cat health after vegan diet (18 years old at start of diet)

[hi purrson]

My cat is 18.5 years old and I started him on a vegan diet, because I've been a vegan for 100 days.

I bought a vegan cat food called "Evolution cat food", and I also bought dry food called Ami cat vegan.

This one is in my opinion the best one :
Because of the ingredients : Filtered Water Sufficient for processing, Peas, Potatoes, Brown Rice, Avocado, Carrots, Wheat Germ, Oat Groats, Dicalcium Phosphate, Soybean Oil, Brewers Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, L-Taurine, Guar Gum, Sea Kelp, DL- Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), V

I take a bowl and I mix this food, with the dry food, and I add a little water to make it moist, and then I use a Fork that I run through very hot water, to mix things ( I have a separate fork just for the cat, because cats can be semi- allergic to some human foods).

It has taurine which they say cats need, and then all natural ingredients, which smell good. All of these are amazing!

Traditional dry foods are also sometimes really good, I've found some with blueberry's, cranberry's and flax seed or brown rice in them.

Generally cat food dry food has really good ingredients, but I'm trying to switch to a vegan one.  ALSO my cat only ate one kind of dry food until he was 18 so don't feel guilty if you haven't thought of this.

HOWEVER.. the results are.. he is much more active, his fur is puffing out, and feeling thicker.. He sheds less hair. There's really Less little white hairs on his back, then there was last year. Where there would be small patches of white hairs.. Now the coat is much fuller.. I can post a picture. He is Making a lot more noise, and being a lot more active.

 

[ldg]

What were you feeding him before?

 

[carolina]

Good luck on that one...... Whew..... IMHO.... totally ok to be vegan.... as a person... but not so much to put it on the cat
Cats are obligate carnivores - they need meat to thrive.... and they lack enzymes to metabolize the nutrients from all the ingredients in this food/in a Vegan diet.
Also, a dry diet, is not good for a cat - it lacks moisture. Especially for an older cat.
I am sorry to be saying these things.... But I have to be honest, I feel kind of sorry for that kitty....

 

[Willowy]

Cats are obligate carnivores. . .this means they can't process nutrients from plant sources. I hate to think of the long-term effects this may have on his health. We can't impose our dietary preferences on our pets, if it's not to their benefit. It's true that cats need a lot of moisture, so that's probably the reason for the good changes you're seeing, since you switched from dry food. But eventually the lack of meat will catch up to him. A good-quality canned food, or maybe The Honest Kitchen or Sojo's if you prefer a dry mix, would be much better than trying to override a cat's biological need for meat protein.

 

[ldg]

This is the profile of the food. All the vitamins are added via supplement, including the proteins. The rest of that ingredient list that the O.P. didn't include are http://www.evolutiondietstore.com/product.sc?productId=26

Filtered Water Sufficient for processing, Peas (High Source of Complex Proteins), Potatoes (Good source of Complex Proteins), Brown Rice, Avocado, Carrots, Wheat Germ, Oat Groats, Dicalcium Phosphate, Soybean Oil, Nutritional Yeast,, DL-Methionine, L-Taurine, Guar Gum, Sea Kelp, DL- Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Vitamin A Acetate, Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D-2), Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulphate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Oxide, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Sodium Selenate, Arachidonic Acid.

The guaranteed analysis is:

Crude Protein (Minimum)..............8.00%

Crude Fat (Minimum)....................5.00%

Crude Fiber (Minimum)...................2.0%

Moisture (Minimum).....................76.0%

On a dry matter basis:

33% protein
20.8% fat
8% fiber
37.5% carbs

(No allowance for ash, as I don't have the information to calculate it).

Given that cats have no dietary requirement for carbs, and they're responsible for many of the degenerative diseases caused, I have to assume that your cat appears to be thriving on this food because of the supplements. Perhaps the diet he ate before was lacking in something he needs. :dk: Many older kitties, like people do not utilize their food as well as they did when they were younger. B12 helps many kitties. I suspect the B-12 supplement and perhaps the added moisture are the primary reasons for this change you're seeing.

