Woman Wanted To Get A Cat And Feed It Vegan Dry Food, Roommate Passes That On To The Shelter Worker And They Decline Her Application Interview With Author
It’s a well-known fact that having a pet makes your life significantly better. Of course, it’s a huge responsibility, and one should always plan ahead and be absolutely sure that they’ll be able to give the animal the life they deserve. It’s like taking care of a child, where your full attention isn’t concentrated on yourself anymore, and you’re now in charge of keeping someone alive and happy.
Some pets require a little bit more care than others, as their nutrition, diets and daily activity plans could vary. What’s more, it’s the owner’s obligation to understand the needs of their furry friend and follow the requirements, even if they don’t match their personal beliefs.
However, this Redditor shared a story about their vegan roommate and her grand idea of adopting a kitten that she planned to put on a plant-based diet. The post received nearly 18K upvotes and over 2K comments worth of engaging discussion regarding the seriousness of the situation.
More info: Reddit
Cats don’t do well on a vegan diet, but some people seem to think otherwise
Image credits: cloudzilla
The OP decided to take it to one of Reddit’s communities and find out whether she was wrong for getting in the way of her roommate and the animal shelter employee when she caught her lying.
Woman secretly wants to feed her cat vegan dry food but her roommate reveals the truth to the shelter employee
Image credits: hotsauce245
The woman started off by explaining that she has a roommate who is a vegan, who was actively looking into adopting a cat. Before visiting the shelter, the OP’s roommate purchased all the things that a cat could possibly need. However, once the food arrived, the OP was shocked as it turned out to be a plant-based dry food.
Image credits: hotsauce245
The OP tried explaining to the future pet owner that feeding a cat plant-based food, even if it’s allegedly made for cats, is not a great idea. Moreover, having just dry food in the diet could lead to several health issues. But sadly enough, the roommate didn’t listen and insisted on the fact that everything would be fine.
Image credits: hotsauce245
The OP gave up on the argument and drove her roommate to an animal shelter. Naturally, the employee began to ask several questions regarding the house situation and whether the women have any other pets. When she got to nutrition questions, though the OP’s roommate blatantly lied and said that she would be feeding her potential cat Hills.
The OP couldn’t believe it, so she waited until her roommate had her attention on something else and told the employee about her vegan diet plan. The application was denied and when the OP decided to tell the truth, her roommate locked herself in her room.
Image credits: hotsauce245
The roommate continued to use the silent treatment on the OP, and even received some critique from their mutual friend – until something suspicious happened.
The OP edited her post and updated the fellow Redditors about her roommate being mysteriously late, but as it turned out, she was busy buying a cat off of someone. The woman later revealed that she plans on feeding the cat separately as she already has a dog, so it won’t be a burden and that she will ask her vet to change her roommate’s mind and convince her about the benefits of feeding the cat meat.
Image credits: hotsauce245
Bored Panda contacted the author and asked her to give us a bit more information regarding the story:
The cat that the OP’s roommate bought turned out to be a 10-week-old kitten covered in fleas. The women took the pet straight to the vet, where he currently remains due to severe dehydration and treatment for an infection. The OP also said that the kitten is getting neutered and that he’ll finally be home tomorrow.
Image credits: hotsauce245
In addition, we asked the woman if there’s any advice she would like to give to people that plan to have their pets on a vegan diet. She revealed that the main tip would be to constantly stay in contact with your vet. Regular check-ups are a must, sometimes as frequently as every other month to ensure that the pet is doing well, as feeding a vegan diet to a carnivore isn’t easy, nor it should be.
The OP also mentioned that it’s crucial to research the species/breed before getting an animal. It’s equally important to ask yourself if you can provide the animal with a diet that it needs. If you can’t, there are plenty of other pets you can own that would be more suitable for you and just as fun.
Fellow Redditors supported the OP’s decision
I've run into this sort of malignant stubbornness. What I don't understand is why rigid vegans like this don't adopt herbivorous pets. Guinea pigs and rabbits can be very cuddly, and don't need meat to thrive.
