Feeding cats a vegetarian or vegan diet

Some people choose to live on a vegetarian or vegan diet and, although care needs to be taken, this can be done successfully without health problems.

Unfortunately, the same is simply not true for cats. Cats have developed and evolved as ‘strict carnivores’. This means that they have developed a unique metabolism that, put simply, requires a supply of a number of nutrients only found in a meat/animal-based diet. Without these nutrients, cats develop a variety of diseases and will die.

Several nutrients (including certain vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids) are required by a cat in its diet that can only be found in animal-based diets. This is simply the result of the development of cats as a predator species – they are not able to adapt to or survive on a plant-based diet.

 While in theory it is possible to supplement a vegetable-based diet with various chemically-derived and synthetic nutrients that would otherwise only be found in meat diets to meet the needs of a cat, in practice this is very difficult to achieve and is potentially dangerous as it can readily lead to disease and death of the cat if not done properly.

 Cats look and behave as they do because they have evolved to be hunters and eat a meat-based diet. Owning a cat means this should be recognised, and one of the best ways to meet a cat’s nutritional needs is to feed a good quality commercial meat-based complete diet, designed to meet all their needs.

Source: https://icatcare.org/news/statement-feeding-cats-vegetarian-or-vegan-diet