In an act to live a healthier life and to reduce our ecological footprint, humans have developed a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian diets cut out all products associated with meat, taking out a main environmental issue, which is slaughtering of animals. Aside from humans having a vegetarian lifestyle, some wondered if pets could also live this way. The issue with giving cats a diet that lacks meat is that they are known to be carnivores. Humans can have a vegetarian diet since we are omnivores, meaning we eat both meat and plants. But there is a main reason why cats are carnivores. Daniella Dos Santos, the president of the British Veterinary Association, told BBC Future: “cats are obligate carnivores. They require certain amounts of amino acids to be healthy, and the lack of these can lead to health problems.”
The Amino acids that plants lack is the main reason why cats can’t be fed a vegetarian diet. Scientists still say that cats could potentially live a vegetarian lifestyle, but it has to be done gradually. You have to let your cat's body become adjusted to the change in diet, you can’t just force the change immediately. While I personally disagree with making cats have a vegetarian lifestyle, some pet owners can make this decision ethically if they carry out the process slowly.
Is a Vegan Diet Safe for Cats? What Every Pet Lover Needs to Know (livekindly.co)
Why Can't My Cat Be Vegan? | ASPCA
This article was very interesting. I never knew that cats lacked the essential amino acids for breaking down a vegan diet. It is pretty cool that they can acquire those amino acids by consuming other animals. Overall, this article provided great information from Veterinary experts and advised pet owners to gradually switch pet food, if at all.
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