They also require more space and care than most people realize. Did you know, for example, that rabbits need to continuously eat or else they develop something called GI stasis? They'll generally die within a few days once this happens. They need hay *every* day, they actually can't have carrots too often because they contain too much sugar, digging is instinctive and they will 100% destroy furniture, carpet, beds, clothes, and whatever else they try to burrow into, and they'll chew literally anything (wires, paper, cardboard, and baseboards are favorites). People need to do research on any animal they're considering for a pet, because a lot of information that gets passed around from word of mouth is inaccurate at best and completely wrong at worst.
I've had rabbits for YEARS and they are easily house trained, don't "continuously need to eat" (yes, Timothy hay should always be available but you can easily buy that cheaply and in bulk); they require essentially the same amount of care as a cat..
My cats destroy my furniture and cables despite the fact that I have scratching posts and have been trying to teach them not to scratch the chairs for 1.5 years now, but it's a lost case, my guinea pigs which I used to have before I had cats, never did that. And at least when I had guinea pigs I could cook undisturbed, now I am steering food and keeping the cats of the counter constantly (although, just 1 actually, the other one does respect my rules 🤣) Guinea pigs and rabbits you can put in a cage when you leave the house or go to sleep. Cats you can't. And yes, guinea pigs and rabbits always need to have food and hay available. But for cats it's also better to have food available 24/7, they don't overeat if they always have food because they'll automatically eat about 10 very tiny portions a day, not more than a mouse size (in the wild they also eat about 10 mice a day). So far if I were to say what I found easier to have, cats or guinea pigs, I would definitely say guinea pigs.
Yep, but that's not the point. The POINT is that if you are so damn adamant about feeding your pet a VEGAN diet, get a pet that can actually be healthy on a vegan diet, NOT OBLIGATE CARNIVORES LIKE CATS.
Wow, I had no idea. Not really planning on getting a rabbit myself, but this is great information to know about them.
Guinea pigs are just potatoes with legs.
Ideal for a vegan then!
🤣
It true! 🤣 Cute fluffy potatoes!
But they are cute, love to be cuddled and actually can learn tricks. And when they even have the slightest idea that they might get vegetables, you should hear the noise they make. Because veggies often come in plastic bags and from the fridge, they'll start associating fridge and plastic bags to veggies so any time they hear plastic and/or see you open the fridge they'll make noise. I taught mine that they would get veggies if I whistled. Hoped they would understand the difference from when I would open the fridge to get coffee milk or their veggies. Sadly enough my plan didn't work quite as well. But at least if I would listen Wind of Change by the Scorpions I'd get an entire bonus concert. I once thought that guinea pigs were boring creatures until I got them myself. Never was bored by them a single moment. And the way they popcorn is so funny. I miss them a lot, they got to live long and loved lives. The first I got was the last to pass though. He passed in my arms. Now I have cats
Why did you say that I just had a flashback to that video in Spanish class where grandma tips her favorite piece of the the potato of the fried guinea potato...........
That's what makes them so cute.
Screaming potatoes, which I need to stop thinking about.
As a vegan myself I don't understand people trying to kill cats by feeding them a vegan diet. It's ironic because our whole thing about being vegan is supposed to be compassion.
Yes, you're right. Cats are a specialized type of carnivore called an obligate carnivore.
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Wth cats can eat a vegan diet it wont kill them.
Yes, Crystal, a vegan diet WILL kill a cat, you stupid waste of human.
It will absolutely kill them slowly from chronic malnutrition!
Cats are carnivores! Through and through! They don't have the required gut bacteria to properly digest plants. They literally evolved to eat meat and nothing else. Cats require a LOT of protein to survive because that's what they evolved to digest. Plants don't have a lot of protein in general. Cats are not good at digesting carbohydrates. There are also essential nutrients that cats require that they literally can't obtain from plants... because again... their gastrointestinal tracts and metabolism have adapted to eating meat. So no... veganism is not possible for cats. Maybe in the future when we master lab meat growing, we can feed cats a diet that doesn't harm any animals, but for now... yiu're gonna have to be OK with some animals dying if you want to own a cat! Get sustainably farmed meat from farms with focuses on animal welfare for your cat... but you have to get some meat!
Yes, it will. Idiot.
