So What Exactly Is Wrong With Vegan Cat Food?

It seems with dogs it's more commonly accepted that Vegan dog food is perfectly fine. But I don't see remotely the same acceptance with cats.

All I keep seeing with cats in post are people saying they're "obligate carnivores" and need taurine.... and that's it? Or a bunch of people just giving anecdotal evidence of irresponsible "not thinking" pet owners feeding their cats just a few vegetables and beans and not a carefully prepared "proper vegan cat diet" with the "necessary stuff".

There are taurine supplements and clearly there are cats surviving on vegan diets or else vegan cat food companies would go bankrupt. I really haven't heard anything bad from anyone feeding a "proper vegan cat diet" to their cats having any problems.

So what exact vitamin and minerals do cats need that are found in meat that you can't supplement with regular supplements or things like vegecat/vegekit? And what would be long term side effects of a cat not eating meat but a "proper vegan cat diet" cause I'm sure by now there's being cats that have lived healthy for a normal cat life span on a "proper vegan cat diet"

Obviously with cats with special needs, and kittens that need KMR or such exceptions can be made, but what about a typical healthy cat?

Here are a couple of great articles to answer your questions:
What Exactly is an 'Obligate Carnivore?' - Feline Nutrition Foundation
Plant vs Meat - The Protein Feud - Feline Nutrition Foundation

Basically, when we say "obligate carnivore" it is important because the word "obligate" means a necessity. Cats NEED to eat meat to survive. Cats require certain vitamins and fatty acids, but their bodies are such that they cannot build these amino acids on their own. They require to eat animal meat to obtain these nutrients. It is because of this that cats have a very high requirement for animal-based protein. If they don't eat enough protein their muscles and organs will begin to break down and fail. Why animal-based protein? Plant-based protein is not equal to animal based protein as they do not have the same amino acids that animal-based proteins do. And this is very important because, as I mentioned, cats cannot build important amino acids themselves.

Sounds like what you might be suggesting is to feed cats vegetables but add supplements to them. I don't understand why anyone would want this for a family member? This to me is equivalent to humans packaging their dinner into a "pill." We know that the nutrients that one would get from fresh (preferably uncooked) meat is far higher and more digestible than non-meat based proteins and supplements.

When you take an animal out of its natural habitat and then refuse to feed it something that they are by nature REQUIRED to eat to survive just because you don't personally believe in eating meat it is abuse. People can make decisions for themselves to live however they want, but we shouldn't be making decisions to make obligate carnivores into vegetarians or vegans. Not only is this selfish, it's also incredibly ignorant (not saying that you are ignorant, I think you are genuinely interested in the topic - but I have a special place of hate in my heart for humans who turn their cats into vegans). You wouldn't expect a wild tiger to become a vegan and you shouldn't expect your domestic cat to be one either.

The question to be asking here is not why cats can't be vegans, it's why on earth would anyone want to turn an obligate carnivore into a vegan?

saleri said:

what would be long term side effects of a cat not eating meat but a "proper vegan cat diet" cause I'm sure by now there's being cats that have lived healthy for a normal cat life span on a "proper vegan cat diet"

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We don't know. There haven't been any studies done.

Cat's bodies aren't made to process plant material. Dogs are scavengers and can get by on a wide variety of foods. Cats are hunters. Period.

I am not a fan of forcing cats to be vegan. They are biologically and evolutionary a meat based diet creature. Everything about them is geared towards eating meat and meat proteins. Their specific need for taurine is because it is an amino acid they don’t produce. The theory being that they are so meat based they get enough in their diet that their bodies stopped producing it over the millienia.

For humans to come along as say that they have ethical, moral or a sense of value to vegan diets based on human sensibilities and a human system is one thing. It’s not for me but I know and have no problem with people who are. But cats, unlike dogs, are just not made to be able to survive well on a vegan diet. Dogs are not obligate carnivores, they have been and continue to be geared towards a diet that can and should contain some plant materials. I know of hardcore vegans who have put their cat back on a regular diet because their cats suffers for it.

While there are cats out there who thrive on vegan diets there are countless others who will die from misguideded attempts. The ones who thrive have owners who are super conscious of their dietary needs and partner with a vet to have regular blood work done to ensure their body is accepting the diet. You could feed a commercial vegan diet and your cat could die because their body just doesn’t take it well. It’s not a risk I’d ever be willing to take for an issue that is (in my eyes) a human based problem and solution situation.

Honestly, if someone feels strong enough about vegan diet to feed their cat it I have a whole slew of question about how owning a pet conforms to that mindset.

