I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this but heres my question

OK so i recently became a vegetarian and wanted to know if i should change my dogs and cat diet too..( i mean i want them to eat animal friendly food but i don't want them to get sick if they really need to eat meat to be healthy) What do you think and what are the best brand to buy??

or if people have already answered this which they've probably have please write the link for me. Thanks!

Dogs can live meat free, they're natural scavengers. You can get vegetarian dog food if you look around.

Cats I'm quite certain need meat. If you try taking them off it they get health problems...they're natural predators, so it's to be expected.

I don't know whether this is actually true, but it has been claimed that both cats and dogs can thrive and be healthy on vegetarian diets, although it's considered especially difficult for cats. E.g. they need a special supplement. If you look at the very bottom of this page, you'll see a couple of related threads.

This is where I go to get my cat food: http://www.vegancats.com/
Just like any other vegetarian as long as we're getting enough of what we need shouldn't be a problem.

Cats are obligate carnivores, and need meat to live a healthy life. Dogs are omnivores, but eat mostly meat. I've been a vegetarian for 9 years and wouldn't dream of putting my dogs and cats on a vegetarian diet. I work in a vets and have some knowledge of dietry habits of small mammals, so trust me when i say you would be putting your animals at risk by cutting meat out of their diets. Any good vet would tell you the same. You can buy organic pet foods but you must be willing to pay extra for it. Nkase is wrong unfortunatly about the animals being like us and adapting to a vegetarian diet. Like i say, cats are obligate carnivores, they need meat in their diet! Hope this helps!

Cats are obligate carnivores, and need meat to live a healthy life. Dogs are omnivores, but eat mostly meat. I've been a vegetarian for 9 years and wouldn't dream of putting my dogs and cats on a vegetarian diet. I work in a vets and have some knowledge of dietry habits of small mammals, so trust me when i say you would be putting your animals at risk by cutting meat out of their diets. Any good vet would tell you the same. You can buy organic pet foods but you must be willing to pay extra for it. Nkase is wrong unfortunatly about the animals being like us and adapting to a vegetarian diet. Like i say, cats are obligate carnivores, they need meat in their diet! Hope this helps!
:yes: :up:

I'm going to have to disagree with Fox in Sox about dogs needing meat in their diet. I also am aware of mammal diets and have worked in a vets office for more than 5 years. My dog has been a vegetarian for more than 2 years now and is being seen by a reputable vet in portland who supports her in this. We do a complete bloodwork on her every year and he says she is completely healthy and her workup turns out perfect. She is a healthy weight and very active. BTW, I feed her evolution brand dog food.

HappyIguana, it depends on what kind of dogs you have, and what kind and gender of cats you have.

Male cats need a wet food diet because it stops them getting blocked bladders. I would also say female cats need animal products in their diet, but can do better on a dried complete food. Dogs are different to cats, but in my opinion they would do better with an animal based diet. My dog gets dried complete food, as the wet stuff gave her the runs!!

http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0209/articles/020918a.htm

yes, dogs really can do GREAT on vegan food...

I wouldn't be happy removing meat from my cat's diet, though I might seriously cut back on it for my dog.
I think you should talk to a vet about it, although I can predict what most vets would say.

i hear cats main requirement is something from blood, called taurine, BUT it can easily be synthetically reproduced, and anyways, the **** people feed their cats from the grocery store is so ****ed up and unnatural anyway, that a vegetarian cat food with synthetically created taurine still sounds a hell of alot better... and ive heard enough accounts of healthy vegan cats if they feed them carefully, that i think it only comes down to how much research you put into it.

there is NO required elements in meat that cannot be derived from plant sources or synthetically recreated, therefore making real meat completely UNNECCESARY!!!

I think having vegetarian dogs and cats is wrong, just like I think having vegetarian/vegan young children is wrong.

and vegancats.com themselves are saying that cats need meat. Check the FAQ page =o

Cats are obligate carnivores, and need meat to live a healthy life. Dogs are omnivores, but eat mostly meat. I've been a vegetarian for 9 years and wouldn't dream of putting my dogs and cats on a vegetarian diet. I work in a vets and have some knowledge of dietry habits of small mammals, so trust me when i say you would be putting your animals at risk by cutting meat out of their diets. Any good vet would tell you the same. You can buy organic pet foods but you must be willing to pay extra for it. Nkase is wrong unfortunatly about the animals being like us and adapting to a vegetarian diet. Like i say, cats are obligate carnivores, they need meat in their diet! Hope this helps!

thats simply false information.

your dog will NOT be at any health risk, if you feed him/her especially formulated vergetarian food. we have two pit bulls who eat vegan. the one is nearly 18!! pits dont generally live that long. hes been vegan since i was first got when he was 4. the other, is only about 18 months old. we've had him since he was 14 months old. he eats ANYTHING we throw at him ( not litterally of course), and is super healthy for it.

cats are the same. we have a vegan cat, he is perfectly healthy.
cats need taurine whihc is found in animals, but, can be got synthetically. the vast majority of major (meat) cat foods use SYNTHETIC taurine.