But as the others have pointed out, cats are obligate carnivores. In fact, their systems are so finely tuned to get the nutrition they need from meat, bones, and organs that

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds to live and reproduce. [15] As such, felines have specific metabolic differences from humans and dogs. [11]



*Cats cannot make vitamin A from beta-carotene and require preformed vitamin A from animal sources.

*Felines metabolize carbohydrates poorly and can neither tolerate nor thrive on a high-carbohydrate diet.

*Cats have high protein requirements but cannot easily replace protein in the diet with other energy sources to conserve body protein. In starvation conditions, cats waste their own muscles in a matter of days.

*The amino acids arginine and taurine are essential for cats. Lack of these in the diet rapidly causes blindness and death. Only animal protein provides arginine and taurine at the levels cats require.

Naturally, feline PUFA metabolism is strictly carnivorous. Cats do not eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, or seeds in their natural diet and have no need for vegetable oils, either. Cats lack some of the enzymes that enable humans and dogs to convert LA to LC-PUFAs. Because cats cannot synthesize AA, their daily requirement for AA is so high that it must be provided in the diet. [12]

Cats need only a small amount of LA (less than humans or dogs), but a normal diet supplies it and there is no need to supplement. Cats cannot make GLA from LA, but they do not seem to need much. However, GLA is helpful for cats with skin and coat problems. [16] Show cats and long-haired cats may also benefit from GLA. Squeeze a 500 to 1,300 mg capsule of borage or evening primrose oil into moist food daily or every other day, or use an oil blend as described below.

DHA is critical for cats, but they cannot make it from LNA because of the same reasons they cannot convert LA to LC-PUFAs. [16] Kittens born to cats deprived of DHA may have visual and some nervous system defects. [17] Fish oil is the only currently acceptable n-3 PUFA supplement for cats. Algal DHA may be effective, but it is expensive and has never been tested on cats. Also, vegetable matter is not part of a cat's normal diet, and algal DHA has no EPA, which could be important. Cats fed dry food or rarely fed fish may be in need of n-3 LC-PUFAs. DHA deficiency quickly reduces a cat's vision, immunity, and breeding performance. [8,11,17] Cats also suffer from hereditary and age-related retinal degeneration, conditions linked to reduced retinal DHA levels. [8] I recommend mixing one to two tablespoons fish oil or a fish oil and borage/evening primrose oil blend with moist cat food daily.

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/The_Essential_PUFA_Guide.shtml

I know many vegans. Quite a few of them rather than enforcing their diet on their cats, in their efforts to feed them the most natural, healthiest diet possible, actually feed them either home made raw (meat/bones/organs) food or commercially prepared raw food. There are several vegetarians on TCS feeding their cats raw meat/bones/organs. This is the diet cats were meant to eat, and the cat equivalent of "health food."

 

[catsallaround]

I have seen this food advertised.

Question for you-is this cat allowed to go outside?  Any other places it could be eating?

 

[fair2middling]

A vegan cat, a no water fish aquarium, a tire less auto, a no apple apple pie, a cat should not be subjected to being something witch they clearly are not designed.

 

[carolina]

This is the profile of the food. All the vitamins are added via supplement, including the proteins. The rest of that ingredient list that the O.P. didn't include are http://www.evolutiondietstore.com/product.sc?productId=26

This is the first thing it came to my mind...... a cocktail of supplements, otherwise these kitties would start failing fast, very fast.....
So much carbs! First food that I see listing potatoes as "Good source of Complex Proteins"...

 

[catbehaviors]

I would love to see a photograph of him so I can really see what you are talking about. How long has he been on this new diet?

 

[hi purrson]

I might post a picture

Ok with the food, I sort of lied because he has had different things to eat over 18 years.

He had, had canned wet food, sometimes he stole my dogs dry food, he had some different kinds of dry food like friskies, when he was really young.