Edit: Just to add vegancats.com even recommends feeding your cats meat. Citing that cats on a vegan diet have a high risk of urinary infections and problems, "Unless you are very committed to following the advice outlined on our site by feeding your cat a properly balanced diet as per the information below, we recommend that you mitigate the risk of urinary tract problems by feeding males cats only a 25-75% vegan diet and females a 50-100% vegan diet." I do not on any condition recommend or support a vegan cat diet but if someone is going that route the research must be extremely thorough into exactly what food you use AND you must partner with your vet for regular blood work and urinalysis to catch any problems before they kill your cat.

I just wanted to add one more thing.. cats are obligate carnivores not only in the sense of what they eat but in their entire way of living too. They are life-long hunters - they breathe to hunt. Yes, we have domesticated them to live indoors with us, but pull out a feather wand or a mouse toy and the hunter instinct instantly kicks in. It's a part of their nature. I honestly feel like depriving a cat of meat is depriving them of a full life.

If your cat could talk the first thing he/she would say is "where's the meat?"

Humans need to stop imposing their moral and ethical values on each other... much less other animals.
If they are really that uncomfortable with meat eating then they should not own a pet that lives to hunt and eat meat. I don't think it's a good match. Maybe consider a rabbit instead.

It honestly shocks me when people even have to think about this with dogs or cats. So first off. Say you went and did some kind of diet and in turn you supplemented with vitamins. Vitamins aren’t gonna cut it if you completely take out a vital nutrient. They just aren’t a. That’s the issue I have with any kibbles foods seeing as they are so cooked to death they have to supplement with so many artificial vitamins. It’s just ridiculous that anyone would thing eating basically burnt food then just adding 2 dozen powedered vitamins to it is healthy living. It’s not for humans and it isn’t for dogs or cat so either. On another point cats just aren’t biologically able to digest vegetable matter to it’s full extent so say you were feeding a “balanced veggie diet” to a cat your cat isn’t really getting a balanced diet because a lot of that vegetable matter isn’t being absorbed properly to give them much benefit so you would inturn have to supplement HEAVILY to make up for that. Which like I said previously isn’t a good idea. If you’re going to just supplement everything why not just give them a bowl of vitamins and call it a day lol. Or better yet give them stuff like meat bones and organs that are bioavailable to them so they can get adequate nutrition. It just doesn’t make sense. If you could only properly digest meats and enjoyed eating meat would you do a vegan diet? If it meant you were pretty much getting all your vitamins from artificial sources like vowdwrs and additives? If you would idk what to say beyond that. A lot of people get it so twisted in their minds that they no longer care what’s the best for their pet. I always tell people if you cannot handle what your pet NEEDS to eat then don’t get that animal. Get a rabbit they make great pets too and are the 3rd most abandoned animal in shelters. They can free roam in the house like a cat but they won’t be eating things you don’t like so you won’t even have ave to worrry about it. I’m sure others will post and give good points as well.
Also on your vegan cat food point who even makes that? I’ve seen it a couple times online but I would never buy from a company that totally relies on ignorant and uneducated people who want a “veggie cat” also the majority of those companies aren’t acredited and don’t have the affco behind them. If you must do vegetarian foods (severe allergies/severe health probelms) them consilt with a vet about prescription vegan foods for cats. I think if you have to get to that point your cat isn’t going to be around much longer anyway so that’s the only time I’d even consider it. Even then it’d be questionable if id feel it was morally correct to do such a thing to an obligate carnivore. Good luck.

I agree with all of the previous posters. If someone wants a vegan pet they should seriously consider adopting a rabbit or a guinea pig. They are very loving animals and creating their diet and weekly menu can be a lot of fun!

However, it is biologically inappropriate to feed an obligate carnivore a vegan diet with supplements to substitute what their bodies were made to digest. They may survive on this ridiculous concoction but they will not thrive as well as they would on a species appropriate diet.

It's like saying, "Why can't people live in the ocean? We have diving suits and oxygen tanks...lots of people who spend a lot of time scuba diving commercially or recreationally are doing just fine!" But there are long term side effects that take place. For instance, osteonecrosis (the death of bone tissue) is a long term side effect of extensive scuba diving as well as the loss of hearing. Breathing air through an oxygen tank instead of a natural environment causes decreased pulmonary function due to a narrowing airway, over time, etc.

In conclusion, it is not biologically appropriate for humans to live under water and it is not biologically appropriate for cats to eat a vegan diet.

My first cat, Poppy, came to us from some vegan friends. Poppy was about a year old and had been eating a meat-free diet for at least a few months. When I opened her first can of cat food, she flew from the floor to counter top in one swift move and frantically tried to shove her face in the can. Trying to get the can opened all the way and the food put in the bowl was not easy. She wolfed it down like she was ravenous and I think she probably was. It took weeks before she ate at a normal speed.

