this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2024
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So, someone sane.
If you think a cat can be vegan, please never own a cat.
Agreed.
Humans can be vegan because we're omnivores. Meat isn't the only source we need to get our nutrition. Our bodies are fantastic at pulling nutrients from different food sources.
Cats and dogs are not. They are carnivores. Their bodies cannot adequately process the nutrition from non-meat sources.
Humans can also take supplements for whatever nutrients we're missing. It's much harder to get an animal to take them, especially when you're looking at how many would be required on a vegan diet.
Finally, ask any vet what foods to avoid and they will tell you that you don't want to ever give your animal those small-batch/boutique foods. They are almost never nutritionally complete since they're designed to appear appealing to the humans, not the animals. They also often aren't produced in a clean food-safe environment.
Let's just say you're right, it's perfectly possible and healthy for the cat.
Does that make it ethical to force a carnivorous hunter animal on a vegan diet? Are you going to force it to stay inside to limit the possibility for it to catch mice & birds just to be sure?
Just beyond the physical possibility, how ethical is it to force our choices onto our pets?
Most people I've talked to, which is mostly nonvegans, think it is unethical to let cats outside because they will kill wild animals. This is a more hypocritical stance than the reverse (a vegan who lets their cat outside) if you understand veganism.
You're also throwing around the word forced. People force choices on their pets, children, and even fellow adults all the time, but there are different levels of force. Putting down food for a cat that gladly eats it is a far cry away from shoving something down their throat or leaving it out until they have no choice but to eat it. I'd argue that it's often very appropriate to make food choices for a cat you live with, if a cat begs for some lasagna or a donut you probably shouldn't give it to them.
Edit: Also when people talk about forcing cats onto a vegan diet you have to realize the alternative is forcing livestock to suffer serious trauma for their entire life and then die. It's not hard to see that one of these is a more serious abuse of our power over other animals.
What do you mean by forcing being the wrong word? Do you give the cat a bowl of meat and a bowl of vegan alternative for a month, and then see what the cat chooses? That would not be forcing imo. But i doubt that's happening anywhere.