this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2024
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Cats are obligate carnivores. They have evolved to eat meat and only meat. A vegan diet can and will kill them.
My bias is minimal; I don't practice veganism for myself of my pets.
I think your opinion is completely ignorant. While there isn't clear scientific evidence that conclude a vegan cat diet is better, there is isn't clear scientific evidence to conclude it is inately worse. So, is your opinion based in reality or your intuition?
"However, there is little evidence of adverse effects arising in dogs and cats on vegan diets."
Domínguez-Oliva, Adriana, et al. "The Impact of Vegan Diets on Indicators of Health in Dogs and Cats: A Systematic Review." Veterinary Sciences, vol. 10, no. 1, Jan. 2023, p. NA. Gale Academic OneFile, dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010052. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
Naturally, organizations such as the ASPCA tend toward caution and advise against vegan diets, but your statement reaches far beyond that point.
Edit: I recognize my comment is a bit condescending. I do not mean to discourage discussion. I am genuinely curious and encourage your feedback. Please let me know if I'm missing something important here.
My opinion is based on fact. Alex Whittaker did a great takedown of that study, have an ABC brief
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.
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?
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.