Vegetarian Cat Food
As more and more people are focusing on healthful and ethical eating habits, many of them wonder about their pets as well. While serving your cat vegetarian food is an option, you should always be aware of your cat's specific dietary needs.
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Feline Diet Needs
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By nature, cats are carnivores. They need the protein taurine that can be found in animal muscles. While this does not mean that your cat cannot eat vegetarian, it does mean that you need to be aware of this and provide necessary supplements. A taurine deficiency can lead to blindness and death.
Benefits
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While cats themselves don't have ethical qualms about eating meats, their owners may. Aside from your own peace of mind, vegetarian offerings may actually be better for them. Evolution Diet, a company that offers vegetarian foods for pets, says that the diet may extend cats' lives. It rids their diets of all the extra fats, diseases and steroids that are found in regular pet foods.
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Problems
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Many veterinarians disagree with vegetarian cat foods, since proteins and supplements may not be digested by the body the same way as the real thing. This may cause health problems for your cat.
Consultation
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As always, if you have health concerns for your pet, you should always talk with your vet about your pet's specific needs. If you do decide to switch to a vegetarian cat food, your pet should be monitored to make sure that her body is adjusting properly to the new diet.
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References
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- Photo Credit cat food image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
