Many of you have mentioned the concern for urinary tract issues in cats fed plants. I wouldn't loved to see the study cover this but sadly it didn't. I should've mentioned it anyway since it is a valid concern and can be the result of a more alkaline diet. However, I was surprised to see that a 2021 study on cats found: "Of interest, the reported prevalence of disorders expected to be higher in cats fed plant-based diets, such as urinary tract disease [22], did not differ between diet groups in this study." Owner reported though so subject to bias. bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-021-02754-8 Making sure formulations aren't too alkaline seems to be the key. Going further, since the issue is the formation of struvite crystals (phosphate mineral) you can actually lower the amount of struvite precursors in the diet and/or attempt to increase water intake to dilute urine. Here is a case study on this issue where they planned a lower struvite precursor vegan diet: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8062804/ It seems like tracking cat pee pH at first and periodically would be diligent as well.

3 years ago, I adopted a 12 yr old Dachshund who was 16.5 lbs and on arthritis and liver medications. I started giving him v-dog and a vegan supplement. He's now 15 yrs old this month, 10 lbs, and no longer on any medications. He's also joins on hikes averaging 7 miles, the longest being 10 miles. He's done so well, and I'm proud of my bouncy boy. I've got to go watch him flop his ears, brb.

I have three cats, two of which were feral. I'm vegan, the cats are obligate carnivores. I don't like the idea of supporting the animal agriculture sector, but they need what they need. I also wonder what the price difference would be? They are pretty fussy as well 🤣. They all like different ones. It's also ironic that I am vegan and the cats kill every small animal that comes into the garden. 🙄

Our 8 year old , vegan, Chocolate Lab just had a check up at the vet. The vet was amazed at how healthy our city dog is.

The study you're referencing: "cats fed vegetarian diets that were supplemented with potassium, a myopathy was seen within 2 weeks of the dietary change" "The cats also showed lateral head resting, a stiff gait, muscular weakness, unsteadiness, and the occasional tremor of the head and pinnae. Erythrocyte transketolase activity was assessed to determine whether thiamine deficiency was con- tributing to the clinical myopathy, independent of potassium status." "Weight loss and poor coat condition have also been observed in cats fed vegetarian diets [29,30]. However, most cats in another study had a normal coat condition and no obviously diet-related clinical abnormalities picked up by clinical examination [27]. Clinical signs of lethargy with altered mentation, dysorexia, and muscle wasting, along with gut signs of bloating and increased borborygmi have also been observed [30]."

Thanks Mic, been waiting for this one for a while. Really want that big kitty study soon though.

As a vet student, I find this video really interesting, I can never fully trust my teachers when it comes to these topics since many of them aren't as aware of new studies as I'd like, even more considering that here in Mexico there's still a lot of prejudice about a vegan diet's impact even in human's health and the veterinary career is kinda hostile to people who don't eat meat. I personally still a little skeptical when it comes to cats, but things are looking really good, if more evidence comes out I'd be glad to change my mind. Anyway, nice video and keep up the good work!

I adopted my dog from a shelter and he had terrible allergies, hair loss and was obese. Now he eats Halo Garden of Vegan canned food and vdog kibble and he loves both. His allergies are much improved, his fur has grown back and he's at a healthy weight now.

My large breed dog came to us at 18 months and was fed Vdog kibble and Natural Balance wet food with a plethora of other suitable veggies and fruits and passed last year at 14. She had really great blood work every year, even right at the end of her life. Now our new little rescue is eating the same diet and thriving, after a really rough start to her life. Thanks for this video Mic!

I wish you had addressed urinary tract health in cats, because that’s the major concern for most of us. Urinary problems were the only reason my cats had to go back to nonvegan food; all their other test results were good.

The problem with this study is they haven’t identified what consists of the meat diet. There is a huge difference in macro micro nutirents in a raw, organ heavy, land and sea animal diet compared to canned or loaf food. Also what were the results of combined vegetable and meat diets which pretty much every research concludes is optimal for canines

Thank you sm for the video Mic!

