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Vegetarian Pets
Started
by Cat L.
on November 7, 2009
Hi!...just wondering has many of ye guys out there got pets who are vegetarian?...i got 2 cats and when i turned vegan i decided i would turn them vegetarian....bad idea, cause they didnt like the food i was feeding them/wouldnt eat it and thus then had to resort back to meat based pet food!!!.....anyway, my second question is could anyone recommend a stockist/site that sells really tasty vegetarian foods for cats!....or is it a bad idea for cats to be vegetarians ie. being carnivores naturally etc...thanks everyone!..hope ye are all enjoying the community!...
I was just toying with that idea for my pets too, but I think you are correct about them being carnivores naturally, and that is what their body needs. I would check with your vetanarian or a natural vet first. Good luck
I haven't made my pet a vegetarian, BUT I do feed my dog organic food, it's supposed to not have any anti-biotics or added horomones in it. It's a little pricey, but totally worth it and my puppy loves it =)
I feed my dog and cats organic foods too, and even though I am not feeding them a vegetarian diet, I still add veggies to their meals and in replacement of treats (sweet potatoes, carrots, etc)
Two places I know that have vegan cat and dog food are petfoodshop.com and vegancats.com. My roommate feeds his dogs vegan food because they (especially the smallest one) had digestive issues with meat and mainstream dogfood in general and they are quite healthy, their vet never complains. With cats, who are natural carnivores (dogs are omnivores), you have to make sure that they are supplied with taurine in their food. This is synthesized in vegan cat food and happens to be synthetic in mainstream "meat" based catfoods as well. Another thing about vegan cat health is you have to get them tested at the vet after switching foods to make sure they have no crystals forming in their urinary tract which I think is linked to a pH imbalance. I think many interested people have been able to switch their cat to a vegan diet with some effort.
Also I think vegancats.com offer 2 or 3 levels of starter kits so you can figure out which flavor your cat enjoys most and also make food yourself with the vitamin/supplement mix (probably more cost effective). More information is provided on the food sites and in the book (I'm sure available on one of those sites) "The Obligate Carnivore". I hope this information helps - Good Luck!
P.S. Both of those are U.S.A. sites - but I'm quite sure they offer help on shipping overseas. There is a brand called Ami Cat Vegan Cat Food based in Italy that is available in Europe and available on vegancats.com as well and probably a few other websites.
Even though I did not write the blog for this topic I want to say Thanks Candy, very informative and it sparked an interest for me
yes, thanks everybody for all your information..it is very helpful....i would like to get my cats veg/vegan so will definitely look into the sites that you mentioned!...x
My dog (Great Dane) loves when our CSA box comes. She "helps" me when I look through it and likes to try to steal things to eat. Have a small garden size area where we throw all the dying produce she eats everythin including the chilis. I try to make sure there is a serving of lefover soup for her too! She eats non-red meat dog food. Makes clean-up much easier.
Don't forget that a domesticated animal like a dog or cat has a more sensitive digestive system than our own and that, should you choose to go veg with them, do so in steps. Switching 'cold-turkey' from one food to another can cause food avoidance, diarreah, etc. Start of with a 75%-25% ratio (75% being their regular food) for a week. Then increase to 50/50 for another week. Then 25/75 another week and then 100%. Another benefit (aside from avoiding a shock to their system) is that you will be able to slowly monitor your pets reaction and choose what's best.
I recently read this article and thought you might find it interesting- http://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/veggie_dogs/index.html . It seems that there are several choices for feeding dogs vegan, but in the footnote it says that cats should not eat a vegan diet, as "most cats exhibit a failure to thrive on the diet or stop eating. " best of luck!!
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