Exactly, and they supposedly chose this diet because they care for life right? You'de be surprised how many horror stories about guinea pig abuse I've heard, yet media barely covers them in the way they do with things like malnourished dogs. SAVE THEM GUINEA PIGS
My cat is fed with dried food only, I tried every type of wet food on the market plus made her food myself and she just will not eat any of it. However, I get the best dry food available and my vet is happy with that. The food I buy is about 93% meat protein. I'm a vegetarian myself but I would never try to feed my pet that diet.
Thank you for sharing that Kay Blue
I have two cats. My older cat will eat some wet food along with his dry hill science food but my younger cat won't touch it. Some cats just won't. It's nice to that you tried so hard tho. 😻 Yay cat people!
Same here - my cat will not eat anything wet. I really did try. Like you, I get the best dry food I can afford and the vet says it's fine. In fact, although it increases risk of urine and kidney issues dry food has some benefits, like being better for her teeth. So not all dry food is wrong.
It's all benefit vs risk, even in human medicine and diet.
I had a cat that was the same way- but she would only eat MeowMix. wouldn't even touch tuna. she lived to be 13. it's a good idea to offer cats a variety of meat foods- wet, dry, natural, different flavors- but ultimately what matters is that the cat is eating and happy. my current crop of cats has dry food available 24/7 and gets wet food once a day. my eldest and youngest are on kitten dry food, the rest eat adult. my oldest is 15 and just had a vet visit about her pickiness in eating. he said her blood panel came back very healthy and just feed her whatever she'll eat.
Try this cat snack called squeezables. It's a liquid paste that my cat loves and she is not a big fan of wet food.
As long as your cat is drinking enough water there should be no issues arising from a dry only diet. Yes it's better to give a cat wet food also, but all of us know that cat eat and do what they want, and there is very little we can do about that. If dehydration becomes an issue mix the cats dry food in some water and try that.
Thank you for using logic...they have a lot of toppers now you could try. But yes your cat can get UTI's and stones...please give them filtered water too...all animals even humans shouldn't drink straight tap water
It does depend on where you live. We have great municipal water in most places in Mississippi. As long as you don't still have metal pipes which is rare nowadays but still exist in the country.
My cat only eats dry food and has a water fountain so she always has fresh moving water. She is on steroids for a dermatitis allergy, cause unknown, but I feed her high quality hypoallergenic cat food which is the only food she will eat. The only other things she eats are dehydrated chicken (treat after she gets her pill) and occasionally cheese - 2 slivers of grated mozzarella cheese.
Keep her off the chicken treats for a while and see if the dermatitis subsides. It is a really common thing for cats to be allergic to, and it is in so many food and treat products. Try dehydrated shrimp or salmon instead.
My vet doesn't believe her allergies are food related, he thinks it's environmental and that I am wasting my money on hypoallergenic food. As for the dehydrated shrimp or salmon, she won't eat it. She only get one cube of dehydrated chicken a day as a reward for having her pill because she doesn't like having to take pills. If I happen to skip one dose of her steroids, she gets sore puffy eyelids and itchy ears, and she cries and paws at her face. Thank you for your interest x
Fair. I have a chicken-allergic cat and it is ridiculous how many products have chicken in them. Like, it is tuna-based wet food. Can you just not add the chicken byproduct? Fortunately, my beasties are content with their salmon-oriented lifestyle with occasional beefy wet food, and the scratching-so-much-the-fur-is-gone has resolved.
Hi, I don't know about cats as I have a dog. But, my fur baby gets an allergy shot at the vet once or twice a year to help with environmental allergies. Maybe there is one for cats or something similar? ☺️ Try asking your vet if they haven't mentioned/offered it. Good luck with your fur baby!
See if the cat will eat t he dry food she likes dampened with water. Just let it soak in some water enough to make it soft to softish.
Same, my cat vomits after eating any sort of wet food. She can only eat dry food. We have a water fountain for her that appears similar to a fresh water source and she loves it and drinks lots of water daily.
Try sprinking her good with Parmesan. Cats love it for some reason. Learned this working at a pet store.
This comment has been deleted.
My cat just died today after I commented this. He had a stroke nobody expected. I'm deleting all of my comments
I’m so sorry for your loss Zoe 😭
This comment has been deleted.