After becoming so frustrated trying to help my pooch with bad allergies and health issues she had, I tried a 100% Veg diet, starting at age 2. She became the healthiest of 7 dogs I had on non-veg diets and lived into her teens. She passed peacefully of old age. I was concerned at first, but because of my journey with her, came to learn dogs can be well nourished and very healthy w/out meat/organs/fish oils/etc. She is the one that got our fam veg leaning :)

Professor Andrew knight has been doing research on plant based dogs and cats and the findings are positive.

Holy shit, I actually thought that it's just case of some odd cases here and there that cat owners feed their cats vegan food. I hate hearing about this from meat eaters trying to discredit veganism on something I thought to be virtually non-existent. I had no idea that actual studies were made about this. I don't know about dogs, they are omnivores so whatever, but cats are obligatory meat-eaters, so even as a vegan, having cats, I hate this so much...

Love this! Great breakdown and explanation. I'm up for more of these kinds of videos if you're into it. Ty mike🤘

If a person doesn't agree with eating meat and extends that to their pet, then they probably shouldn't keep a carnivore pet.

Over however many 1000s of years with domesticated pets, we've only had this industry dog food for 100? People didn't eat tons of meat in the past (it was expensive), my assumption is people fed their dogs whatever their table scraps were. Potatoes, rice, beans, meat, etc. Dogs surely evolved to be more able to digest plants over the years. Seems reasonable.

Thank you Mic, very appreciated

Thank you for sharing! Nice job

We have fed our labrador retriever an almost vegan diet since 2017. He i now 9 1/2 years old, is playful, has a normal weight (around 32 kg), and a beautiful coat. But he does shed a lot and has got something looking like tumors groving under his skin. The vet took a tissue sample, which only showed fat cells, no cancer. But it has worsened since. I am happy for Mic to do this video, and I have already seen comments with ideas to change his diet up to see if it could help. If anybody has any ideas or experience to share, I would be grateful. By the way, when we shifted him to the "vegan" diet (contains vitamin D3) he became calmer and his coat improved a lot.

I've used the Vegedog supplements for years and love them. When you purchase the vitamins, they give you a bunch of recipes you can use them with that result in a fully balanced meal. I also use Natural Balance brand kibble and canned food. I will usually mix the kibble with steamed sweet potatoes that I mash or canned pumpkin. I alternate the main meals so she has variety. Snacks are vegan treats I find at stores or just stuff I'm eating that I give her bites of. Her faves are edamame, green peas, steamed sweet potatoes, steamed carrots, peanut butter on pretty much anything, fruit (faves include apples and pitted cherries). She's a 5 yr old chihuahua mix who loves running and couldn't be healthier! Good luck to everyone, I was nervous when we started but I'm confident now that it's the right choice for us.

I kinda wish you would have touched on the rising issue of dogs getting diet related dilated cardiomyopathy (dcm). This seems to be mostly associated with boutique, often expensive, grain free foods. There are a number of hypothesises going around, the most prominent are: low taurine levels (despite many dcm dogs having normal taurine), the use of peas or potatoes in grain free food, poor quality control w/ small manufacturers, something in grain/starchy foods that helps dogs, issue with too much animal protein (dogs with dcm often eat more meat than most). I haven't heard any reports of dcm in vegan dogs, but I was wondering if you stumbled across it in researching this video. In any case diet related dcm typically improves when dogs are switch to a grain inclusive/higher starch/carb diet.

Kitten Lady who is (to my knowledge) vegan herself, has just released a really good video regarding can cat's be vegan. The short answer is No. Cats are obligate carnivores and who cannot tolerate having a pet that eats meat should not have a cat. If you like animals and want to protect them please cater to their needs. Thank you

Good format helps us to learn how to process and display the study to others.

