I was 14). My parents practically solely support the beef industry so it is something (to this day) they still have problems with!
I am, sadly, not surprised that some people are thinking they can 'convert' their pets to vegetarianism. It is something that I would never, ever consider. My husband is a meat-eater (though, I don't cook or purchase it for him) and I have said that if he does purchase meat products, he needs to purchase free-range reared and humanly treated meat. We do the same for our cats. Obviously it can take a bit more work to try and find the best quality stuff out there, but hey, being a vegan or vegetarian takes work in the beginning. It soon becomes routine.
Some people infuriate me - a bit of knowledge would show them they are seriously harming their pet.
I am, sadly, not surprised that some people are thinking they can 'convert' their pets to vegetarianism. It is something that I would never, ever consider. My husband is a meat-eater (though, I don't cook or purchase it for him) and I have said that if he does purchase meat products, he needs to purchase free-range reared and humanly treated meat. We do the same for our cats. Obviously it can take a bit more work to try and find the best quality stuff out there, but hey, being a vegan or vegetarian takes work in the beginning. It soon becomes routine.
Some people infuriate me - a bit of knowledge would show them they are seriously harming their pet.
Dogs are carnivores just like our kitty friends.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/a.../cat_teeth.jpg
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/a.../dog_teeth.jpg
Notice anything similar between the two?
Their jaw structure is built to tear off meat and swollow. Not to chew like ours is. Theres a big difference in taste buds and whats needed to really survive. My Chihuahua loves carrots...I love cake...Doesn't mean either of us should have a bunch of it. xD Even my cat will eat chips, cheese, pizza, ect if he's allowed to...
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Yet another who's a vegetarian, I would never even think about denying my pets meat. My cats eat raw so I buy a lot of meat, you'd never know I was vegetarian
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I agree with everyone's opinion that making your cat vegetarian just because you are is senseless and cruel. These people should be charged accordingly.
I actually remember this lady who seemed to be suffering from depression posting in TCS forum. I think it was on Cat SOS page. It was a long long time ago, I can't recall much.
If I'm not wrong, her cat was named Tom Apparently she was making her cat eat a vegetarian diet and he got sick and she started panicking and posted here. A lot of people bombarded her with urgent messages to feed the cat some meat, but I really can't recall what happened to that poor kitty. It probably suffered a lot in that woman's hands and eventually passed on... I'd be very surprised if its still alive.
Does anyone remember this thread?
I actually remember this lady who seemed to be suffering from depression posting in TCS forum. I think it was on Cat SOS page. It was a long long time ago, I can't recall much.
If I'm not wrong, her cat was named Tom Apparently she was making her cat eat a vegetarian diet and he got sick and she started panicking and posted here. A lot of people bombarded her with urgent messages to feed the cat some meat, but I really can't recall what happened to that poor kitty. It probably suffered a lot in that woman's hands and eventually passed on... I'd be very surprised if its still alive.
Does anyone remember this thread?
Man... I wanna go steal that cat and feed it a nummy meaty meal... Poor thing.
OMG, that's so unreal! I can't believe ppl actually be that cruel to their family
I don't support meat industry here in the US either, BUT, THAT and not feeding my baby cat the kind of food her body needs, ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY. She can not survive on veges & grains, she must eat meat, PERIOD!
I don't support meat industry here in the US either, BUT, THAT and not feeding my baby cat the kind of food her body needs, ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY. She can not survive on veges & grains, she must eat meat, PERIOD!
Dogs are only classified taxonomically as carnivores, their dietary habits, however, are omnivorous.Originally Posted by JellybeanKitty
Dogs are carnivores just like our kitty friends.They aren't omnivores, just look in their mouth. They are optimistic carnivores who will eat what they must to survive. They can live with grains in their diet but so can cats, doesn't mean it's healthy or needed.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/a.../cat_teeth.jpg
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/a.../dog_teeth.jpg
Notice anything similar between the two?
Their jaw structure is built to tear off meat and swollow. Not to chew like ours is. Theres a big difference in taste buds and whats needed to really survive. My Chihuahua loves carrots...I love cake...Doesn't mean either of us should have a bunch of it. xD Even my cat will eat chips, cheese, pizza, ect if he's allowed to...
You cannot go by the teeth and jaw structure.
Pandas are also taxonomically carnivores, but their dietary needs make them herbivores.
Brown, black and grizzly bears are all in the order Carnivora, but they are true omnivores.
You simply cannot judge based on jaw structure, as all of the above examples have the same overall jaw and tooth design.
As for the OP: Simply cruel, you cannot take away a basic need from any living thing and not be cruel in doing so.
Cats NEED meat, no two ways about it.
There are actually commercial cat foods out there being sold which are vegetarian/vegan.
I don't get it...
I actually have some vegetarian dog food samples here but that's because I wanted to see if my rats liked it (rats are omnivores btw.)