Basically if they cant feed the carnivorous animal (even though dogs are not obligate carnivores they are carnivores not omnivores. They mostly survive off meat naturally which would make most people sick and unhealthy to have such a diet which is why we are omnivores we arent meant to have a mostly meat diet) they need to get strictly non meating eating animals. I am not vegan or vegetarian but I have rabbits. Rabbits are awesome. Every bit as fun, funny, intelligent, and trainable as a dog or cat. Also their poop is perfect fertilizer so if they have a garden. I raise mine for their poop and their company.
You tried thats what is important. Dry food is better than none as long as its formulated right. Thats why I say there are vegans and veganazis there are nazis in every group even those who feed dogs all vegan diets without there being a rare but major health issue are nazis about it. It doesnt matter that they can be one bit its not what is best for them and too easy to mess it up. I get they dont want to give money to factory farms where most pet meat comes from because its more than simply not killing animals (veganazis dont get what its really about typically which is why they are so unbending and unreasonable) but there are ethical farms. Ones where they dont suffer their whole life for the moment they become food or produce things we eat. Even egg and dairy animals suffer in large factory farms. The ones that dont get it though will get their vegetables from just anywhere though not realizing large factory farms for plants are doing so unethically and harming animals still
Dry food cannot physically be 93% protein. Lots of brands advertise that 93% *of the Guaranteed Analysis protein content* comes from meat sources. Drives me crazy as it's slightly misleading and way too often misinterpreted.
Feeding cats and dogs "vegan" is about the dumbest, most anthropocentric thing to do.
There is a huge difference between cats and dogs though. Dogs are omnivores, cats are very much carnivores and really can't eat anything else.
You are right. Still, before making your dog vegan and depriving him of a basic joy in his rather short life, I would try to convert more humans if the goal was to fight the meat industry/animal torture.
My dog had to be vegan for a while, he developed allergies to animal protein and we weren't sure what exactly so we had to remove them and reintroduce one at a time. Turns out the only one he could tolerate was salmon, and hypoallergenic concentrate wasn't readily available until we migrated to another country so my dog was mostly vegetarian for around a year. Yes, it sucked but we worked with our vet to provide a healthy diet under the conditions.
Was it Inflammatory Bowel Disease? One of my cats has that and it really sucks.
Its not different, Martha. Being an omnivore doesn't mean you get to chose to live as a herbivore or carnivore, your body still need nutritions from both. That vegans chose this lifestyle for themselves, fine. But you shouldn't force a dog, who has no say in the matter, to live as a herbivore and deprive them of half their natural diet. That's still animal abuse. I cannot believe you are suggesting its okay to force omnivore pets into a different lifestyle -being a herbivore. I hope you don't have one.
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It's not abuse to put an animal on a vegan diet if the diet is nutritionally safe for them. The only reason it's bad with the cat is because they literally can't have a healthy diet that's vegan. If an animal is capable of eating a vegan diet without health problems, and the owner wants to put them on one, there's nothing wrong with that.
The owner doesn't get to put their pets on a diet based on their life choice, they should put their pets on a diet that's as close as possible to their natural diet.
I don't think this really has anything to do with the op saying that it's bad to force your dog or cat to be vegan. It doesn't matter if dogs can eat vegetables, they still can't be full on vegan and need to always eat meat. That's the point. Sidenote, cats actually can eat grass.
Cats only eat grass once in a great while. They don’t, can’t, and shouldn’t eat a diet of strictly grass. I’ve had cats my whole life (and I’m 61, and presently have 3 cats and a dog), and always gave them a variety of flavors and textures. They get wet food once a day, have a bowl of dry out all the time, and both a bowl and fountain of water. Our cat who lived to be 19 and 1/2 years old always had a couple tablespoons of half and half in the morning. As far as Baz (and several of his predecessors, tbh) was concerned, Goldilocks totally nailed it—-milk was too thin, cream was too thick, but half and half was just right. Miss you, Bazzy!
You should also know, then, that lactose isn't good for cats and they should always be given lactose free milk if given on a regular basis. And yet.....