Bottom line is, a dog's (or especially cat's) choice would never be to eat exclusively vegan, so in a way it is abuse to feed them vegan diet, no matter how much we make it sustainable for them. It's like a government imposing on people what we can eat based on their ideology and values we don't share. If it's such a moral issue for vegans, maybe don't have a cat or dog in the first place? P. S. Personally I eat vegan diet and am really thankful for Mike's content.

I wonder if Folate vs Folic Acid (which has been used interchangeably, which it shouldn’t) has any bearing on cat health. I read something about some humans have absorption issues with either folate or folic acid and should switch to one or the other if thats an issue.

Our dogs get homemade food. I add taurine/B12. I've been making our own for over a year now. Our ten year old dog has the same alertness and energy level as our hyper two year old. But the kitties get non vegan cat food - because they are carnivores and giving them a vegan diet appears to be far more complicated/easier to mess up.

My Dog Rocko eats plant based food plus veggies, beans, some fruit in moderation, he's doing great his yearly check up are great, he's 10 now and full of energy, no health issues. So happy for this guy 💚

the standard dog food diet sounds as bad as the standard american diet

Thank you for over this study in a calm and well thought out approach

Actually Mic. It seems that VDog somehow forgot to put b12 in their original dogfood.. It wasn't even on the ingredients list and I have kept the bag for proof of this. I became aware of the problem when one of my dogs dog became b12 deficient, with no gut issue to cause it. Only one of my dogs was on Vdog (due to soy intolerance). My other dog was fed Veganpet, an Australian brand, and her levels remained normal. Vdog never replied to any of my emails but they rebranded in Australia as Vplanet I think and now have added b12 in the ingredient list and presumably in the food.

The UK has widely commercial vegan pet foods. In the US you usually have to have it shipped and it’s expensive.

Thanks for sharing. There was a front page major scare about 20 years ago when it was shown that major known brands of dog food used some rendered dogs and cats in their dog food. It was and is legal to do this, but the brands got away with it until many dogs died from eating the food and the news got out. Now most dog and cat food use recycled rendered animal offal remains, including macerated male chicks, animal hair, diseased/downer animals, dead baby farm animals, and similar yuck. The natural diet for an omnivore dog is not dry dog food, and even the wet foods smell awful. I think a good deal of raw plant food mixed in is best--carrots, broccoli, lettuce, sweet potatoes, apples, beets, peas, etcetera. I would not trust the quality of any animal protein-based foods. I am vegan and would rather make my own.

We feed our 5 y.o Vegan cat food - Benevo, for 4 years now. She is insanely energetic and healthy. We travel EU, UK and USA with her, so she constantly has health checkups, as it is a requirement for travel. She is in perfect health. Her blood test shows perfect healthy levels of everything. Her long fur is perfect, and she does not shed her hair at all. I had 6 cats in my lifetime. Our current one is the healthiest cat I have seen. Other cats were on a commercial pet food, and all died the same way - extra weight, bone issues, diabetes.

No kibble for cats. Way too drying. Not good for dogs either but cats for sure because they don't typically drink a lot of water. They get their water source from food, from the water content and food and there's not much in dry food.

Enjoyed format and content. Noice!

Definitely would like to see more cat studies. Mainly because of urinary health. That's my main concern.

Sometimes I watch my son's dogs, one happens to be my dogs' mom and the other is their sister from a second litter. My son feeds them some Holistic high-end kibble. When they're with me, I put about 1/4 cup of V-dog in their bowl along with their own food, and I kid you not, they go for the V-dog first. I usually cook a mix of fresh veggies to top off my dogs' food and my son's dogs come running down the hallway to get some of that too. Unfortunately, my son's dog has bladder/uterine cancer and it's not operable 💔😢. I keep wondering if he switched them to vegan food, if that would help at all.

According to my cat, mice taste is vastly improved by a torture session beforehand.

