Cats Be Vegan? Or what about dogs, can they be vegan?
This is a question I get a lot when people see my furry babies.
The topic of vegan pets is a very controversial one. Many people strongly believe that dogs are carnivores and have to eat meat. Others believe that dogs are omnivores and they can eat a plant based diet.
The truth is that dogs can thrive on either diets. Including a plant based one!
This is hard for so many people to believe, but it’s true. Dogs are omnivores. They can thrive on a plant based diet.
Cats, on the other hand, are very different than dogs. So, can a cats be vegan?
Well…. the answer is no, they cannot safely or healthfully be put on a plant based diet.
Dogs are domestic animals now. The commercial dog food that they eat is not natural at all.
Eating animals such as cows and pigs is not natural for dogs.
If people knew what went into dog food today, they would be shocked.
In fact dog food is made out of food that is unfit for humans to eat, but legal for dogs to eat.
It is made out of heads and other body parts of cows and pigs that humans don’t eat, and all of the euthanized cats and dogs from shelters. The Dog Food Advisor states what is typically found in commercial dog food:
Slaughterhouse waste (organs, heads, hooves, beaks, feet)
- Bread and cereal rejects (cobs, stalks, mill sweepings)
- Dying, diseased and disabled farm animals
- Road kill (deer, skunks, and raccoons)
- Contaminated grain middlings
- Distiller fermentation waste
- Spoiled supermarket food
- Euthanized cats and dogs
- Restaurant grease
- Dead zoo animals
It is very dangerous, and very common. If you go to any rendering facility in North America that makes dog and cat food, this is what goes into it. Many companies falsely label the ingredients on the food.
Another way companies sneak these products into food without the consumers noticing is by labelling the ingredients as “animal fat.” or “animal ____” or “meat.”
Basically, whenever any ingredient is labelled as “animal,” or “meat” without specifying what animal it is, it’s usually cats and dogs.
So pets are actually eating their own species now. The food is not natural for them.
All the diseases that dogs are getting, and cancers, and even mental illnesses such as depression… these are not natural for dogs to be getting! They get these diseases from the food that they eat.
Many veterinarians actually recommend and put dogs on vegetarian diets. It is very healthy for them, and can help with a lot of conditions such as arthritis.
Almost every veterinarian office and pet store now sell reputable brands of vegetarian dog food.
One of the oldest dogs in the world, named Bramble, was 27 years old. Did you know that he was a vegan dog?! There are thousands of dogs following a plant based diet all over the world.
There are many studies showing that it has no harmful effects on the dog, and actually comes with a lot of benefits.
Vegetarian dogs regularly have blood tests done to make sure they are still getting all of the nutrients that they need, and they get them all!
Cats are entirely different. They need meat to be healthy. Unlike dogs, cats cannot thrive on a plant based diet. So remember the answer is no if someone asks, “can a cats be vegan?’
They can get extremely sick or even die. Lew Olson has a PdD and wrote a book called Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs.
He wrote about how dogs can be healthy on vegan diets, but not cats. He made a great analogy: “Trying to feed a cat a vegan diet would be like me feeding my horses meat.
You’re taking a whole species of animal and trying to force it to eat something that it isn’t designed to handle.”
Cats are not omnivores like dogs- they are strict carnivores. Many nutrients that they need can only be obtained from animal tissue. They are predators, and they love fresh kill.
Their natural diet is mostly protein and fat, with very minimal carbohydrates. Commercial cat food has lots of carbs in it, which is why many cats have problems with weight gain.
Overall, it is healthy to feed your dog a plant based diet, but it is always great to talk to your veterinarian first!
They will be able to let you know of a reliable vegetarian dog food brand in your area.
So if you have ever wondered can cats be vegan or dogs, I sincerely hope this article helped. Be sure to share this post on social media and leave a comment below.
