[Zoe Wright]

What would you do if you adopted a pet? ive heard of feeding dogs and cats vegan meals but im still unsure if that's healthy for them, because they really are meant to be carnivores. but buying them normal pet food would mean supporting a cruel and disgusting industry. i want to help animals by adopting, but i also want to help animals by not supporting the meat industry! im so conflicted, what's your take on this?

 

[Croxus]

I'm getting a cat if I can get a pet approved flat. I'm gonna adopt a grown cat who already for some reason needs to be outside. I will continue to feed the cat a carnivore diet. because it's a cat. cats are carnivores, humans are not.
I will go out of my way to find an organic way to feed my cat within my budget and reasonability (I will travel with train two hours once a week to get my cat organic meat products if thats what it takes). and s/he is free to eat all the mice who happen to come into the apartment.
But I am not going to force a veggie diet on a carni animal.

 

[vegansarawr]

Dogs can be vegan, as they are naturally omnivores, there is vegan dog food. I've talked to several vets about vegan dog food and they seem ok with it. Cats are a little more tricky they need a specific nutrient that is only found in meat as they are natural carnivores. There is a way to make vegan cat food but you have to buy a specific plant substitute and make the food yourself. I know some people who do make their own vegan cat food that their vet says is ok, but I'm going by word of mouth on the vet said. My cats do eat holistic/organic cat food, which does contain meat.

 

[silva]

Cats have domesticated by humans for so long, they are not wild animals, will not survive well on their own, endanger local wildlife, and breed uncontrollably. They do not fight out parasites, and diseases run rampant and mutate among feral colonies. I understand vegans not wishing to buy meat, but all the research I've done proves to me that they are still carnivores-not omnivores- and don't do well on veg diets. Carnivores need certain nutrients "pre-formulated", that is, broken down in the meat of other animals. Taurine can be assimilated in foods, but other nutrients can't.
I believe forcing a carnivore to eat a veg diet is as exploitative as meat itself. Since I can't imagine cats dying off as a species, my best hope is that "lab-meat" that's being researched.
I've rescued cats, have too many, and do the best I can to provide organic foods for them.

 

[Scorpius]

Hey hey hey.......This is a VEGETARIAN forum!

Therefore, there are STRICT RULES against Beating Dead Horses.

 

[Wolfie]

If the horse is already dead, does it really matter if it's beaten?

 

[yumy]

as has been said, dogs can be vegan, they are omnivores and do fine on a veg*n diet. Cats require taurine, an essential amino acid that they can't naturally produce enough of and it can't be converted from other proteins. Needs to be from meat or eggs, which is why they are carnivores.

It took me a long time to get used to this, but you just have to look at is as that the food the pet gets is not human grade, so it is not contributing to the slaughtering of animals. Yes, it does give a small amount of payment to the industry, but the industry isn't really driven by these sales. The meat industry will come and go as human consumption does.

 

[Wolfie]

Some dogs require taurine and l-carnitine as well. Not all dogs can make enough on their own. So if your vegan dog food doesn't add them, it'd be wise to supplement.

 

[Zoe Wright]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Hey hey hey.......This is a VEGETARIAN forum!

Therefore, there are STRICT RULES against Beating Dead Horses.

sorry, but i dont get what you're saying here. im new to the site, did i offend somebody in some way?

 

[V.L.F]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegansarawr

Dogs can be vegan, as they are naturally omnivores, there is vegan dog food. I've talked to several vets about vegan dog food and they seem ok with it. Cats are a little more tricky they need a specific nutrient that is only found in meat as they are natural carnivores. There is a way to make vegan cat food but you have to buy a specific plant substitute and make the food yourself. I know some people who do make their own vegan cat food that their vet says is ok, but I'm going by word of mouth on the vet said. My cats do eat holistic/organic cat food, which does contain meat.

Humans are naturally omnivores or have been at least for the last 2.5million years.

 

[Scorpius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe Wright

sorry, but i dont get what you're saying here. im new to the site, did i offend somebody in some way?

Hahaha, no....this is just a popular topic on this forum.

There's a search feature that allows you to search for previous threads on different subjects so you don't have to start new ones.

FYI!

 

[Carley]

I have a dog and cat, they are both on a omni diet.

 

[Phatzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carley

I have a dog and cat, they are both on a omni diet.

I can see how an omni diet can work but I think its cruel to try and make them live on a veg diet, they're just not equipped for it.

 

[Carley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phatzo

I can see how an omni diet can work but I think its cruel to try and make them live on a veg diet, they're just not equipped for it.

they aren't on a veg diet because I believe they are carnivores

 

[AKTF]

ditto to what everyone else says. One of the major reasons why I, and several others too I bet, aspire to be vegan is because humans simply do not require meat or other animal by-products (in fact, eating animal by-products make less sense than eating meat, in my opinion). However, dogs and cats are not humans. To my knowledge, cats are carnivorous, and dogs are omnivorous (and even then, it's iffy). It just wouldn't do to make them eat vegetarian or vegan.

 

[nayrocks719]

Dogs, yeah, like people have said- they can live off of a vegan diet but I don't think it's preferred for them
Cats, on the other hand, are carnivores. A natural carnivore shouldn't be vegan. If all the cats were in the wild, they'd be killing animals anyway. I also think that is why it's their instinct to chase and kill flies that are flying around.

I don't think buying non-vegan/vegetarian pet food is supporting the meat industry. It's something that has to be done. The meat in that food is going to animals who NEED it, not to humans who just want it.

 

[LittleOne89]

I believe that my cats are carnivores the same way I believe that I am not. We have our differences and I recognize that. All that being said, I feed my cats meat-based cat food because I don't believe they belong on a vegan diet, unlike myself. However, although they do eat meat, they eat an organic cat food that is from a company that does not test on animals. That's where I throw my part into it lol Plus my vet gave me a whole list of companies that have really good food, adequate food, and then basically pet 'junk food' as she called it lol They're sectioned off into lists and from those lists, I checked to see which of the 'premium' brands tested on animals and which did not. And that's how I decide what to buy for them

That way they're healthy, happy, and I'm happy too.

 

[nayrocks719]

I thought humans weren't originally omnivorous. If we were, we'd find the squirrel across the street rather appetizing, want to pounce on it, and eat it.

http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg3.htm