Pet food

[liv]

Hi,

I've been a vegetarian all of my life, and have recently started transitioning to veganism which isn't too hard diet wise but a little tricky since I'm still at school and I'm living with my parents who cook at
lot with cheese, eggs etc.

We have two cats and I'm having trouble with the idea that most pet foods are probably not ethically sourced or held to the same standards as food produced for human consumption. At the moment my parents pay for pet food but I struggle with the idea of contributing to the meat industry in the future if I have my own pets. On the other hand, I would feel uncomfortable feeding my pets a vegan diet as it seems somewhat unethical and unfair to force my personal lifestyle decisions on a natural carnivore.

Anyone with more knowledge on pet food production or how pets might react to a vegan diet; any thoughts?

 

[Damo]

Hey.

I'm sorry to say that cats are carnivores, if you replace their food with plant based alternatives you're putting them at high risk. While you can probably find ethical based cat food online, I wouldn't recommend it. I completely understand the feeling by feeding your pets meat, but certain pets are just hardwired to eat that kind of diet.

 

[Vegan Artist BJT]

Smart balance has a vegan dog and cat food that is supposedly fine for them..

 

[Rory17]

Hi,

I've been a vegetarian all of my life, and have recently started transitioning to veganism which isn't too hard diet wise but a little tricky since I'm still at school and I'm living with my parents who cook at
lot with cheese, eggs etc.

We have two cats and I'm having trouble with the idea that most pet foods are probably not ethically sourced or held to the same standards as food produced for human consumption. At the moment my parents pay for pet food but I struggle with the idea of contributing to the meat industry in the future if I have my own pets. On the other hand, I would feel uncomfortable feeding my pets a vegan diet as it seems somewhat unethical and unfair to force my personal lifestyle decisions on a natural carnivore.

Anyone with more knowledge on pet food production or how pets might react to a vegan diet; any thoughts?

Hi.
Cats can't survive on vegetarian diets (presumably, they also can't survive on vegan diets). However, dogs can. One person who worked with dogs, though, has told me that dogs can suffer on vegetarian diets. There are however, brands that have vegan dog food, such as Benevo and Yarrah (I think). This is something you should research heavily first, before you get a dog.
If you feed a dog or a cat a non-vegan diet, but still wish to feed them ethically, I believe that Lily's Kitchen are said to be ethical. Their products could also be quite healthy for dogs and cats.
Best of luck.

 

[Rory17]

Cats are obligate carnivores and, as such, can't survive on a vegetarian diet, and may be even worse off on a vegan diet. However, there is such thing (I believe) as cat food that is more ethical, and the companies may apply better welfare standards for the farm animals used for the meat to be made into cat food. Co-op are known to be quite an ethical company on other things so, when I buy cat and dog food for the food banks, I often go with the Co-op own brands (however, Co-op only get a five on the Ethical shopping guide to Cat Food, Ethical Consumer webpage). Lily's Kitchen is known to be very ethical (I think it may even feature in the film "A Street Cat Named Bob").
Dogs, on the other hand, can survive on a vegan diet. However, apparently, they can suffer on a vegetarian diet. I'm not sure, though, if a good vegan diet could keep a dog alive and healthy, though... Unfortunately, I can't access the Ethical shopping guide to dog food at the moment. However, Lily's Kitchen also do dog food, and they are known to be an ethical brand...

 

[Vegan Dogs]

thousands of healthy vegan dogs and cats out there. I did a blog page summary of links to Bramble the vegan Guinness world book of records in 2002 vegan dog who lived 25 years healthily. plus little tyke the vegetarian lioness true story. if it were unhealthy or not possible those as well as the thousands of others would not have thrived and lived so long. take a read ! http://vegan-information.com/Vegan_Dogs_and_Cats.html

 

[Lou]

Study finds vegan pet food as healthy as meat

“Dogs, cats and other species have requirements for nutrients, they don’t need meat or any other particular ingredient.”

thehill.com

 

[silva]

Smart balance has a vegan dog and cat food that is supposedly fine for them..

Think you mean Natural Balance?

