Vegetarian Cat Food
 | "The AAFCO (Association Of American Feed Control Officials) has now made Taurine a requirement in cat food, so every product labeled 'approved' by the AAFCO does contain a minimum of 0.1% Taurine. That being said, we no longer have concerns about cat blindness due to a vegetarian diet. " |
Vegetarian Cat Food is an issue for some people, saying that it is cruel to the animal and that cat owners should not force their beliefs on the cats. They say that cats are not as adaptable as humans or dogs to this kind of diet and that many of them will suffer illnesses or go blind because of nutritional deficiencies.
Okay, we've been vegetarians for over 20 years and all of our cats (total of 4) have not gone blind, or had any repercussions from this diet. Actually our cats are exceptionally healthy and energetic. They have beautiful fur, healthy teeth and claws and their growth hasn't been stunted at all.
The fact is that our vet says that he rarely sees cats as healthy and beautiful as ours - remarkably so since they grew up without a cat mother - and that we must really take good care of them. Thanks for the compliment, doc!
In all fairness, I have to say that our cats live outside. They were born outdoors and have always lived outdoors with only occasional 'field trips' into the house. So, they would be able to hunt and get their own food if they feel the need to, but so far (except for occasional attacks on bugs or geckos) our cats like their veggie food. They don't seem to be very interested in hunting. As far as we know, they have never killed a bird or other small animal. We expected that there would come a time when they would but they never have. They're homebodies so I do think we would see some evidence of a kill.
The biggest problem in connection with a vegetarian diet is supposedly a deficiency in the amino acid Taurine, which cats cannot synthesize. The deficiency can lead to eye problems, blindness and heart problems.
The AAFCO (Association Of American Feed Control Officials) has now made Taurine a requirement in cat food, so every product labeled 'approved' by the AAFCO does contain a minimum of 0.1% Taurine. That being said, we no longer have concerns about cat blindness due to a vegetarian diet.
After we weaned our cats from the kitten milk formula (as they were abandoned and bottle fed), we started first with wet veggie canned food. Seeing that they could handle eating just fine, it wasn't long until before we started to introduce them to the dry food.
We eased them into it by adding some water and letting the dry food soak until it forms 'gravy' (20 minutes should do the trick) and the food gets soft but not mushy. Now they usually eat it dry since it helps to clean their teeth but we sometimes alternate just to give them a little variety.
The cat food we use is called Evolution Gourmet Pasta. It is AAFCO approved and our cats really like it (Even the neighbor cat comes to try and sneak some). It also comes in a cheese flavor, but our cats don't like cheese that much, so we stick to the Gourmet Pasta. Since we have 4 cats, we usually buy the 40lb bag, which is a lot cheaper in the long run. The only problem we have with it is that it gets sold out a lot in our area so we really have to plan ahead. Who knew that veggie cat food would be in such high demand??
There is a big cat shelter and clinic nearby that uses this vegetarian cat food to feed their many (and boy do I mean many!) cats. We usually buy it at the shelter or alternatively, at the natural foods store - although it costs more there.
We live in Hawaii so the shipping is cost prohibitive for us, but you can also order the Evolution cat food (and dog food) online and have it delivered to your door. Evolution also makes a canned wet food if that is what you prefer to feed your cat.