After one vet visit though maybe 5-6 years ago he was prescribed Hills Prescription diet K/D function, and regularly had this. Sometimes he would also have plain white American cheese, if I was snacking on it. He also for the last 4-5 years or so has only been given bottled water, not from the tap.. but now I use a sink filter, and a filter container.. however I know the well here is really good, but you should have your well water checked for your own drinking, as well as animals for minerals and deposits. About a year and a half ago I started reading the ingredients on his cat food and decided to add variety so I looked into different dry foods. Some examples

Purina Naturals plus vitamins and minerals.. this became at least 50% of his diet, and included ingredients like salmon, chicken meal, soybean meal, brewers rice, corn meal, ground whole wheat, soybean hulls , spinach, dried spinach, vitamins

I felt this was a very good product. I also started taking my cat outside ON A LEASH.. I also had lived in a private residential neighborhood with a backyard with NON TOXIC treated ALL NATURAL GRASS... my cat would feed on the grass like a cow.

More recently I also noticed a product called Harmony Farms Natural Healthy & hollistic indoor formula : chicken, whole ground bround rice, ground barley, oatmeal, fish meal, sweet potatos, carrots, peas, alfalfa meal, flax seed, cranberries, blueberries, apples, dried kelp, root extract, rosemary.....   BASICALLY wow!

Sometimes I became jealous and even frustrated my cat was healthier than me!  I am a spoiled human though and even if I eat junk I will live to 70 years. If a cat is well maintained it can certainly live much longer than ordinary.. I hope!! If you are being judged in relation to your cat it is for good reasons.

Recently After finally being able myself to switch to veganism.. still have inclinations once in a while... before much worse, when I wasn't as good with my diet.  The key for me was #1 keeping a list of every meat I ate to at least be self aware.  #2 trying to limit as best as I could to an average of 3.5 oz per week, one serving.. FORCING to find variety in the store.. .If you don't become a vegetarian or vegan AT LEAST you find more variety to add to your diet, because you don't become settled on the same foods... This is what I did.. Became settled and wasn't forced to try different things.. But now I found things I actually like that are different.. not forced to have.

SO my cat.. I decided I should make an effort to do this too, if I am.. so I tried those products. I live in an apartment community area with non treated grass and I will take my cat out on a leash and he will feed on the grass sometimes.

 

[Willowy]

If you're trying to feed your cat the best diet for him. . .health food for kitties. . .instead of going vegan you should look into a raw meat diet for him. Humans are omnivores, but fruits/veggies/grains just don't do anything good for kitties (except impress their owners when they read the ingredient list :tongue2. Lots of variety (of the meaty kind) is best. If you don't feel like you could do a home-prepared diet for your kitty, they do sell a lot of pre-made frozen raw diets. Best thing for a carnivore!

Kibble is terrible for kitties, even the "good" kind. Cats are designed to get all their moisture from their prey, so eating anything dry leads to chronic dehydration. Wet food is always best!

 

[catsallaround]

I would bring this cat in for a baseline bloodwork and have retested every 6 months or so.

I think this brand was marketed years ago had info of a shelter or sanctuary using the food-anyone know if that is true/what place?

I was a vegetarian for over a decade.  I only became aware of this food when I was reading ads in back of cat fancy.  The thought to put meat eaters on plants/veggies is just insane to me.

 

[kittylover23]

The thought to put meat eaters on plants/veggies is just insane to me.

I totally, absolutely agree.

 

[whollycat]

I agree with everyone else that disagrees with kitties being fed a vegan or vegetarian diet. We, as their guardians, are obligated to feed them what they are designed to eat: a diet high in real MEAT protein, moderate fat, and little to no carbohydrates (carbs are only there to help with a fiber source and should ideally be only 5% of their diet). And your kitty has kidney issues, so I would bet that the "improvement" you are seeing is because you aren't feeding "junk" meat protein anymore. BUT--give this diet around six months or so and you are going to see marked muscle wasting (especially since his kidneys are impaired) because he is not getting meat in his diet, therefore his body will compensate and begin using his muscle mass (including heart, which is a muscle) instead. You're setting this sweet boy up for rapidly declining health in the not too distant future.