Vegetarian Recipe - Natural Balance Pet Food

www.naturalbalanceinc.com

 

[silva]

Cats are obligate carnivores and, as such, can't survive on a vegetarian diet, and may be even worse off on a vegan diet. However, there is such thing (I believe) as cat food that is more ethical, and the companies may apply better welfare standards for the farm animals used for the meat to be made into cat food. Co-op are known to be quite an ethical company on other things so, when I buy cat and dog food for the food banks, I often go with the Co-op own brands (however, Co-op only get a five on the Ethical shopping guide to Cat Food, Ethical Consumer webpage). Lily's Kitchen is known to be very ethical (I think it may even feature in the film "A Street Cat Named Bob").
Dogs, on the other hand, can survive on a vegan diet. However, apparently, they can suffer on a vegetarian diet. I'm not sure, though, if a good vegan diet could keep a dog alive and healthy, though... Unfortunately, I can't access the Ethical shopping guide to dog food at the moment. However, Lily's Kitchen also do dog food, and they are known to be an ethical brand...

Think that should be switched, as vegetarian diets would include egg which has beneficial fats.

The problem with comparing diets for cats so linked to what people can afford. Cats are of our own making domestic so I feel an obligation to do right by them. There are more ethical ways to source their food, but I've began leaning to feel it would be better to fund more veg options for them if you have the means to afford them.
We are more capable of synthesizing nutrients, and getting closer to lab grown meats

 

[Vegan Dogs]

Hi,

I've been a vegetarian all of my life, and have recently started transitioning to veganism which isn't too hard diet wise but a little tricky since I'm still at school and I'm living with my parents who cook at
lot with cheese, eggs etc.

We have two cats and I'm having trouble with the idea that most pet foods are probably not ethically sourced or held to the same standards as food produced for human consumption. At the moment my parents pay for pet food but I struggle with the idea of contributing to the meat industry in the future if I have my own pets. On the other hand, I would feel uncomfortable feeding my pets a vegan diet as it seems somewhat unethical and unfair to force my personal lifestyle decisions on a natural carnivore.

Anyone with more knowledge on pet food production or how pets might react to a vegan diet; any thoughts?

Plenty posts and links on this subject by me in the forum.

Plenty healthy vegan fed cats around for years.

Nutrients not ingredients are what matter.

Ps

Just news today....not petfood chickens rescued...

Educate others...vegan means no animal abuse no using animal bodies products...every egg laying hen meant 1 hatched male baby chick suffocated to death or ground up alive. Half of all eggs hatched are males.

Is it not enough that we have designed unnatural prisoner animals for show and entertainment ? We stress them to comply with a life as prisoners cut their wings they lead unnatural jail lives. Designed frankenstein animals.

No wild chicken or bird lays an egg every day. It is unnatural. Depletes their bodies of essential nutrients if not fed back to them or fed extra minerals.

Today...collected 2 backyard chicken male hatched roosters...50 percent of all eggs hatched are males...get suffocated to death or ground up in mincers alive age 1 day old if male non egg layers...for every backyard female egg laying chicken a baby hatched male died.

Their ancestors could fly...were free. Now look at the pathetic lives we humans impose on them.

Of course cow's milk involved death of baby calf taken from distressed mother...for breast and prostate cancer unnatural unhealthy drink for humans. Baby calves suck the fingers of those leading them to the execution slaughter. If not electric shock prodded pushed dragged and kicked.

2 eggs per week...increases prostate cancer risk by 60 percent.

Eating Eggs Linked to Cancer

Eating eggs is linked to developing prostate cancer, according to a new National Institutes of Health-funded study.

www.pcrm.org

Elvis and Pavarotti. 6 months old backyard hatched roosters.

There is no nutrient needed not available directly from plant and vegan sources.

My cat and dog are healthy fed vegan.

www.vegepets.com

YouTube 1st video uploaded...vegan rooster activists to crow veganism !

Link unlisted will be public listed in a few weeks when I start to crow !

Address?

Cluckingham Palace Pulford Chester !

Photo album started....

Pavarotti and Elvis – Google Drive

drive.google.com