I actually have some vegetarian dog food samples here but that's because I wanted to see if my rats liked it (rats are omnivores btw.)
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Yup, I've known people (not personally - through the net) that place their cats on a vegetarian diet. I read this in one their post:-
*It is possible that a cat can live on a vegetarian diet and thrive as long as it gets all its required nutrients from non-meat based substitutes.
It is best to purchase a scientifically proven vegan cat food product that has had extensive case studies and tests on cats rather than try to prepare it yourself.
It is true that it seems unnatural for cats to not eat meat but domestic cats are already living in our homes and rarely need to hunt for stuff, so it is not unnatural for them to simply eat what we give them. It is also true that the cats might find the vegan food less tasty.
Furthermore, there isn't much naturalness about mixing lousy meat into a machine, adding additives/preservatives and making them into dry kibbles. If you're so caught up about having to be natural, then let your cats go outdoors to find their own food. Since what we are giving our cats is already unnatural, I do not see a big deal of giving our cats nutritionally balanced vegan cat food.*
*It is possible that a cat can live on a vegetarian diet and thrive as long as it gets all its required nutrients from non-meat based substitutes.
It is best to purchase a scientifically proven vegan cat food product that has had extensive case studies and tests on cats rather than try to prepare it yourself.
It is true that it seems unnatural for cats to not eat meat but domestic cats are already living in our homes and rarely need to hunt for stuff, so it is not unnatural for them to simply eat what we give them. It is also true that the cats might find the vegan food less tasty.
Furthermore, there isn't much naturalness about mixing lousy meat into a machine, adding additives/preservatives and making them into dry kibbles. If you're so caught up about having to be natural, then let your cats go outdoors to find their own food. Since what we are giving our cats is already unnatural, I do not see a big deal of giving our cats nutritionally balanced vegan cat food.*
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- #33
It's intresting to read through everything, I'm glad to see most people had the same reaction as me! If I actually met someone like that in person.....I would have a fit most likely.
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I'm a vegetarian and I'd NEVER do that to my cats! I've heard it can cause blindness, ad other really bad problems. That's really awful :/
The fat that domestic cats live an "unnatural life" and eat "artficial" food is not an argument for a vegetarian diet. No words can change the fact that cats are made to eat meat, meat, meat, meat some bones and innards. The fact that a diet of dry food is artificial is not an excuse to feed cats an even more artificial diet, a vegetarian one.
The further away the diet comes from the natural diet, the bigger the risk for disease. I'm not a fan of dry food so you might be able to picture how I feel about vegetarian food for cats. My cats are fed a diet as natural as possible, a raw diet, just because I choose what they eat. They can't do it themselves and therefor it's my responsibility to feed them as well as possible. Not as ethical as possible (if you can call it ethical to force an unnatural diet upon an animal).
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- #36
I'll have to agree
I'm vegetarian, I only have been for 3 months, but i totally disagree with that.. it's just disgusting... i do know of some people who fed their cats veggie diets and they were 'healthy' yeah right! Cats need taurine, which is why they cannot be fed dog food - taurine is an amino acid and is crucial for their eyesight - dog food does not need to contain taurine and veggies do not have taurine either.
Actually raw meat CONTAINS taurine. A cooked diet would need supplemented with taurine though, as the heat destroys it if I'm not mistaken.
I'm not defending feeding a cat a vegetarian diet, but did want to mention that it IS possible for a vegan to supplement the diet with taurine and not violate their beliefs. When I discovered my baby kitty was blind from what I suspected to be a taurine deficiency (guessing her mother mostly ate from garbage cans and whatnot and became deficient), I went to the health food store at my chiropractor's office and bought a bottle of tauine supplement. It says on the label that there are no animal-derived ingredients in it and is "vegan friendly." And it must work, as my kitty can see now.
Also, all the good dog foods I know of supplement with taurine. Not only is it good for the dogs' eyes too, but it's been found to have benefits for the heart as well.
I have been a vegan for a large part of my life. I can point to our intestines and teeth as proof that we should be. I can point to the Bible. I could do a lot of things but cats are meat eaters. If you believe in the good book, God told Noah to be a vegetarian (after he got off the boat). PM me if you doubt this. But he never told cats this! Cats and humans have a totally different digestion system and dental system. Even when I was the most devout vegan and would not even touch honey, I gave my cat anything it wanted! Just to let you know that all of us veggies do not think this way at all.Originally Posted by EnzoLeya
I was watching TV with my SO the other day and there was a CRAZY vegan family that wouldn't even feed their cats meat!I don't understand how this could be healthy for a cat! Is it possible to feed a cat all vegies and no meat?
Just curious!
Thanks for that - it must be a raw diet where you have frozen the meat when you need to add some more taurine then. It is a while since i looked at raw food recipes.
I didn't realise taurine supplements are vegan friendly, that is interesting.
Yes, i didn't mention that - they never used to be, but they do seem to be starting. Taurine also benefits cats hearts too
