Cat Food Questions

Lily-Lu

Anetares wrote: »

anyone know of a cat food that is free of all these things? Carbohydrate, artificial preservatives and colours. Other than, say, boiling chicken and fish because mine won't eat it like that..

Hi, Zoo Plus www.zooplus.co.uk sell a grain-free wet food called Bozita. It's a Swedish brand and comes in tins, or tetra packs. I've had my two cats' on it for several months now.
They also sell a low carb grain-free Canadian dry food called Origen. Not sure about artificial colours though

Badger_Lady

Following on from all the recent campaigning for free-range meat production, it's come to my attention that my cat isn't eating very ethically at all... as a vegan myself, it's the only flaw on an otherwise perfect slate!

Of course, it's most important to me that the cat gets a good diet and is happy about his food, but with the standard cat food having less than 4% meat in it (and that being very low quality anyway), it does make you think.

So I've been reading about vegetarian cat food: http://www.veggiepets.com/acatalog/v...formation.html

I've seen the veggie catfood in that link before, but was dubious - I've always been told "you can't deprive a cat of meat", "they're only designed to eat meat and there are no substitutes", or, worst, "it's cruel to try and make a cat vegetarian".

So I'm really after some unbiased opinion - any eperience of cats being unable to digest these supplements properly, or concerns about excluding a very natural part of their diet?

Opinions from vets most welcome!

adouglasmhor

Cats can live on it but I do not think it is right to make them do so.

Shineyhappy

If I were you, I think I would send off for some samples of veggie cat food and see what he makes of that, I would also try to get him some ethical meat every now and then.

I understand your situatuion as I have always wanted a cat or dog, but have stuck to rabbits and hamsters to avoid the issue. Although when OH eventually move we will be getting Indian runner ducks for eggs!

ZTD

I posted this on the other thread...sorry for the crosspost, it's these people who keep jumping around...

This linky might help. The upshot of it is, that cats are obligate carnivores, they need some nutrients not part of plant material - the most famous being taurine. They also have problems eating plant material - so even eating dry cat food, they end up with diabetes.

Also linky2...

kylieM_2

Please don't deprive your cats from meat, they wont thank you for it.

They may go out am start hunting

mogwai

Cat food doesnt typically have less than 4% meat. They are about 12% protein, and like the poster above said, there are other nutrients that cats will need that you will not be able to provide from a veg diet.

If you have concerns about the ethical status of your cat food, you can always obtain the meat and make your own cat food. Its much healthier for your cat too. Better than depriving it of food it was made to eat.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2032608_oranic-cat-food.html

Good luck whatever you do..

chuckles1066

kylieM wrote: »

Please don't deprive your cats from meat, they wont thank you for it.

They may go out am start hunting

And, as another poster has wisely noted, they may also develop diabetes.

Which, if contracted as a deliberate act by it's owner, probably constitutes some form of animal cruelty?

robpw2

i choose to be veggie but my cat eats meat and i would not deprive him of that due to the fact that he has not chosen to be vegetatian

Badger_Lady

robpw2 wrote: »

i choose to be veggie but my cat eats meat and i would not deprive him of that due to the fact that he has not chosen to be vegetatian

Thanks all - I should point out, I'm not trying to force vetarianism on little Tufter (and I certainly don't want him to become vegetation!) - I'm just trying to improve his consumption so that it doesn't include the intensively-farmed rubbish he currently gets (Felix and sometimes Tesco wet catfood supplemented with biscuits).

I'm just reading the back of a can of "Cod chunks in jelly", which says "minimum 4% cod" on the back. I'm told wet food is usually 80% water, so I'm guessing the remaining 16% comes under "Minerals, Various Sugars".

Having started to look at perhaps better quality petfood that is from ethically-farmed sources, one of the apparently valid options was the VeggiePets range of products.

So, to say I'd be "depriving him of meat" is a bit of an exaggeration in my eyes - he barely gets any as it is... according to some posts here, that's far from ideal, but according to others I should keep him on the current diet.

Anyway - the fact that I'm veggie has no baring on this at all - I'm just trying to find a way to guarantee that I'm not perpetuating the intensive farming idustry (whilst still being as MSE as possible).

Hope that helps!