Correction: most cats are lactose intolerant. Not all, some can have milk and be totally fine. And they DO sell special milk that cats can drink as a treat. I buy it once in a while for my boys. Regardless a small ammount of milk or dairy once in a blue moon won't kill them.
No, no they cannot. Cats in no way can survive on GRASS. They MUST have a meat based diet to be healthy.
I'm a vegetarian and have been known to eat fake meat for the taste, but at least I know it's just meat-flavored empty calories! If you tried to make a human live on Impossible Burger or something, they'd probably die too.
Lol, no humans would do fine. Humans can synthesize Taurine, cats can't. But even if this nutrient would be added to the ingredients, it is simply experimenting with the cats digestive system. That is unacceptable!
Humans are still omnivores so we need nutrients found in meat. They might be able to replace them with specific diets and suplements but its not our natural diet.
That's what I meant - humans would not die. Don't get excited.
Exactly! So many long-term vegans end up being deprived of certain vitamines like B12 because that is found in meat. Supplements can help, but as someone who needs them because I have a chronic stomach condition that results in me eating too little meat, I can tell you things like grocery store supplements aren't good enough. The actual good vitamin supplements are those you get at medical centers and those aren't as easily accesible depending on where you're from. If you ask me, people should just cut back on meat but continue a natural diet.
I got insanely anemic living off too much fake meat last year because I am disabled and meat is hard to cook. Yes, living off fake meat isn't nutritional enough without a million other supplements and meals to back it up.
If we could be "truely vegan" you wouldn't need supplements and nutrition replacement pills. We are omnivores.
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Do you know what Taurine is?
Hello Tunk, glad you asked this question. You can google Taurine - but in my case Taurine is the amino acid one of my cats does not get enough of and might get blind, because she is on a soybean protein diet transition back to natural protein, because she has severe IBD, because she was rescued from a decade of street life and malnutrition.
I think you missed the point
Was was your point? Yes I do know what Taurine is?
Well said
I've run into this sort of malignant stubbornness. What I don't understand is why rigid vegans like this don't adopt herbivorous pets. Guinea pigs and rabbits can be very cuddly, and don't need meat to thrive.
They also require more space and care than most people realize. Did you know, for example, that rabbits need to continuously eat or else they develop something called GI stasis? They'll generally die within a few days once this happens. They need hay *every* day, they actually can't have carrots too often because they contain too much sugar, digging is instinctive and they will 100% destroy furniture, carpet, beds, clothes, and whatever else they try to burrow into, and they'll chew literally anything (wires, paper, cardboard, and baseboards are favorites). People need to do research on any animal they're considering for a pet, because a lot of information that gets passed around from word of mouth is inaccurate at best and completely wrong at worst.
I've had rabbits for YEARS and they are easily house trained, don't "continuously need to eat" (yes, Timothy hay should always be available but you can easily buy that cheaply and in bulk); they require essentially the same amount of care as a cat..
My cats destroy my furniture and cables despite the fact that I have scratching posts and have been trying to teach them not to scratch the chairs for 1.5 years now, but it's a lost case, my guinea pigs which I used to have before I had cats, never did that. And at least when I had guinea pigs I could cook undisturbed, now I am steering food and keeping the cats of the counter constantly (although, just 1 actually, the other one does respect my rules 🤣) Guinea pigs and rabbits you can put in a cage when you leave the house or go to sleep. Cats you can't. And yes, guinea pigs and rabbits always need to have food and hay available. But for cats it's also better to have food available 24/7, they don't overeat if they always have food because they'll automatically eat about 10 very tiny portions a day, not more than a mouse size (in the wild they also eat about 10 mice a day). So far if I were to say what I found easier to have, cats or guinea pigs, I would definitely say guinea pigs.
Yep, but that's not the point. The POINT is that if you are so damn adamant about feeding your pet a VEGAN diet, get a pet that can actually be healthy on a vegan diet, NOT OBLIGATE CARNIVORES LIKE CATS.
Wow, I had no idea. Not really planning on getting a rabbit myself, but this is great information to know about them.
Guinea pigs are just potatoes with legs.
Ideal for a vegan then!
🤣
It true! 🤣 Cute fluffy potatoes!