I have two Maltipoo dogs. One had to be put down a couple of months ago. All three of them were always sick. Throwing up, ear infections, diarrhea every time I give them meat. I would give them pieces of real meat. Can you imagine three dogs with diarrhea in your house? I tried raw. They liked it for a while but they wouldn't eat it after awhile. I tried making it and used ground meat but only half cooked. Still the same thing, so I made it with just eggs instead of meat. It worked great for a while but they were vomiting again. The vet didn't know what to do after that. I made food with no meat or egg. Brown rice, vegetables, sweet potatoes, blueberries, sea moss which has 92 minerals, olive oil. I would feed them pumpkin, cranberries, apples. They loved it and the problems stopped. I also bought halo vegan food and everything is back to normal. They also don't keep getting ear infections. I looked it up and the oldest dog in the Guinness book was 23 years old and vegan from a puppy.

I feed my one year-old border-heeler Natural Balance vegan kibble, along with daily toppers of other fresh veggies and fruit. He loves fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bananas, frozen blueberries, apples, etc. So far he is doing very well on his diet. He has tonnes of energy and no bad effects. I would be interested to know if cancer rates are lower among vegan dogs, and whether life span is longer.

Thanks for doing a video covering this

Hmmmm I may have to look into this again. I had decided to switch my cats over to a cultured meat diet as soon as it was feasible, but I may have to look at what is out there. Thanks for the video.

It would be interesting to compare different dog breed for ability to synthesize taurine. I would hypothesize that dogs who came from agricultural societies are better at taurine synthesis than dogs that came from hunter/gatherer societies, especially Arctic dogs

As a veterinarian I can back pretty much everything Mic is saying. Making sure that taurine is in the diet is probably the most important thing

Well done Mic - brilliant resume of the studies 👋

Because they were soliciting money to study this. I remember I donated

Would be interesting to find out who funded these studies .

Hi Mic. Unrelated to this video but can you please do a video on collagen supplementation (I didn't see that you had one?) I'm a skincare enthusiast and collagen supplementation is getting highly popular in that community for it's potential skin benefits. Yesterday a popular aesthetic specialist Dr Rajani released a yt video reviewing a recent study on collagen supplementation improving skin appearance, and of course recommended his own line of collagen supplement at the end of the video. The comment section has all these vegans discussing whether they should start a collagen supplement and start eating animal products. I know most studies on collagen supplementation have been industry funded. Would love to see a video on collagen, but if you have one already please let me know, thanks.

I'm worried that if I got my black lab vegan kibble, I might end up eating it too. Then I'd be way too embarrassed to tell anyone I've eaten dog food, which I'd no doubtably do, so I'd best just avoid getting it.

This was great. I hope it becomes more popular.

we need more videos for plant based cats. we need more talk about it.

It was very illuminating to have you analyse this study in real time! Thanks!

I'm looking into feeding my cat vegan. What do I need to prepare? What sort of bloodwork should I do? Should I tell my vet? I'm worried they will advise against it. How often should I do the tests, and how much do they cost?

I have raised a total of 4 Dobermans, 1 Hound/Dobie mix, 1 Min Pin, and a Great Dane on a full vegan diet and all have turned heads with their "holographic-like" coats, high energy levels, and lean and healthy bodies well into their senior years (14+). 3 of these pups were rescues and came to us underweight, malnourished, knuckling, and with scratchy/splotchy coats. We use a combination of Wild Earth and V-Dog as the base of their diet; we supplement with fresh food as well - they love garden-fresh fruit/veggie smoothies, oatmeal, sweet taters, herbs/spices...really anything to include kale and broccoli! Lol For all during puppyhood, I very lightly supplemented with a vegan 3-6-9 (including DHA); they use the same one my hubby and I use! 😊🌿🐾

What is the point of a study on vegan diets for cats. They're carnivores. They eat meat. This is not a negotiation. It's worthless information. Let's get a study on carnivore diets for rabbits, see how well that goes.

This honestly turns people away from being open to becoming vegan it is extreme and honestly comes off as How far will you go instead of just saying it’s ok animals eat other animals. Especially when the other option is to promote an end to domestic animal breeding instead.

