It’s a microcosm for science denial or misunderstanding of all kinds. Vegan cats and antivax may not seem related but the underlying misinformation is not dissimilar.
I tried following up on the vegan cat research being posted and it was very difficult to get a solid answer. There are multiple brands of vegan cat food marketed and sold, and it isn’t outrageous to believe that our industrial society could find an ethical way to source the necessary nutrients and enrich the cat food.
But also there’s very few studies that test the claims of the vegan cat food. What few meta-analysis exist, and anecdotes online, would suggest that all those foods lack certain critical nutrients for long-term feline health. But the anecdotes are drowned out by well-intentioned people who want to believe it works, and the studies are small, rare, hard to read, and locked behind paywalls.
It can be done, but it involves at minimum, monthly trips to the vet to make sure your cat is healthy, and if they’re not healthy, you don’t know until they are VERY unhealthy without the regular tests. So in general it is not a good idea. Keep a pet that naturally thrives on a vegan diet. Or wait till lab grown meat cat food is available if you really must have a tiny murder machine as a vegan.
Ironically the only studies that seem to indicate its anything but terrible for the cats are funded/conducted by either pet food manufacturers, or Vegan organizations. Not there’s even any actual decent studies done from what I’ve found.
It’s a microcosm for science denial or misunderstanding of all kinds. Vegan cats and antivax may not seem related but the underlying misinformation is not dissimilar.
I tried following up on the vegan cat research being posted and it was very difficult to get a solid answer. There are multiple brands of vegan cat food marketed and sold, and it isn’t outrageous to believe that our industrial society could find an ethical way to source the necessary nutrients and enrich the cat food.
But also there’s very few studies that test the claims of the vegan cat food. What few meta-analysis exist, and anecdotes online, would suggest that all those foods lack certain critical nutrients for long-term feline health. But the anecdotes are drowned out by well-intentioned people who want to believe it works, and the studies are small, rare, hard to read, and locked behind paywalls.
It can be done, but it involves at minimum, monthly trips to the vet to make sure your cat is healthy, and if they’re not healthy, you don’t know until they are VERY unhealthy without the regular tests. So in general it is not a good idea. Keep a pet that naturally thrives on a vegan diet. Or wait till lab grown meat cat food is available if you really must have a tiny murder machine as a vegan.
Ironically the only studies that seem to indicate its anything but terrible for the cats are funded/conducted by either pet food manufacturers, or Vegan organizations. Not there’s even any actual decent studies done from what I’ve found.