But they are cute, love to be cuddled and actually can learn tricks. And when they even have the slightest idea that they might get vegetables, you should hear the noise they make. Because veggies often come in plastic bags and from the fridge, they'll start associating fridge and plastic bags to veggies so any time they hear plastic and/or see you open the fridge they'll make noise. I taught mine that they would get veggies if I whistled. Hoped they would understand the difference from when I would open the fridge to get coffee milk or their veggies. Sadly enough my plan didn't work quite as well. But at least if I would listen Wind of Change by the Scorpions I'd get an entire bonus concert. I once thought that guinea pigs were boring creatures until I got them myself. Never was bored by them a single moment. And the way they popcorn is so funny. I miss them a lot, they got to live long and loved lives. The first I got was the last to pass though. He passed in my arms. Now I have cats
Why did you say that I just had a flashback to that video in Spanish class where grandma tips her favorite piece of the the potato of the fried guinea potato...........
That's what makes them so cute.
Screaming potatoes, which I need to stop thinking about.
As a vegan myself I don't understand people trying to kill cats by feeding them a vegan diet. It's ironic because our whole thing about being vegan is supposed to be compassion.
Yes, you're right. Cats are a specialized type of carnivore called an obligate carnivore.
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Wth cats can eat a vegan diet it wont kill them.
Yes, Crystal, a vegan diet WILL kill a cat, you stupid waste of human.
It will absolutely kill them slowly from chronic malnutrition!
Cats are carnivores! Through and through! They don't have the required gut bacteria to properly digest plants. They literally evolved to eat meat and nothing else. Cats require a LOT of protein to survive because that's what they evolved to digest. Plants don't have a lot of protein in general. Cats are not good at digesting carbohydrates. There are also essential nutrients that cats require that they literally can't obtain from plants... because again... their gastrointestinal tracts and metabolism have adapted to eating meat. So no... veganism is not possible for cats. Maybe in the future when we master lab meat growing, we can feed cats a diet that doesn't harm any animals, but for now... yiu're gonna have to be OK with some animals dying if you want to own a cat! Get sustainably farmed meat from farms with focuses on animal welfare for your cat... but you have to get some meat!
Yes, it will. Idiot.
Exactly, and they supposedly chose this diet because they care for life right? You'de be surprised how many horror stories about guinea pig abuse I've heard, yet media barely covers them in the way they do with things like malnourished dogs. SAVE THEM GUINEA PIGS
My cat is fed with dried food only, I tried every type of wet food on the market plus made her food myself and she just will not eat any of it. However, I get the best dry food available and my vet is happy with that. The food I buy is about 93% meat protein. I'm a vegetarian myself but I would never try to feed my pet that diet.
Thank you for sharing that Kay Blue
I have two cats. My older cat will eat some wet food along with his dry hill science food but my younger cat won't touch it. Some cats just won't. It's nice to that you tried so hard tho. 😻 Yay cat people!
Same here - my cat will not eat anything wet. I really did try. Like you, I get the best dry food I can afford and the vet says it's fine. In fact, although it increases risk of urine and kidney issues dry food has some benefits, like being better for her teeth. So not all dry food is wrong.
It's all benefit vs risk, even in human medicine and diet.
I had a cat that was the same way- but she would only eat MeowMix. wouldn't even touch tuna. she lived to be 13. it's a good idea to offer cats a variety of meat foods- wet, dry, natural, different flavors- but ultimately what matters is that the cat is eating and happy. my current crop of cats has dry food available 24/7 and gets wet food once a day. my eldest and youngest are on kitten dry food, the rest eat adult. my oldest is 15 and just had a vet visit about her pickiness in eating. he said her blood panel came back very healthy and just feed her whatever she'll eat.
Try this cat snack called squeezables. It's a liquid paste that my cat loves and she is not a big fan of wet food.
As long as your cat is drinking enough water there should be no issues arising from a dry only diet. Yes it's better to give a cat wet food also, but all of us know that cat eat and do what they want, and there is very little we can do about that. If dehydration becomes an issue mix the cats dry food in some water and try that.
