• frostmore@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    if cats were vegan, they’ll be eating grass like the gazelles in the Serengeti.

    you don’t feed lions a vegan diet just like you don’t feed giraffes a meat diet.

    not that hard.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Cats do actually eat grass on occasion, although its typically as a digestive aid rather than for the nutrition.

      you don’t feed lions a vegan diet

      You don’t typically keep lions as pets. Elephants subsist on a vegan diet, but I wouldn’t try to feed them either. Their rate of consumption would bankrupt me inside a week. Even when I would feed a cat, its not like I’m just releasing live mice into the house. I feed them per-processed kibble just like I’d feed a dog.

      There do exist brands of “Vegan Cat Food” that have protein supplements that the manufacturers claim will meet the basic needs of the animal. Maybe a vet can give you better insight on the long term health impact, but it seems like we’re feeding our pets heavily manufactured food either way.

      • Fades@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        There do exist brands of “Vegan Cat Food” that have protein supplements that the manufacturers claim will meet the basic needs of the animal.

        that the manufacturers claim will meet the basic needs

        https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/cat/food-and-weight/can-cats-be-vegan

        Cats have specific nutritional needs, including protein requirements and amino acids (such as taurine and arachidonic acid). These needs cannot be met by a vegan diet without synthetic supplements. Additionally, taurine, (an amino acid, which is needed for many of your cat’s vital tissues and organs including their heart, eyesight, and immune system) is an essential part of a cat’s diet. Cats cannot make their own taurine so they must have it in their diet. Natural taurine can only be found in animal-based proteins.

        where is the science, the studies, etc. that prove the safety and benefits of vegan alt food (both short and long term studies that aren’t funded by said manufacturer)? Nowhere? okay then.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          https://www.benevo.com/vegan-cat-food-from-benevo/

          Benevo Cat foods contain all the nutrients an adult cat needs, including a wide range of vitamins (including A, B, D, E, K), essential fatty acids and taurine, without the need for slaughterhouse meat. Although obligate carnivores in the wild, domestic cats still need nutrients they would normally source from prey. Thankfully Benevo Cat contains all those nutrients in a bioavailable kibble.

          Benevo Cat is a professional cat food, created by Benevo in 2005, formulated and checked by independent animal nutritionists to meet the AAFCO(USA) and FEDIAF(Europe) guidelines for animal nutrition.