Yes, your format was perfect.

A cat I know just ate some nutritional yeast flakes I had (fortified with B12 & D) entirely voluntarily. He smelt it, wanted some, & when it put some down, he licked it all up with relish. Domestic cats are not obligate carnivores, only wild cats are. All we have to do is work out stuff that they will eat voluntarily, that meets their requirements, & it's perfectly ethical.

Since 1 month ago i don't see your videos recommended. I felt i miss something and needed to find you. Look into what needs to be adjusted, since you are a gem...

@micthevegan - what about non-hereditary enlarged hearts due to pea protein? Wild Earth changed its original formula and now uses yeast protein in its new formula instead. V-Dog Kind Kibble still uses pea protein. I've been feeding my Goldendoodle Wild Earth since Oct. '22, and his weight went up from 45 to 54 lbs, but his activity is less in the winter months. DCM is such a gray area.

Benevo seems to work for cats. We cant find Vegan dog and cat food in South Africa. Also extremely to import. At the moment its survival on whats available.

i have a shih tzu who's eaten mostly v-dog and other vegan dog kibbles his entire life, he's 5 years old and surprisingly large for his breed

Mike, please try emailing Dr. Andrew Knight, and ask him to get on your show. That would be a big deal.

@MictheVegan hi mic. i was wondering if great white sharks can be vegan. many thanks, stay safe ❤️

Vegan cat and dog food is super science and it comes out in the price tag.

My dog developed a lot of allergies when he got older, he had blisters on his skin, scratched them up and they got infected. I tried to reason with vets but they only wanted to put him on the type of food that were sponsoring them. So I did my own research and talked to a bunch of people who gave their dogs vegan food, i order it and after 3-4 weeks his allergies were almost gone. The biggest thing was that he didn't itch. Eventually he got epilepsy and the vet I met then was really understanding. We sadly had to euthanasia him because he got a liver failure because of the medications he was on for the epilepsy. But it had nothing to do with his diet. I now have adopted a cat and he eats meat. I try to pick the best options. I am sceptical to giving him vegetarian or vegan food, I am scared he will get sick. (I've already lost so many animals..). I honestly don't know what to do, I just want him healthy. I didn't buy him, and I know what I need to contribute to letting him eat. But it's not his fault he was brought onto this world to be abandoned. He needed a home. Maybe I'll do some research and I can give him 50/50

V dog is a great company and seem to really care

Awesome video! I often wondered if a plant based diet would help one of my cats with IBD. Really glad more studies are being done.

Crystals for your Work!

Mic, I have a question about this that nobody ever answers regarding feeding cats a plant based diet. It never seems to be addressed in these studies either. Correct me if I’m wrong but cats are obligate carnivores. So they are unable to convert beta carotene into retinol. As far as I know, there are no vegan retinol supplements, as vitamin A on vegan ingredient lists is usually used interchangeably with beta carotene. So how can a cat get vitamin A from a plant based diet?

You shouldn't force a carnivore to eat vegan, the same way you shouldn't force or herbivore to eat meat. You are an omnivore. You can survive off of either or. Carnivores eat only meat Herbivores eat only plants Omnivores can eat either

I fed my old cat vegan diet and he developed crystal on his bladder. Apparently, its quite common.

9:05 Cats Urinary tract problems (Urine PH too high or too low can create kidney stones) Diet too high in magnesium Plants are more alkaline than meat. "When the urine pH becomes too alkaline, there is an increased risk of formation of struvite (also known as magnesium ammonium phosphate) bladder crystals and/or stones. Calcium oxalate stones can also occur, but these do not occur if the urine is too alkaline, but rather if it is too acidic. Such stones can create irritation and infection of the urinary tract and require veterinary treatment." "It is important to not supplement the cat’s diet with urinary acidifiers unless it is actually needed because a too acidic pH can cause a different kind of stone to form (calcium oxalate stones). While many cats appear to thrive on a vegan diet, there are also anecdotal reports of cats with recurring urinary tract problems, including infections associated with previous urethral obstructions caused by urinary crystals." And kidney issues: "the differences between the two diet groups were not statistically significant. There was only one disease for which a significant statistical difference was observed: cats fed a vegan diet were slightly more likely to have kidney disease."

