Recently, a friend in the adoption group asked a question. Someone wanted to adopt a cat he rescued. He said that he had religious beliefs, so he hoped that the cat would become a vegetarian.
But when asked if the children at home are also vegetarians, he said that the children still eat meat, and they just hope that the cat will accompany them to eat vegetarian food.
Some owners believe that a vegetarian diet can make animals healthier, prevent allergies and various diseases, and even reduce diabetes . Some have compassionate reasons; they don't want to kill animals because they have pets.
However, human behavior cannot simply be applied to cats. Doing so may cause irreversible serious harm to cats. Today we will popularize science from a scientific perspective: Is a long-term vegetarian diet beneficial or harmful to cats?
Cats are carnivores
Unlike dogs and other omnivores, cats are true (so-called "obligate") carnivores: They meet their nutritional needs by eating other animals and have higher protein requirements than many other mammals higher.
Cats get certain key nutrients from the meat in their diet that cannot adequately obtain from plant foods. So what impact will ’s long-term vegetarian diet have on cats?
. Long-term vegetarian feeding of cats is prone to nutrient deficiencies:
Many people mistakenly believe that vegetarian food is equal to health. In fact, for cats, vegetarianism is harmful to health. For example, the following is an example from a netizen:
When a cat is a vegetarian for a long time, it cannot obtain enough taurine , which can easily lead to blindness.
. Cats on a vegan diet are prone to urinary stones.
Cats on a vegan diet may produce urine with a higher pH value, because a plant-based diet will make the urine pH higher than a meat-based diet, The risk of urine crystals or stones will increase.
3. Excessive starch content in vegetarian cat food may lead to obesity in cats.
Why did the cat gain weight after eating vegetarian cat food? The truth is Being vegetarian and gaining weight does not mean that you are well-nourished! Obesity is due to the excessive starch content in vegetarian food. The excess energy caused by starch leads to obesity. Obesity will harm the health of cats.
At present, pet experts do not recommend that cats blindly feed vegetarian or vegan cat food. In the long run, it can easily lead to malnutrition in cats and may cause irreparable damage. Such chronic destruction is more poisonous than poisonous food.
Some experts will also mention that vegetarian products with supplements can meet the needs of cats. But in fact, when adding supplements to a vegan diet, you also need to consider the ratio and absorption. It is a very complicated matter and involves the nutrition profession.
Feeding vegetarian or vegetarian cat food still requires a lot of experimental research. The conclusion that feeding only vegetarian food is healthier also requires more research and data to confirm.
Regarding vegetarian feeding, the most frequently asked question by shit scrapers
Question 1: Can cats not eat any vegetarian food?
Some prescription pet foods for diseases are vegetarian. For example, the protein source in hypoallergenic cat food is soy protein . The production factory has a strong medical background and will conduct large-scale experiments before sale. They can meet the basic nutritional needs of sick pets and are relatively safe. But for healthy cats, pet experts still recommend choosing foods containing meat.
Question 2: Don’t cats also eat cat grass ?
The dietary fiber in cat grass can help cats expel hair balls, but it cannot be digested or provide nutrients. In theory, cat grass is not meant to make cats full.
Question 3: Why can dogs be vegetarian?
Dogs are omnivores and are better able to adapt to a nutritionally balanced vegetarian diet than cats.
Being a vegetarian is a matter of self-choice. If you require your pet to follow the owner's "vegetarian" approach, you may wish to choose pets such as rabbits and parrots that are vegetarians themselves.
Let’s take a look at my country’s earliest veterinary classic "Living Beast Cizhou" more than 200 years ago. In the chapter on feeding cats, it not only emphasizes that cats need to eat meat, but also reminds readers: "Everything has its own appropriate and taboos, and people can be careless." " (Animals all have their own suitable way of survival, and people should be careful to abide by it.)
From ancient times to the present, the medical understanding of cats as carnivores has not changed. Eating meat is more beneficial than eating grass. Cats are healthy!
Can cats be vegetarian? | What will happen if you feed your cat a vegetarian diet for a long time?
What are the harms to cats if they become vegetarian | Should cats eat meat or be vegetarian?
Picture source:
Photography pictures are published by Alexas_Fotos and stocksnap on Pixabay.
This article was first published on the public account: Please ask the shit shovel official
For consultation with pet experts, you can follow the account above, 0 threshold doctor consultation service
