Natural feeding vs. vegan cat food
Being vegan in today’s world and society means facing up to a myriad of dilemmas. If you are responsible for at least one domesticated animal, a.k.a. you’re a “pet owner”, you’ve hit the dilemma jackpot. While it can be easy to abstain from consuming animal products yourself, how do you go about feeding your pets? What if you live with cats who are carnivorous by nature? Is vegan cat food an option?
Vegan cat food: Can my cat be vegan?
As a vegan you have eliminated any and all animal products from your household, you make sure to only buy cruelty free products and you might not tolerate other people bringing non-vegan food into your home. But then you happen to be owned by a cat, who is considered an obligate carnivore. First of all, what does the term “obligate carnivore” mean?
Obligate carnivores are animals that need other animals, dead or alive, as their primary food source in order to get optimal nutrition. Their bodies are made for the consumption of flesh. Sharp canine teeth, a short intestine and specific enzymes in their saliva and stomach equip them to thrive on an animal protein-based diet.
Like it or not, your cat belongs into this category. While dogs are more flexible omnivores, which includes them being able to thrive on a plant-based diet, cats have to eat “meat”. Your cat can be neither vegan nor plant-based without detrimental effects to their health. The difference between those categories we have covered in a previous article.
In recent years pet food manufacturers have dipped their toes into the vegan pet food business. Therefore, a few brands of vegan cat food are indeed available. As of yet there are no peer-reviewed long term studies on whether plant-based pet food could be a suitable substitute for animal-based pet food.
The majority of vegan pet food, especially the vegan cat food, also happens to be dry kibble. Many will view this as problematic, considering the controversy around dry food in general even among vets and researchers.
The hunter in your home and garden
Talking about controversy, if there is one big thing many cat lovers will argue and never come to an agreement about, it’s the indoor vs. outdoor debate. We will not get into that, but those who let their cats roam the outside world freely and those who keep their cats indoors only, will face with a different feeding scenario.
Your outdoor cat will most likely hunt whatever small prey animal crosses their paths. Mice, birds, bunnies, lizards – cats aren’t too fussy when it comes to hunting their own food. If they’re good at it, then maybe you’re going to worry a bit less about what to feed them at home. Maybe giving vegan cat food at home can be a good addition then.
Your indoor cat on the other hand is completely dependent on your food choice for them. Sure, many indoor cats are indeed very fussy and will protest certain products. That is, of course after you bulk bought a product they pretended to be crazy about the first time they had it.
What could your cats get their claws on without your help?
Standard cat food offers a small variety of “flavours”. Classics are chicken, salmon, tuna, beef (cow), pork (pig), rabbit or all mixed together in the so-called “meat cocktail”. Which of these animals, however, would your cat actually hunt, kill and eat given the chance in the wild or let’s say in a confined space where the potential prey couldn’t get away.
There is no doubt that the cow would be at no risk of even getting as much as a scratch. The pig would probably be a fun to be with playing comrade. And tuna fish and salmons actually come in impressive sizes that might not be super appealing for your cat. The poor chicken and potentially the rabbit might be the victims in this scenario, but even that isn’t guaranteed.
As cat owned humans, the Vegan Intelligence Team is facing this whole dilemma every day. We have to admit, there is no easy solution. We feed products based on smaller animals we can just about imagine the cats could hunt on their own.
This does include chicken, rabbit, but also the more “exotic” types like shrimps, crabs or cockles. Salmon and tuna-based products also make the shopping list. But we completely abstain from any product containing cow, pig, horse, deer or game. Are we at peace with that? Well, as described initially, this is and always will be the biggest dilemma for vegan pet keepers.
We are not claiming that our approach is the one and only correct one. It’s just a compromise we have made and will continue to make until the long awaited healthy nutritious and backed by peer-reviewed studies vegan cat food enters the market.