Do these studies allow for hunting, of small animals, by dogs or cats?

Vet here! I'd say the studies are pointing towards dogs being able to do well on a vegan diet but cats are obligate carnivores so unless they have different health issues (e.g. CKD), they should be fed meat, as we simply don't know enough about feline nutrition in terms of vegan food to recommend it currently. I'd suggest getting a herbivore pet if you have issues with that, cats are supposed to eat meat. Now, the overall quality of kibble out there is a topic on its own.

Most of vegans say how unhealthy meat is with the antibiotics cholesterol and stuff but when some of us say that cant be good for animals too some of they jump and get angry... and then we surprised about how many dogs and cats die from CANCER outhere.. we givin animals literally EVERY DAY those substances with ultra procesed foods :(

That extra methionine is bad for mtor. The daily carnitine is bad for TMOA. I can’t find a single nutrient mix or food for dogs that doesn’t have choline chloride, an ingredient so bad for TMOA that I consider it poison. Wish I didn’t feel compelled to have a crazy spreadsheet with all my dogs nutritional requirements for the sake of making his food from scratch, but here we are

Thanks for the information Mike, it seems like a reasonable option for dogs but it's not enough to convince me to put my sweet kitties on a vegan diet,.as much as I want to. If there was enough long-term research with positive results, maybe but atm I'm not going to risk their health.

I had an elderly neighbour who had 3 cats all lived over 20 years, she fed them raw mince only and not tinned rubbish that Mars and Co spew out, they lived happy healthy lives and it wasn’t until the last year they started to deteriorate.

Interesting video.

There’s so much bad stuff in traditional pet food even the really expensive pet food. Anyone know of vegan dog treats for my furry friends thanks Mic😊

I have been cooking vegan food for my dog since my 14 yr old basset passed away. He had congestive heart faillure, IBD, poor eye sight and was def. Some of these diseases, I suspect, could have been from his off the shelf kibble diet. Either way, he wouldn't eat his food for the last couple weeks of his life, so I started making them beans and rice and and both dogs loved it so we have just kept doing it. We are currently feeding half home cooked food using the Vegedog supplements and half vegan kibble. We might switch to a 100% home cooked vegan diet at some point but we are being cautious. Obviously, this is all done with regular vet visits and consultation.

So feed carnivore animals a plant based diet boosted with meat based amino acids, how is that any different than a commercial diet?

Hi Mic, please address this issue for people like me. Vegan doctors don’t talk about it. I am vegan from 2012, before that vegetarian for 30 years. Started to follow religiously whpb diet in August. Felt strange . Before that was partially junk food vegan but mostly ate good food. In September went for a month to visit my family in California. Ate vegan food on planes, at airports, drunk wine, coffee again, ate vegan tacos at Taco Bell and felt great. Came back home to my perfect diet and my health went nose dive again. I started auto immune diseases I never had before! I don’t want to stop my new way of eating but would appreciate some reassurance that I am not acquiring some horrible disease from my new diet and why do I feel so bad??????

why are some vegans abusing their pets who are obligate carnivores is beyond me. I thought we all care about animals?

Our dog is thriving on a vegan diet. I appreciate the study review but it looks like the study lengths are rather short. Looking forward to seeing some more long term studies in the future. Thanks Mic!

the odd position we put ourselves in, owning another sentient being of another race. it sure is messed up. that is way to much control of another.

