For vegans and others with doubts about the animal industry, caring for a carnivore comes with a serious moral dilemma. Some say vegan cat food is an ethical solution. But is it fair to feed carnivores a plant-based diet?
Instead of sticking with the tired argument that vegan cat food is offensive, I decided to give a better answer. I wanted to know the truth about vegan cat food.
Brace yourself: the topic of vegan cat food and whether vegan cats can thrive is fraught with complexity. There is a lot of misinformation on this topic and I will try to set the record straight.
Is Vegan Cat Food Nutritionally Adequate?
As a result, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to feeding cats. I have met cats that like to eat mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, my cat, Conrad, is not one of those obliging types. He wouldn’t eat a spoonful of vegetables if you offered him a lifetime supply of catnip. Still, Conrad is surprisingly happy to eat something that few cats will touch – he adores fruit. He will eat any fruit. I fed Conrad apples, bananas, cherries, and even blueberries. As long as I break open the fruit and feed it by hand so the tongue can tear into it, Conrad is the happiest man on earth.
Of course, fruit does not begin to provide all the nutrients a cat needs. So, it’s not enough just to find a portion of vegan food that your cat will eat; you need to build a diet that offers adequate nutrition. Providing tolerable vegan nutrition for cats is a intimidating task.
The Nutrients Vegan Cats Needs
Humans only need nine types of amino acids, all of which are found in abundance in many vegan foods. In contrast, cats require eleven different amino acids. And these two extra amino acids, taurine and arginine, are not commonly found in plant foods. Taurine and arginine are not just desirable for cats, they are essential – without enough taurine, your cat will go blind.
Fortunately, taurine and arginine are easily synthesized from vegan sources. Any reputable brand of vegan cat food will therefore include taurine and arginine in their ingredients. But taurine and arginine alone will not cover the nutritional needs of a vegan cat. Cats usually get most of their vitamin’s A and D from animal sources. And then there’s the matter of arachidonic acid, an animal-derived ingredient that no one outside the cat food industry has ever heard of. Again, however, all of these nutrients can be obtained from plant sources. Every vegan cat food on the market should contain all of these vital nutrients; just check the list of ingredients on the product label to verify their presence.
Finding Food for Your Cat Will Like
So why did I dwell so much on how hard it is to feed cats a vegan diet? You just have to find a good brand of vegan cat food and make sure it contains all the nutrients I’ve described above, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. As we’ve seen, switching to vegan food can be a tough sell, no matter how expertly formulated and nutritionally balanced the brand you’ve purchased. And worst of all, since there are only a few vegan cat foods on the market, your cat may hate them all. What to do next?
Preparing Vegan Cat Food from Scratch
All is not lost. Your next step is to get the book Obligate Carnivore by Jed Gillen. Gillen examines the issue of vegan cat nutrition in great detail. It also includes recipes for vegan cat food that you can make right in your kitchen. Because cats have different tastes, you may need to try a variety of recipes before you find one that your cat will find satisfying.
There is nothing more humiliating than spending thirty minutes lovingly preparing a batch of cat food, only to have your cat give it a cursory sniff and then walk away in disgust without even bothering to taste a bite. When this happens, you can usually count on your cat to shoot you a look of disdain over her shoulder as she walks behind the sofa.
But with persistence you can achieve success. Once you find a recipe that your cat likes, you must add a specially formulated amino acid and vitamin supplement to all future batches. The most popular brand is called VegeCat, which can be purchased online. Do not add these supplements to a test batch of homemade cat food until your cat approves of the recipe. These supplements are expensive and it’s stupid to waste them on a test recipe batch that won’t be eaten.
The Cost Savings of Homemade Vegan Cat Food
Some people prefer to prepare their cat food from scratch. This will surely save you money. Homemade vegan cat food is much cheaper than store bought.
This is because you save a lot of money by making your own food instead of buying packaged vegan cat food. Commercial brands of vegan cat food are up to ten times more expensive than some conventional brands. So, the amount of money you save by making your own cat food is significant, especially if you have more than one cat.
If you go the homemade route, always add a supplemental mix to each batch of food you make. Otherwise, your cat is guaranteed to develop serious, life-threatening deficiencies. It takes less than half an hour to prepare to make a batch of food that will last in the fridge for two weeks.
Summary
For vegans and others with doubts about the animal industry, caring for a carnivore comes with a serious moral dilemma. Some say vegan cat food is an ethical solution. But is it fair to feed carnivores a plant-based diet? Humans only need nine types of amino acids, all of which are found in abundance in many vegan foods. In contrast, cats require eleven different amino acids. And these two extra amino acids, taurine and arginine, are not commonly found in plant foods. Taurine and arginine are not just desirable for cats, they are essential – without enough taurine, your cat will go blind.
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