Leading Veterinary Professor: ‘Vegan Diets Can Be Safe For Cats Too!’ (plantbasednews.org)
from Aqua@lemmy.vg to vegan@lemmy.world on 15 Jan 23:14
https://lemmy.vg/post/1290934

#vegan

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[deleted] on 15 Jan 23:29 next collapse
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jewbacca117@lemmy.world on 16 Jan 00:25 next collapse

The study they referenced had 127 cats, less than 10% studied were on a vegan diet. That’s not a very good sample size. Considering cats are obligate carnivores, going to take this with many grains of salt.

YarrMatey@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 16 Jan 08:41 collapse

It IS possible for a cat to have a vegan diet as long as the essential nutrients are supplemented and you work with a vet. One big thing is taurine, but the way meat is processed in cat food removes the taurine so it is added back with synthetic taurine anyway.

You can read more about this in this thread:

lemmy.world/post/18691022

Also what is an obligate carnivore, does it mean they have to eat meat?

“Some carnivores, particularly cats (family Felidae), are obligate carnivores, meaning they cannot obtain all the nutrients that they need from the plant kingdom and bacteria. In particular, obligate carnivores lack the enzyme needed to split carotene, obtained from plants, into vitamin A. Instead, these animals obtain vitamin A from the liver of their prey. Obligate carnivores are similarly unable to synthesize some essential very-long-chain, highly unsaturated fatty acids that other animals can make from shorter fatty acids found in plant.”

So, an obligate carnivore is an animal that needs to (is obligated to) obtain some nutrients by eating the flesh of other animals (or those nutrients would have to be supplied in a form the cat can absorb by means of supplementation). Cats do not have the long digestive tracts of ruminants to efficiently ferment raw starch or fiber, but that doesn’t mean they cannot digest plant matter at all. It also does not mean they are unable to obtain any nutrients from plants or from fiber. However, being an obligate carnivore does mean that their diet MUST provide certain nutrients from the flesh of other animals or from supplementation.

rawfedandnerdy.com/what-is-an-obligate-carnivore

Studies on cats eating a vegan diet? Science says we need more studies because it is not as black and white as all the people kneejerking about it are saying.

Whilst the quality and amount of evidence needs to be considered in formulating recommendations, there was no overwhelming evidence of adverse effects arising from use of these diets and there was some evidence of benefits. It is, however, recommended that future high-quality studies, with standardized outcome measures and large sample sizes, be conducted. At the current time, if guardians wish to feed their companion animals vegan diets, a cautious approach should be taken using commercially produced diets which have been formulated considering the nutritional needs of the target species.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9860667/

I learned a lot by listening to the original commenters I linked above. Hope this helps.

jewbacca117@lemmy.world on 16 Jan 09:11 collapse

So, you can make vegan cat food, but it would be heavily processed, which to me seems antithetical to the vegan movement.

YarrMatey@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 16 Jan 09:36 collapse

… what?

Cats are currently fed very processed food recommended by veterinarians. They would rather you not feed your cat (or dog) homemade meals unless they have some serious digestive issues going on and is done with a vet’s instructions and directions. Some vegans might prefer vegan pets. Some vegans don’t like the idea of a pet. But I don’t think processed food is a part of opposition. You could even say processed food is a part of the vegan movement since you need vitamins met. Maybe you think processed food is unhealthy? I disagree with that notion but don’t feel like debating it rn.

jewbacca117@lemmy.world on 16 Jan 09:51 collapse

If someone wants a vegan pet, a cat should be at the bottom of their list. They’re cute af but they are literally murder machines. If a cat goes outside, it will kill no matter how well it is fed.

YarrMatey@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 16 Jan 10:05 next collapse

Are you trolling? Like seriously wth are you even talking about anymore? I said some vegans prefer vegan pets, as in bunnies and guinea pigs. You know what, just disengage at this point. You are wasting my time and not ready to talk about veganism.

Sunshine@lemmy.ca on 16 Jan 13:46 collapse

I’m sorry you had to deal with a concern troll.

Sunshine@lemmy.ca on 16 Jan 13:53 collapse

Ummm that’s a red herring.

Boomkop3@reddthat.com on 16 Jan 08:47 collapse

I’m pretty sure cats do not have a strong enough digestive system for a plant based diet. I’d be interesting to see what they fed them

YarrMatey@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 16 Jan 08:57 collapse

Cats do not have the long digestive tracts of ruminants to efficiently ferment raw starch or fiber, but that doesn’t mean they cannot digest plant matter at all. It also does not mean they are unable to obtain any nutrients from plants or from fiber.

rawfedandnerdy.com/what-is-an-obligate-carnivore

Boomkop3@reddthat.com on 17 Jan 04:05 collapse

True, but just read a 3rd grade biology textbook. you’ll see how plant eating animals usually look fatter with how much more bowels they have.

They work the same (mostly), but you just need more of it