The major brands that pour most the research into cat nutrition have products that tend to be upward of 99% plant based ingredients by weight. Look at a bag of Royal canin, Purina, hills science diet kibble. The animal ingredients are either hydrated ingredients in contrast to dry ingredients for the plants. So you see them higher up on the list and think, oh this contains mostly 'chicken breast'. Chicken breast or ' animal meal' and are about 80% or more water though. Another common annimal ingredient in pet food is 'animal fat' which doesnt provide anything essential to cats, as their wild ancestors were mostly consuming lean game. An obligate carnivore (or a hypercarnivore) are often defined as a carnivore who depends solely on animal flesh for their nutrient requirements. However, the scientific definition of hypercarnivores is organisms that depend on animals for at least 70% of their diet. This is simply not true anymore for domesticated cats and dogs, and has not been true for a while. Most people, shelters, rescues feed their cats kibble, which IS mostly plant based. You can actually tell which cat foods have the least animal products in them. They are ususaly the cheapest, but not always, and contain words like 'flavour' in the title of the food. Legallly these labelling laws mean 3% or less animal products in the kibble. There is also no legal obligation for the manufacturer to add animal ingredients to meet tha standards set out by AAFCO.

This was very interesting to me, as someone who no longer has an animal companion due to my living situation, but who is thinking about it for the future. Also, Mikhaila Peterson apparently DOES think she's a lion. You won't be able to metabolize folate from spleen, sweetie, because you're not a cat. [eye roll] Thanks for posting : )

With my 2 prior cats (both have passed away) I tried an Evolution brand vegan kibble for them and it was a massive failure. It was FULL of soy and caused them so much digestive hell, I moved them back to regular quality cat food with meat. I would love for my cats to be vegan, but, it's not natural for obligate carnivores.

I definitely think further research is needed before we conclude whether vegan diets are actually healthy. A lot of the studies reviewed were owner surveys instead of veterinary data on each cats health over time. There will be an inherent bias in that any owner feeding their cat vegan food will automatically assume it will be healthy and have positive effects. In addition owners who put their pets on vegan diets will likely be vegans themselves, and it is not uncommon for similar opinions on the benefits of vegan food to be spread far through the community. If people are researching and getting advice about vegan pet diets from other vegan owners they are likely to be biased to see similar positive effects as the person they obtained the information from. Overall I think it is still way to early to make a definitive conclusion on how healthy a vegan diet is for cats. In addition, I think it is important for a study to research the different vegan cat food products, their composition including the presence of additional synthetic compounds like taurine, and look to see if there is any effect on health. Perhaps the term vegan cat food is a misnomer since you aren’t actually feeding the animals straight vegetables, but a highly processed, heavily supplemented food. So people are correct when they say a cat cannot be vegan in the sense that without intentional human supplementation a cat could not survive on only plants. I think there is also room for discussion for the ethics of vegan pet food vs meat pet food, including where the plants for the food are sourced vs where the meat is sourced. I fear the plant matter may come from very exploitative sources due to its cheap price. While this is often the same for meat too, the price is often lower due to the less desirable meat that could not be sold to humans, being used for pet food instead.

I wish I would have been vegan when I got my dog Ruby. I think it would have prevented or slowed the cancer that killed her. Vegan all day now.

My veg gsd is my #1 amigo 🤘

The dietary aspect of pet animals has been one of the main reasons I chose not to keep a pet at my house. If they do well on vegan feed I would consider getting one!

Yes

Average dogs in the USA eat 211 kg (76.5 kg dry matter) per dog/per annum. The fraction of materials of animal origin is 45 % for dogs. Therefore, they eat more meat than an average European, & almost as much as an average American. The CO₂ emissions for dogs is about 1 - 2 % of the countries’ total CO₂ emission production, which equates to 20% of the CO₂emissions of their owner. The contribution of feed for dogs and cats on the overall production of greenhouse gases. Land use for feed production was about 2000 m² per dog. Arable land required for the production of feed for cats and dogs varied between 10 and 20 % of the national land resources. (Cats eat a slightly higher proportion of meat but have about 1/2 the environmental impact of dogs).

I'm a vegan but my pets aren't 😢😿, I'm afraid.

I wish v-dog made canned food. One of my dogs can't eat kibble.