My point is, even if a cat can be kept alive and seemingly healthy on a vegan diet, that cat will always be far, far happier being fed meat.

Neo_23 said:

I just wanted to add one more thing.. cats are obligate carnivores not only in the sense of what they eat but in their entire way of living too. They are life-long hunters - they breathe to hunt. Yes, we have domesticated them to live indoors with us, but pull out a feather wand or a mouse toy and the hunter instinct instantly kicks in. It's a part of their nature.
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I can't help it... your words brought an image to my mind. All I can think is that the closest I'll ever get to promoting a vegan cat would be to put a catnip carrot toy on the end of a wand stick and have them hunt and chase it.

PushPurrCatPaws said:

I can't help it... your words brought an image to my mind. All I can think is that the closest I'll ever get to promoting a vegan cat would be to put a catnip carrot toy on the end of a wand stick and have them hunt and chase it.

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Haha.. be careful, you're going to give some people who want to have vegan cats ideas about vegetable-themed toys.

Seriously.. it's just ridiculous to me that anyone would want to turn a creature that was obviously built to hunt, catch, and eat prey into a vegan.

There is absolutely nothing about felines that reads "please give me a carrot"... absolutely everything about them says that they were built to hunt and eat meat.

Evidence:


Case closed.

One vegan's perspective and personal experience with feeding her cats a vegan diet. (Spoiler: She now feeds her cats meat.)

People need to accept the fact that different species outside of humans have evolved differently from humans! It's not just the taurine, its the availability of the nutrients to the cat as per its species requirements. There's nothing a vegan can do to change cats and their nutritional needs. How about the resources WIDELY AVAILABLE ANYWHERE for the looking. You know like veterinary resources.

Pet food companies add all sorts of really stupid ingredients to canned foods to boost what it says counts as protein and other parts are added to boost the volume of food in a can. companies don't put potatoes and peas and blueberries in cat food because they do anything for the cat, they just fill the 5.5 oz can with something other than meat.

Like it or not cats are meat eaters and must be meat eaters. If you can't live with it, give your cat to someone with some sense of responsibility. I can't even believe this issue gets raised.

saleri said:

It seems with dogs it's more commonly accepted that Vegan dog food is perfectly fine. But I don't see remotely the same acceptance with cats.

All I keep seeing with cats in post are people saying they're "obligate carnivores" and need taurine.... and that's it? Or a bunch of people just giving anecdotal evidence of irresponsible "not thinking" pet owners feeding their cats just a few vegetables and beans and not a carefully prepared "proper vegan cat diet" with the "necessary stuff".

There are taurine supplements and clearly there are cats surviving on vegan diets or else vegan cat food companies would go bankrupt. I really haven't heard anything bad from anyone feeding a "proper vegan cat diet" to their cats having any problems.

So what exact vitamin and minerals do cats need that are found in meat that you can't supplement with regular supplements or things like vegecat/vegekit? And what would be long term side effects of a cat not eating meat but a "proper vegan cat diet" cause I'm sure by now there's being cats that have lived healthy for a normal cat life span on a "proper vegan cat diet"

Obviously with cats with special needs, and kittens that need KMR or such exceptions can be made, but what about a typical healthy cat?

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I'm more active in dogs than cats, but no self respecting dog owner thinks vegan is "fine" for dogs.
JMO.

Neo_23 said:

Humans need to stop imposing their moral and ethical values on each other... much less other animals.
If they are really that uncomfortable with meat eating then they should not own a pet that lives to hunt and eat meat. I don't think it's a good match. Maybe consider a rabbit instead.

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Bingo.
If a person who lived for steak and BBQ ribs began feeding their horses and rabbits their "chosen" diet, there would be an outcry of abuse yet feeding carnivores a bunch of wheat grass and barley is somehow morally OK. It's not.

What is wrong with Vegan cat food? Everything...absolutely everything!

saleri said:

It seems with dogs it's more commonly accepted that Vegan dog food is perfectly fine. But I don't see remotely the same acceptance with cats.

All I keep seeing with cats in post are people saying they're "obligate carnivores" and need taurine.... and that's it? Or a bunch of people just giving anecdotal evidence of irresponsible "not thinking" pet owners feeding their cats just a few vegetables and beans and not a carefully prepared "proper vegan cat diet" with the "necessary stuff".

There are taurine supplements and clearly there are cats surviving on vegan diets or else vegan cat food companies would go bankrupt. I really haven't heard anything bad from anyone feeding a "proper vegan cat diet" to their cats having any problems.

