ABOUT VEGAN CATS There are several vegan cat and dog groups for more information, just type in 'vegan cats' into the Facebook search bar.
If your argument against plant based cat food is that it is 'unnatural' despite the foods containing every nutrient and vitamin they need to thrive, I hate to break it to you but there is nothing natural about cats and dogs to begin with. Cats eating murdered cow, lamb, or duck is certainly not 'natural', nor is the existence of cats in general. So unless your cat is solely eating a diet of insects, mice, rats, and small birds, the food you feed them isn't 'natural' either. If you look at vegan cat food and compare it to non-vegan cat food you will see that the nutrients and vitamins are the same, just different ingredients.
Modern science makes it possible for cats to have nutritionally complete diets with synthetic ingredients, which are also in non-vegan cat food as well. So if they can live a healthy life without humans needlessly paying for other animals to be killed, why would that be a problem? It is the morally-superior option.
Cats do not need meat to survive. Technically speaking, cats need a specific assemblage of nutrients which meet all of their dietary needs, Chief among these are taurine, arachidonic acid, pyroxidine, methionine, and vitamin A. It just so happens that these nutrients are conveniently packaged in the proper proportions in form of fresh meat. It is also important that the cat's diet allows them to maintain a healthy pH balance between 6.2-6.4 Now, if modern science could provide a way to deliver these nutrients without the need for killing animals in horrific slaughterhouse conditions, would this be such a terrible thing? The commercial meat-based pet food industry creates a 'food' that is so far removed from the natural diet of the ancestor of the common housecat, and one that is so lacking in the essential nutrients that a cat needs, that they must supplement their product the very same nutrients that vegan cat food manufacturers add to their products (taurine, vitamins, minerals, etc....). Go read the label on your meat based cat food. Again, if this is the perfect food for them, then why the need for all of the supplementation? Furthermore, as a vegan, why would you choose to doom hundreds of animals to die in a slaughterhouse to feed a single animal that only exists due to human irresponsibility and hubris? Why love one animal and kill others? Isn't this the same question that we ask carnists? Domestic cats should not really exist, at all. Their existence is not natural, so talk about the natural diet of such animals is complete nonsense. People often claim that feeding their cat a plant based diet is cruel because it harms the health of the cat. Given that all of the required nutrients are present in such diets, i'm not sure where these claims arise. The fact is that if you are not feeding your cat live mice and insects, you have no place to judge a person who is trying to find a way to feed their cat in a more compassionate manner. If anything, forcing a cat to eat meat is 100% detrimental to the health of the cows, chickens, ducks, sheep, and fish that are killed in the factory farming industry. The meat based diet that you have chosen is not markedly more natural than a properly supplemented plant based offering. Many cats thrived on such a diet with the added precaution of careful monitoring of pH. I've been asking the question for years, and thus far, not one person has been able to explain how forcing countless animals to suffer and die in a slaughterhouse is a more humane solution than a healthy, properly supplemented plant based diet for your cat." -Andy Williams
VIDEOS (including from vets) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDpksTlEAyI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIMBX3jdYM0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlUtKpAMIxo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OajcTvH_xo0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr9mNID85no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrR4soiHOEw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYA1kTJCl1Y
"Don’t cats need a dietary source of Taurine? Yes- and the vegan cat foods we carry contain adequate amounts. Although Taurine naturally occurs only in animal tissue, synthetic Taurine has been produced on a large scale since about 1930. In fact, many meat-based pet foods utilize synthetic Taurine to meet nutritional requirements as well (most naturally-occurring Taurine is washed away during the rendering process)!" http://www.vegancats.com/veganfaq.php
"My veterinarian / some website / etc. says that cats and dogs can't possibly be vegan and be healthy. Are they right? The answer is, no. If we hadn't had experience in working with thousands of people over the years who have had lifelong vegan cats and dogs that are happy and healthy, we'd be inclined to agree. However, the proof lies in the fact that many, many people have successfully transitioned their companion animals to vegan diets without ANY negative health complications, proving the statement "cats and dogs can't be vegan" quite untrue. Of course, as we state above, some cats may have difficulties on a 100% vegan diet if they are prone to urinary tract issues, but that is not the case with every animal and cats should be treated as individuals. When a proper diet and supplementation regimen is given, most cats and dogs will be able to go fully vegan without any health issues. But, as the concept of vegan companion animals is still quite new (only a bit over 20 years since the first nutritionally complete foods became available), many people still look at it as a dangerous attempt at feeding, mostly due to lack of knowledge, or trusting their information from a source who does not have all the facts. Remember, there are still plenty of "experts" who to this day insist that a vegan diet for humans is somehow dangerous and unhealthy; you can only expect that many people who consider themselves qualified to give advice on diets for cats and dogs will insist a vegan diet is terrible for animals as well. We keep our fingers crossed that in due time, it will become accepted fact that a vegan diet can be very healthy for many animals, but as of now, there's still plenty of misinformation running rampant that is put out as fact." http://www.vegancats.com/veganfaq.php
http://www.amipetfood.com/en "Ami Cat is formulated to keep your cat in the best of health, improving their shape, hair, and muscular tone. Ami Cat is a complete and balanced food, enriched with Taurine, a vitally important nutrient for cats that must be included in their diet.
This essential protein with amino-acidic chain can now be reproduced without using meat, where it is normally present in the muscular tissue. The absence of Taurine in cats' diets can lead to serious diseases and/or death. Its presence in Ami Cat, together with the natural and healthy ingredients that characterize the product, keeps your cats in good health and fine shape. In addition to Taurine, Ami food contains other essential nutrients that cats require including preformed Vitamin A and Arachidonic Acid as well as B Vitamins and other Amino Acids.
Ami Cat also contains the right amount of magnesium to prevent the serious problems that can occur from its lack (hyper-excitability, soft tissue calcification, metaphysos swelling) or its surplus (uralthiasis and cystitis)."
Text by Tara Kaitlyn.
Source: facebook.com