Acceding to a study published this year in PLOS One (a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal), over one-third of pet owners in English-speaking countries, including the United States, have considered putting their pets on a plant-based diet.
However, experts warn to be more careful and cautious while doing so because science is sparse. They say while going vegan may be healthy for humans, it is not necessarily so for pets, especially cats.
Veterinary nutritionist at Tufts University Lisa Freeman says that the answer to the question whether cats can be healthy on a vegetarian diet is a big no.
She said, “Unlike dogs, cats are obligate or true carnivores, meaning they rely entirely on animal flesh for some important nutrients. Take vitamin A: dogs and humans can convert beta-carotene from plant foods into active vitamin A. Cats cannot, they need to ingest the vitamin directly with meat.”
Animal nutritionist at the University of Saskatchewan Jennifer Adolphe said, “There are also some fatty acids, like arachidonic acid, which is essential for cats and only found in animal fats.” Other challenging nutrients include vitamin D, vitamin B12, and taurine (an amino acid found in mammalian tissues). Taurine deficiency in cats can lead to heart disease and vision problems.
Adolphe said, “Yes, it’s possible to whip up a cocktail of supplements and sprinkle it over your cat’s porridge. But, you wouldn’t want to just simply add those ingredients and hope for the best.”
Please note that there is not enough evidence about the health of vegan cats.
Animal nutritionist at Tufts University Cailin Heinze said, “I don’t think there are a lot of people with advanced training in pet nutrition that think it’s a good idea to feed cats vegan.”
However, if you still want to have vegetarian pets, dogs are a bit promising. Whole-genome sequencing study of dogs and wolves have revealed that 10 genes related to starch digestion and fat metabolism have significantly changed over the domestication process.
Erik Axelsson, a geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden and the lead author of the study, said, “It’s therefore likely that dogs digest starch more efficiently than wolves.”
Heinze said, “There are some amino acids that are essential for dogs, that are not so for people.”
Adolphe advises pet owners to do some research before considering to put their pets on a vegan diet.
Heinze said, “Pet owners should do some homework to find out who is behind the company, if it employs a full-time qualified nutritionist, what kind of quality control measures do they use. The safest bet? Veterinary therapeutic diets.”
It is important to consult with a certified pet nutritionist. Nevertheless, there are a few new protein sources, which offer hope for owners who want their pets to eat less meaty diets.
