Can a cat be vegan?

It is possible to love and care for an animal in a way that enriches the lives of both the animal and the human involved.

It is also possible to raise a meat-eating animal such as a cat or dog on a vegan diet and thus reduce the overall amount of animal suffering and death in the world by not supporting the exploitative industries of fishing and meat-farming.

How to make your cat vegan

The best time to begin your cat on a vegan diet is when it is a kitten, but older cats can convert easily too. Make any changes to your cat's diet slowly. Change your cat's diet to our Vegan food gradually by mixing the old food with 20% of our food, slowly increasing the amount over several days. Mix the food in warm water or with any wet food. Be sure your cat is eating enough to sustain him, if not go back a few steps adding more of his old diet. If your cat is very old I would not try to make him totally vegan, you can reduce the amount of meat, chicken or fish feeding him mainly vegan food and only a very small amount of meat or fish. Even though your cat is still eating flesh of a dead animal the amount is greatly reduced.

VEGANPET dry food is an excellent base for your vegan diet. Just add the required amount of food daily as suggested on the label allowing for size, activity and age of your cat. You can feed it alone, mix it with any other food or pour warm water over it making it softer. Cats are different from most domestic animals feeding randomly through the day and night, eating only very small amounts. A cat normally eats 8-16 times over a 24-hour period, however adult cats can adapt to feed twice a day. Your cat will thrive on just VEGANPET dry cat food, however they really enjoy a variety of different foods as well.

Some other foods cats enjoy

Cooked mashed squash, sweet potato, sweet corn, rice, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, TVP or pasta with a creamy sauce. Always opt for low fat ingredients in creamy sauces. Fresh food is great too. Finely grated fresh greens and sprouts mix together well with an added whole grain cereal or brown rice. I recommend cooking the grains and rice with a vegetable stock such as 'Vegeta' and 'Rapunzel: Vegetable Bouiilon' to add flavour. Fruit should be fed alone before or after the meal because fruit is high in water and is digested rapidly. Favourite fruits are cantaloupe, banana, melon, berries and pear, but you can try any ripened fruit. Some additives to enhance flavour and add interest to your cat's food include seaweed, veggie bacon bits, sprinkles of brewer's yeast, spirilina powder, garlic, soya sauce or tahini. Cats can be poisoned by onions. Do not feed onions to your cat, either cooked or raw.

Be adventureous and try all sorts of mixes of foods for your cat, he will soon develop his favourite. Remember, they should be finely grated and root vegetables, oats and lentils etc need to be cooked. Always serve food at room temperature or slightly warmed with fresh water. Always be careful to incorporate enough VEGANPET dry food to ensure your cat gets its daily requirements.

Happy cooking, remembering all the time no animal has suffered to feed your pet.

Doesn't it feel great!

Cats' special needs

Taurine

Taurine is vital for cats' well-being. While other species can manufacture it in their bodies, cats cannot. Taurine is vital for a healthy retina (that part of the eye where images are formed). Deficiency will ultimately cause blindness. Cardiomyopathy (a disease where the heart muscle turns flabby, losing its ability to pump), reproductive problems, immune system dysfunction and many more problems arise from taurine deficiency. If acted upon quickly, some of these conditions can be reversed.

Unwittingly, many caring cat owners who feed vegetarian diets to their pet cats actually run the risk of causing them chronic malnutrition. Taurine is mainly available from animal sources with only trace amounts found in plants. All pet food manufacturers use synthetic taurine, being both easier to use and more economical. Synthetic taurine is used in Veganpet food.

Arginine

Arginine is an essential amino acid. A cat fed on an arginine-free diet will not only fail to grow, but will also quickly lose body mass. Other signs are vocalisation (moaning), tetanic spasms, extended limbs with exposed claws, apnea (absence of breath) and finally death.

Vitamin A

Because of the cat's short intestine cats cannot convert Vitamin A, or beta carotene, to retinol. Cats must be provided with a preformed source of vitamin A. Natural preformed vitamin A is found only in animal products where the animal has metabolised the carotene into vitamin A, storing concentrates in certain tissues, mainly the liver. Cats obtained their vitamin A in the wild by killing and eating the whole catch, including the liver. Synthetic Vitamin A is freely available and is used in all cat foods, wet or dry. Veganpet uses this vitamin A in its vegan cat food.

Niacin

Niacin is a B vitamin. The inability of cats to convert tryptophan (an essential amino acid) to niacin is not a major concern as it can be found in grains, yeast, and oil meals. A vegetarian source of niacin can easily be supplied.

Vitamin C

Unlike humans, cats make their own vitamin C. According to animal naturopaths, if a cat is unwell or old, added vitamin C is recommended. Some is included in Veganpet food as the makers believe that it can be only beneficial.

Fatty Acids

Linolenic acid is very easy to find, being abundant in seafood, flaxseed (linseed), canola and sunflower oil. Most animal and human species have the ability to convert linolenic acid into a balance of Omega 3, Omega 6 and other essential long-chain fatty acids (EFAs), such as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), Aa (arachidonic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Cats cannot do this. Aa is essential for healthy skin and coat and lipid transportation in the blood. This is recent knowledge and it was extremely difficult to find a vegan source.

DHA is essential for healthy eyes and brain function.

EPA is important in balancing the prostaglandins that affect chronic degenerative diseases. Cats get Aa, DHA and EPA from animals' flesh, livers and brains or from fish. The fish get it from micro algae. The micro algae provides vegan sources with all the long chain fatty acids, but they are extremely unstable and great care has to be taken in preserving them.

Enzymes

Natural enzymes have been added to assist in the digestion of fibre. This is an essential ingredient for cats due to their short gastrointestinal tract and rapid rate of food passage.

Veganpet Cat Food

In the making of this quality product, no animal has suffered.

This food is a complete and nutritionally balanced Vegan diet for kittens and adult cats. It meets all nutritional requirements according to AAFCO cat food nutrient profile for kitten and adult maintenance.

Ingredients

All ingredients are HUMAN CONSUMPTION GRADE. Organic rice, org. soya, org. corn, org. corn gluten meal, org. flax meal, yeast, brewer's yeast, org. sunflower oil, org. flaxseed oil, org. canola oil, barley grass, garlic, spirulina, kelp, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, FOS, yucca extract, omega 3, omega 6, linoleic acid, vitamin C, prebiotics, probiotics and essential fatty acids.

Typical Analysis

• Protein 30.0%
• Fibre 3.0%
• Ash 5.0%
• Fat 11.6%
• Moisture 8.7%
• PH 5.7
• Calcium 0.95%
• Magnesium 0.16%
• Niacin 60mg/kg
• Phosphorus 0.80%
• Calcium:Phosphorous ratio 1.2:1
• Energy Value 1700 kj/100 grm
• Taurine 0.10%
• Retinol 15,000 IU/kg

Feeding

Every cat has unique food requirements. We have included an approximation of minimum amounts needed to provide the necessary nutrition for an adult cat (adjust for age, activity and other foods provided).