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What experts say about your cat doing Veganuary
Whether youve already started Veganuary for your cat or youre considering a delayed start, these are what the experts say about it.�
It can be hard to know what to do when it comes to diets, including your pets. From vegetarian to vegan and plant-based, new diets are on the rise for pets and Veganuary is a popular month for owners to try them out.
The information on vegan diets for cats is contrasting and sometimes murky, but here are the main takeaways from researchers and organizations.�
Some studies show vegan cats to be healthier
In 2023, a study published in the journal Plos One looked into the health benefits and dangers of a vegan diet when it comes to cats.�
With the help of owners, researchers surveyed over 1,300 cats over the space of a year and compared the health of those eating traditional meat diets to those on vegan diets.
The study found that vegan cats were 7.3 percent less likely to visit a vet with unusual frequency, indicating treatment for illness. They were also 14.9 percent less likely to be on medication and 54.7 percent less likely to be on a special therapeutic diet.
The study concluded that The pooled evidence to date from our study, and from others in this field, indicate that cats fed nutritionally sound vegan diets are healthier overall, than those fed meat-based diets.
Ensuring a nutritional Veganuary cat diet, however, can be difficult�
When it comes to a cats diet, its proven to be extremely difficult to ensure all nutritional needs are met, let alone on a vegan diet. In fact, studies have shown that commercially available vegan cat foods rarely meet all of a cats needs. Homemade diets consisting of recipes made by the owner are also hard to balance, whether its meat or vegan.
If a cats diet consists of poorly formulated vegetarian or vegan cat foods, the animal is at risk of a variety of nutritional deficiencies, according to PetMd.�
One large risk when it comes to a vegan diet for cats is the lack of taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that cats need for the running of vital tissues and organs including the heart, according to the Blue Cross.�
Cats cannot make their own taurine so they must have it in their diet. Taurine can only be found naturally in animal-based proteins and its really important for their eyesight, growth, and immune system, reports the organization.
There are companies that sell vegan cat food which will usually include supplementary taurine in a synthetic form. While it may be the case that taurine is available in vegan pet foods, it is unclear whether these are as bioavailable to cats as the natural form and whether they are ultimately able to provide sufficient long-term dietary benefits for your cat at all the stages of their life.
Cats are omnivores, unlike dogs
According to PetMd, Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that their anatomy and physiology are designed to receive nutrients from animal tissues rather than plants.
Dogs however are omnivored, meaning theyre designed to consume both animal and plant sources.�
The feline intestinal tract is significantly shorter than a dogs, even taking their different body sizes into account. A cats intestine-to-body-length ratio is only 4:1, in comparison to the canine ratio, which is 6:1, reports PetMD.
Cats have shorter intestines compared to dogs, as the food they eat does not contain much fiber and is easy and quick to digest.
Feeding a cat a plant-based diet is a lot like feeding a cow a meat-based diettheir digestive system isn’t geared to handle it, and they will not thrive on it, reports PetMd.
