this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2024
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Out of the loop

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What happened in the vegan community?

I hadn't heard about any of this until seeing that ToS post.

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That article basically says what the study says. There is no real evidence that a vegan diet is healthier for cat; they point to owner bias as the cause of any perception that these studies show it is healthier.

My point was that there is no evidence that a vegan diet is impossible for a cat. I wouldn't try it because we don't know it's safe, but we also don't know that it's necessarily unsafe. I'm just bothered by people who jump to "vegan diet equals dead/tortured cat" because we don't have any evidence that supports such a dramatic claim.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Nah mate. You literally said " there is isn’t clear scientific evidence to conclude it is inately worse" and then tried to link to a faulty science study that got debunked.

Vegan diets for cats are notoriously difficult due to the fact it runs completely counter to the diet a cat has evolved to process. If you're so dedicated to the vegan ideal that you will attempt to force an obligate carnivore - key word obligate - to consume a diet completely contrary to its digestive system then why are you keeping a pet in the first place?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

Sorry for my imprecise response. The article you linked is talking about the "Vegan versus meat-based cat food..." study specifically. I was refering back to the study I referenced in a previous comment, "The Impact of Vegan Diets on Indicators of Health in Dogs and Cats: A Systematic Review.". The systematic review is essentially a big picture analysis of 16 other studies, 6 specifically about cats. The "Vegan versus meat-based cat food..." study was not included.

The systematic review says there is not enough evidence at this point to say whether a vegan diet is better or worse. I still stand behind "there is isn’t clear scientific evidence to conclude it is inately worse".

I'm not putting any pets on a vegan diet. First, I don't personally follow any vegan practices even for myself. Secondly, it's risky at this point, and I don't have enough resources (time, money, attention to detail) to minimize those risks. I keep pets because animal shelters kill animals that they do not have the capacity to support. I can imagine others, even those who practice vegan lifestyles, would commonly cite a similar motive.