Can Cats eat vegan?

Do you want your cat on vegan based diet?

This is a controversial topic!

There is evidence that people have put cats on a plant based diet with success. Then we have the naysayers saying it will make them sick.

Then we have some people wondering WHY! Why is it necessary to make a cat vegan.

Meet my cats, Ziggy (right) and Moxy.

Both are big healthy five year old’s, weighing in at 17 pounds each. That is a lot of cat!

It is just about their dinner time and they are excited to get their evening meal. These boys prefer liver and beef with poultry coming in second. They aren’t the fishy kind of guys!

They also like dry food with meat or poultry. Dry food tends to dehydrate kitties. For that reason I have a cat water fountain running 24-7 to entice them to drink plenty of water.

They like a little catnip now and then. They sometimes nibble on grass but it doesn’t stay down.

Now I can only imagine what they would think if I put down a plate of sweet potatoes, carrots, peas and spinach! I had better hide my shoes.

Could they become plant eaters?

If you are plant based for ethical reasons, you may want to include your cats on a plant based meal. Is it safe? Should you try? It is much easier for dogs. I regularly made stew for them.

Cats are so picky anyway. They are so selective about their meat choices that tempting them with plant food seems laughable. They can go for days without food to make a point. Not good!

A VERY small amount of green beans, sweet potato, pumpkin, peas, berries, spinach, carrots, parsley might be safe, but cats could not eat enough to get the calories and nutrients to stay healthy. We also don’t know what kind of effect a food might have.

Plants could be dangerous.

I am not certain it is safe myself. Even humans are sensitive to different plant foods. Nightshades, lectins, oxalates, sulfur, are all potentially toxic.

A cat of mine died after nibbling on miniature palm leaves in a flower arrangement. The list of houseplants that are toxic to cats seems endless. Lilies, hydrangeas, azaleas, palms, ivy’s, succulents and some herbs are just for starters.

Changing a diet or environment can put stress on a cat. A sharp increase in oxalates and a high level of stress can cause urinary tract blockage that can kill your animal within 24 hours without emergency care.

When my female cat stopped using the litter box and had blood in her urine, it was the beginning of kidney failure brought on by stress. (This is her, she is still here). She requires a special food and separation from Moxy and Ziggy.

Cats need a very delicate balance of protein and carbs. Just a little bit of plant food can put their digestive system out of whack.

Cats need Taurine!

A high protein and low carbohydrate diet is what a cat needs. Taurine comes from protein.

Taurine is a complex amino acid in meat that is essentially balanced for cats. With plants, they would have to get a wide variety and may not get what they need.

Long term heart, digestion and reproductive issues can be a result of Taurine deficiency. Your cat could have heart failure or go blind before you realize the diet is the cause.

Sometimes I give my cats a little cooked sweet potato if they have diarrhea from too many Temptations treats. However if I sneak in a dime sized dollop with their dinner, they eat around it.

No more than 5% carbohydrates!

Vegetables as a rule are high in carbohydrates. Wheat, rice and corn are the highest. It is one reason why savvy cat owners try to find cat food without grain fillers. The cat’s digestive system just cannot handle it.

Just changing a flavor of cat food to something a little higher than your pet can digest and he will vomit up the food. Frequent vomiting is not normal in a cat. Try raising the meat to carb ratio and if that doesn’t work, take him to the vet!

FYI, they could be wolfing down their food. I sprinkle on a little Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach formula to slow them down.

Cats seem to know to eat a little cat grass when their tummies are upset. It makes them throw up, but then throws off their nutrients.

Chew the fat!

Cats can tolerate higher levels of fat but keep a close eye out.

Loose stools, weight gain or lethargy could be signals that he is getting too much. Fat can be about 15% of their diet.

Keep in mind that if a cat was in the wild, his prey would likely be very lean meat. That paunch is not healthy for a cat no matter how endearing it looks.

Fat added to canned food is not something they would find out in the wild. What appears to be a fatty gravy could be from thickeners to make a gravy that cats seem to like.

Top rated cat food – Blue Buffalo.

So no, my cats are not vegan. I try to buy the best I can find that my cats will eat.

Blue Buffalo is a top rated food. Click here to get a cat food comparison and coupon. For dry food, I use Blue Buffalo, Taste of the wild, Nutrish and sometimes Fancy Feast when they get picky.

I use Orijen when I can afford it. My cats do not care for the Blue Buffalo wet food.

For wet, I sometimes use Weruva, Merrick, Tiny Tiger or Tikki Cat. Mostly I use Fancy Feast and Sheba. A vet told me that Fancy Feast was not nutrient dense. I have never found a recall on it and my cats like it best (but only the grilled variety).