Thank you for using logic...they have a lot of toppers now you could try. But yes your cat can get UTI's and stones...please give them filtered water too...all animals even humans shouldn't drink straight tap water
It does depend on where you live. We have great municipal water in most places in Mississippi. As long as you don't still have metal pipes which is rare nowadays but still exist in the country.
My cat only eats dry food and has a water fountain so she always has fresh moving water. She is on steroids for a dermatitis allergy, cause unknown, but I feed her high quality hypoallergenic cat food which is the only food she will eat. The only other things she eats are dehydrated chicken (treat after she gets her pill) and occasionally cheese - 2 slivers of grated mozzarella cheese.
Keep her off the chicken treats for a while and see if the dermatitis subsides. It is a really common thing for cats to be allergic to, and it is in so many food and treat products. Try dehydrated shrimp or salmon instead.
My vet doesn't believe her allergies are food related, he thinks it's environmental and that I am wasting my money on hypoallergenic food. As for the dehydrated shrimp or salmon, she won't eat it. She only get one cube of dehydrated chicken a day as a reward for having her pill because she doesn't like having to take pills. If I happen to skip one dose of her steroids, she gets sore puffy eyelids and itchy ears, and she cries and paws at her face. Thank you for your interest x
Fair. I have a chicken-allergic cat and it is ridiculous how many products have chicken in them. Like, it is tuna-based wet food. Can you just not add the chicken byproduct? Fortunately, my beasties are content with their salmon-oriented lifestyle with occasional beefy wet food, and the scratching-so-much-the-fur-is-gone has resolved.
Hi, I don't know about cats as I have a dog. But, my fur baby gets an allergy shot at the vet once or twice a year to help with environmental allergies. Maybe there is one for cats or something similar? ☺️ Try asking your vet if they haven't mentioned/offered it. Good luck with your fur baby!
See if the cat will eat t he dry food she likes dampened with water. Just let it soak in some water enough to make it soft to softish.
Same, my cat vomits after eating any sort of wet food. She can only eat dry food. We have a water fountain for her that appears similar to a fresh water source and she loves it and drinks lots of water daily.
Try sprinking her good with Parmesan. Cats love it for some reason. Learned this working at a pet store.
This comment has been deleted.
My cat just died today after I commented this. He had a stroke nobody expected. I'm deleting all of my comments
I’m so sorry for your loss Zoe 😭
This comment has been deleted.
Basically if they cant feed the carnivorous animal (even though dogs are not obligate carnivores they are carnivores not omnivores. They mostly survive off meat naturally which would make most people sick and unhealthy to have such a diet which is why we are omnivores we arent meant to have a mostly meat diet) they need to get strictly non meating eating animals. I am not vegan or vegetarian but I have rabbits. Rabbits are awesome. Every bit as fun, funny, intelligent, and trainable as a dog or cat. Also their poop is perfect fertilizer so if they have a garden. I raise mine for their poop and their company.
You tried thats what is important. Dry food is better than none as long as its formulated right. Thats why I say there are vegans and veganazis there are nazis in every group even those who feed dogs all vegan diets without there being a rare but major health issue are nazis about it. It doesnt matter that they can be one bit its not what is best for them and too easy to mess it up. I get they dont want to give money to factory farms where most pet meat comes from because its more than simply not killing animals (veganazis dont get what its really about typically which is why they are so unbending and unreasonable) but there are ethical farms. Ones where they dont suffer their whole life for the moment they become food or produce things we eat. Even egg and dairy animals suffer in large factory farms. The ones that dont get it though will get their vegetables from just anywhere though not realizing large factory farms for plants are doing so unethically and harming animals still
Dry food cannot physically be 93% protein. Lots of brands advertise that 93% *of the Guaranteed Analysis protein content* comes from meat sources. Drives me crazy as it's slightly misleading and way too often misinterpreted.
Feeding cats and dogs "vegan" is about the dumbest, most anthropocentric thing to do.
There is a huge difference between cats and dogs though. Dogs are omnivores, cats are very much carnivores and really can't eat anything else.
You are right. Still, before making your dog vegan and depriving him of a basic joy in his rather short life, I would try to convert more humans if the goal was to fight the meat industry/animal torture.