Male cats need a wet food diet because it stops them getting blocked bladders. I would also say female cats need animal products in their diet, but can do better on a dried complete food. Dogs are different to cats, but in my opinion they would do better with an animal based diet. My dog gets dried complete food, as the wet stuff gave her the runs!!

the ting is ,what sort of animal based food are people feedings their furry ones? if you truly beleive its not healthy to feed your cat/dog veg*n food, then how can you kid yourself that the food you by in pet stores is healthy??

I think having vegetarian dogs and cats is wrong, just like I think having vegetarian/vegan young children is wrong.

why? there is no proof to say veg*n cats and dogs are un-healthy.

and why would you want to feed your child the crap that comes from a slaughterhouse?
thats child abuse.

and vegancats.com themselves are saying that cats need meat. Check the FAQ page =o
Yep, vegancats changed their position after research consistently showed cats, especially male cats, fed a completely vegan diet are at a higher risk for urinary tract infections.

thats simply false information.

your dog will NOT be at any health risk, if you feed him/her especially formulated vergetarian food. we have two pit bulls who eat vegan. the one is nearly 18!! pits dont generally live that long. hes been vegan since i was first got when he was 4. the other, is only about 18 months old. we've had him since he was 14 months old. he eats ANYTHING we throw at him ( not litterally of course), and is super healthy for it.

cats are the same. we have a vegan cat, he is perfectly healthy.
cats need taurine whihc is found in animals, but, can be got synthetically. the vast majority of major (meat) cat foods use SYNTHETIC taurine.
I think you will find that cats ARE obligate carnivores. Have you studied animal care at all or have you just been spoon fed the crap that so called vegan sites for animals tell you? I'm a trainee in a vets, and have studied animal care since i was 16, so i'm not ignorant in this subject. Dogs are different, i'll grant you that, but i still believe they need meat in their diet. There is evidence of the damage vegen diets can do to a cat. Ask any decent vet or look on a decent veterinary site. And just because your cat LOOKS healthy, i dare say there's a lot going on on the inside. Your poor cat, i really worry :(

the ting is ,what sort of animal based food are people feedings their furry ones? if you truly beleive its not healthy to feed your cat/dog veg*n food, then how can you kid yourself that the food you by in pet stores is healthy??
If you care for your animals at all, you will splash out that little extra for a high quality food. I get mine through the vets i work in. If it's approved by them, i'm happy to feed it to my animals. The vets i work in are a charity, and none profit making, so all their advice is genuine, and not just aimed at making money. I don't mean to sound harsh Stan, and i'm not getting at the way you look after your animals, but this subject instills a lot of passion in me, and i can go off on one! :sealed:

My understanding it isn't so much that the cats are missing nutrients (after all they can be created synthetically) but that their GI tracts are different due to being a carnivore. Animal and plant material break down in different ways. A cat's body is evolved to break down meat and not plants. So feeding the cat a plant diet may put extra work on its digestive tract.

My understanding it isn't so much that the cats are missing nutrients (after all they can be created synthetically) but that their GI tracts are different due to being a carnivore. Animal and plant material break down in different ways. A cat's body is evolved to break down meat and not plants. So feeding the cat a plant diet may put extra work on its digestive tract.
:lol: :up:

I don't think that dogs and cats were really meant to be vegan but I think they can probably survive on it. It is probably best to start it when they are young.

I figure if I put a plate of tuna and then a plate of steamed brocolli in front of my cats ..they are going to go for the meat every time. So, if that is what they eat, than that is what I will serve them.

Dogs will probably eat both.

My cats are older and have been eating meat all their lives so I wouldn't want to switch them now.

They eat Wysong Vitality and some dolphin safe tuna for treats.

Although, I think a bit of kitty grass is good for the kitty every once and a while. :)