So what exact vitamin and minerals do cats need that are found in meat that you can't supplement with regular supplements or things like vegecat/vegekit? And what would be long term side effects of a cat not eating meat but a "proper vegan cat diet" cause I'm sure by now there's being cats that have lived healthy for a normal cat life span on a "proper vegan cat diet"

Obviously with cats with special needs, and kittens that need KMR or such exceptions can be made, but what about a typical healthy cat?

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Surviving is not thriving. Forcing a cat to eat a vegan diet because of personal beliefs is cruel and selfish. All animals need to have a species specific diet. The only difference between house cats and the big cats in the wild is size. Their basic nutritional needs are the same (but in vastly different quantities obviously). I don't see anyone petitioning zoos to have the big cats fed vegetables. It's no different with the cats we have in our lives. Could a cat survive on this type of diet? Yeah I guess. Would they thrive on it? Of course not. Would a rabbit thrive on meat? No. I find is astonishing that someone who has an issue feeding meat to an animal would want to keep one who biologically NEEDS meat only to force it to eat something that it's not physically meant to have. These people should have a pet who is an herbivore. As already mentioned, rabbits and guinea pigs make wonderful, loving companions and are more than happy to share in that lifestyle. I have to wonder if trying to force an animal to be something it is not and never will be is something of a control issue. Live your life the way you think is best for you. Eat what you want and don't eat what you don't want but don't force your beliefs on an animal that is dependent on you to do the right thing for them and cannot speak up to defend themselves. If those "vegan cats" could talk, they would say:

"GIVE. ME. SOME. MEAT"

There is a vegan couple on Youtube that has 2 cats that are forced to eat a vegan diet. They get called out on it ALL the time by other vegans who understand that what is right for them is not necessarily right for every other living thing on earth. These cats are indoor/outdoor in an enclosed yard. Want to guess what these "vegan" cats are more than likely doing when they are outside? Yup. Hunting for the food their bodies are craving. SMH

orange&white said:

One vegan's perspective and personal experience with feeding her cats a vegan diet. (Spoiler: She now feeds her cats meat.)

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Ugh. I like her a lot, but she still says at the end that people can feed 25% vegan if they want to cut back on the meat. She says she had a hard time getting her cats to eat for like two months and then they all got sick... the evidence isn’t solid from a scientific point of view but ew, so obvious that cats and dogs shouldn’t eat vegan.

It makes me feel so bad when people talk about this. People are concious if they want to go vegan they can and it istheir right (I actually believe it is better and respect a lot their will, I wish I could).

But what would be the arguement for a vegan cat? Why? It is their nature.

The pet owner is so focused on the suffering of the animals killed, they are not aware they are making their own pets suffer. It would be more respectable to say I won't have a pet, I sacrifice my want of a pet, to not make animals suffer (nor the food or making my cat vegan)

Stop the nonsense. It is nature, humans are more evolved they can go beyond their nature, but cats aren't conscious. Tell you what, give them the choice, put can food and vegan food and let the cat be free to choose.

Yanaka said:

Ugh. I like her a lot, but she still says at the end that people can feed 25% vegan if they want to cut back on the meat. She says she had a hard time getting her cats to eat for like two months and then they all got sick... the evidence isn’t solid from a scientific point of view but ew, so obvious that cats and dogs shouldn’t eat vegan.

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Yeah, I disagreed with 25% vegan too...however, I think most dry cat kibble is probably 25% or more plant matter. So if she's feeding an all meat/no carb canned then adding some fresh veg it's probably about the same (or better than dry food).

I also completely disagreed with her about dogs being able to thrive on a vegan diet.

My cats and dog eat a raw meat diet with no veggies.

Anyway, I thought her most impressive point was about both of her cats getting urinary issues with a vegan diet, and both being "cured" when she went back to an animal-protein based diet.

orange&white said:

Yeah, I disagreed with 25% vegan too...however, I think most dry cat kibble is probably 25% or more plant matter. So if she's feeding an all meat/no carb canned then adding some fresh veg it's probably about the same.

I also completely disagreed with her about dogs being able to thrive on a vegan diet.

My cats and dog eat a raw meat diet with no veggies.

Anyway, I thought her most impressive point was about both of her cats getting urinary issues with a vegan diet, and both being "cured" when she went back to an animal-protein based diet.

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Yeah! The flaw with her experience is that she had also been feeding dry so it’s hard to tell which one is the bigger culprit. But I’m guessing they sort of made the problem bigger together because if I understand her story, they all got immensely sick after just a few months of having them? Makes me feel so bad.