Kitties are obligate (strict, true, absolute) carnivores. Look at their teeth compared to dogs and humans--kitties teeth are made for tearing and ripping apart meat; they have no molars like we and dogs do--there is a huge difference in their teeth compared to us or dogs. Look at their DNA--they ceased evolving further after reaching their obligatory carnivorous status. Look at their carnivore status: they require certain nutrients that they cannot synthesize and must get from the meat they eat--these cannot be obtained in any other way by a carnivore. Look at their tongue, jaws, and musculature: they are made for eating meat; they don't really chew, and they don't chew horizontally like omnivores do. Look at the enzymes needed to break down plant matter used by omnivores: kitties to not have the enzyme, amylase, in there saliva for this process. Look at their digestive system: their intestine is much shorter compared to the length of their bodies--highly digestible meat protein and fat are the ideal food for them because of this fast transit system; as opposed to plant material that requires a longer intestinal length and transit time. I could go on with other examples about kitties and how unique they are if you want. Just let me know.

You are also setting him up for urinary issues, such as FLUTD/IC, etc. because vegetables cause their urine to become more alkaline, and kitties need to have an acidic environment or urinary issues will be the result. Avocados are on the toxic to kitties list. Kitties cannot use the so-called "complex proteins" in this food--they are vegetables, and a strict carnivore cannot process them; they will just be stored as fat in their body. Same goes for the grains.

I truly hope you will reconsider what you are doing to your little guy and put your feelings about your diet aside. I commend you for making this diet change for yourself, but you should not impose your beliefs on your little carnivore. If you want to feed him the best, then consider an appropriate balanced raw diet. He's a carnivore, after all. Not a dog, human, or other omnivorous creature. Nor is he a herbivore.

I have many friends who are vegans and vegetarians, but they 'get' that kitties are carnivores and feed them appropriately.

 

[mani]

We simply cannot inflict our diet preferences on other species.

They are dependent on us to make the right decisions for them and we really need to honour their needs.

 

[ritz]

Ditto what everyone says.

We humans don't need meat to survive, to live; cats do. 

My TNR mentor is a die-hard vegan, but she feeds her cats meat and baits traps with Kentucky Fried Chicken (original receipe, skin removed [because of seasoning]).

 

[catnamedpanda]

I can't believe they even make such a food. I thought foods with the first ingredient being corn was bad, at least they have some meat in them. Please for your kitty switch him back to something healthy for him, with real meat in it at least. I think even the cheapest of junk cat food that at least has meat would be better than this food.

 

[catsallaround]

Read this.

http://www.citypages.com/2011-07-20/news/eric-weisman-won-t-stop-playing-doctor/

This is the creator of the food.

If link won't work just google "evolution vegan cat" it comes up as one of first few hits.

I would be checking your cats blood sugar at home.  Ask the vet to show you how.

 

[jezahb]

Oh no, this is not going to go well in the long term. I applaud you for trying to eat healthier yourself and going vegan, I have seen it work wonders on humans....however, a cat is not a human or even remotely similar diet wise. A cat NEEDS meat, its simple and there is no wiggle room. I remember reading somewhere that cats were even getting sick on foods that used soy protein to up the protein % in foods since cats cannot digest soy proteins. 

Look at it like this, us modern day humans evolved to survive in our environment the best we could, and our Ancestory shows that was mainly Europe. Europe is lush with plants and natural sources of vegetable protein as well as meat. Cats however, evolved in a much different area, around Egypt. It was mainly dry desert, and the only readily available food source was birds and small rodents. Cats evolved very different because of this, and their bodies are simply not equipped to digest or process vegetables like ours are. 

 

[redvelvetone]

I'm sorry but this is just wrong for a cat

I know vegans and they don't feed the cat vegan food.

Cats can only get nutrition from meat sources, not vegetables and starches. They are NOT omnivores like us.

Please reconsider what you are feeding him; it's not healthy and is dangerous to his health