My dog had to be vegan for a while, he developed allergies to animal protein and we weren't sure what exactly so we had to remove them and reintroduce one at a time. Turns out the only one he could tolerate was salmon, and hypoallergenic concentrate wasn't readily available until we migrated to another country so my dog was mostly vegetarian for around a year. Yes, it sucked but we worked with our vet to provide a healthy diet under the conditions.
Was it Inflammatory Bowel Disease? One of my cats has that and it really sucks.
Its not different, Martha. Being an omnivore doesn't mean you get to chose to live as a herbivore or carnivore, your body still need nutritions from both. That vegans chose this lifestyle for themselves, fine. But you shouldn't force a dog, who has no say in the matter, to live as a herbivore and deprive them of half their natural diet. That's still animal abuse. I cannot believe you are suggesting its okay to force omnivore pets into a different lifestyle -being a herbivore. I hope you don't have one.
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It's not abuse to put an animal on a vegan diet if the diet is nutritionally safe for them. The only reason it's bad with the cat is because they literally can't have a healthy diet that's vegan. If an animal is capable of eating a vegan diet without health problems, and the owner wants to put them on one, there's nothing wrong with that.
The owner doesn't get to put their pets on a diet based on their life choice, they should put their pets on a diet that's as close as possible to their natural diet.
I don't think this really has anything to do with the op saying that it's bad to force your dog or cat to be vegan. It doesn't matter if dogs can eat vegetables, they still can't be full on vegan and need to always eat meat. That's the point. Sidenote, cats actually can eat grass.
Cats only eat grass once in a great while. They don’t, can’t, and shouldn’t eat a diet of strictly grass. I’ve had cats my whole life (and I’m 61, and presently have 3 cats and a dog), and always gave them a variety of flavors and textures. They get wet food once a day, have a bowl of dry out all the time, and both a bowl and fountain of water. Our cat who lived to be 19 and 1/2 years old always had a couple tablespoons of half and half in the morning. As far as Baz (and several of his predecessors, tbh) was concerned, Goldilocks totally nailed it—-milk was too thin, cream was too thick, but half and half was just right. Miss you, Bazzy!
You should also know, then, that lactose isn't good for cats and they should always be given lactose free milk if given on a regular basis. And yet.....
Correction: most cats are lactose intolerant. Not all, some can have milk and be totally fine. And they DO sell special milk that cats can drink as a treat. I buy it once in a while for my boys. Regardless a small ammount of milk or dairy once in a blue moon won't kill them.
No, no they cannot. Cats in no way can survive on GRASS. They MUST have a meat based diet to be healthy.
I'm a vegetarian and have been known to eat fake meat for the taste, but at least I know it's just meat-flavored empty calories! If you tried to make a human live on Impossible Burger or something, they'd probably die too.
Lol, no humans would do fine. Humans can synthesize Taurine, cats can't. But even if this nutrient would be added to the ingredients, it is simply experimenting with the cats digestive system. That is unacceptable!
Humans are still omnivores so we need nutrients found in meat. They might be able to replace them with specific diets and suplements but its not our natural diet.
That's what I meant - humans would not die. Don't get excited.
Exactly! So many long-term vegans end up being deprived of certain vitamines like B12 because that is found in meat. Supplements can help, but as someone who needs them because I have a chronic stomach condition that results in me eating too little meat, I can tell you things like grocery store supplements aren't good enough. The actual good vitamin supplements are those you get at medical centers and those aren't as easily accesible depending on where you're from. If you ask me, people should just cut back on meat but continue a natural diet.
I got insanely anemic living off too much fake meat last year because I am disabled and meat is hard to cook. Yes, living off fake meat isn't nutritional enough without a million other supplements and meals to back it up.
If we could be "truely vegan" you wouldn't need supplements and nutrition replacement pills. We are omnivores.
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Do you know what Taurine is?
Hello Tunk, glad you asked this question. You can google Taurine - but in my case Taurine is the amino acid one of my cats does not get enough of and might get blind, because she is on a soybean protein diet transition back to natural protein, because she has severe IBD, because she was rescued from a decade of street life and malnutrition.
I think you missed the point
Was was your point? Yes I do know what Taurine is?
Well said