I have been a vegetarian now for near on 10 years and have always had rescue pets. I went through a stage where I would buy them veggie pet food but this often had to be supplemented with various vitamins etc.. They did not thrive either on this diet and eventually had to go back to meat which I believe is what they are naturally supposed to eat.
If you look at nature and animals in the wild it is how many of them survive, even birds eat worms etc, fish eat other fish and so fourth. I can except that we as humans can survive on a veggie or vegan diet but as for animals it is a different story. I feed my animals a raw meat diet as this is how they would eat again in there natural environment.
If there was realistically another way I would consider it but mother nature is my teacher on this one and while animals that are meat eating are this way it's not really up to me to say I disagree with mother nature. Just wondering what others think on this as I have read posts saying we are all veggie including animals and were never supposed to eat meat. Then I have read about how enlightened birds are yet they still eat worms etc.. To me a worm or chicken if it moves and has a pulse it is alive and there is no difference.
Just wondering what others views are on this especially veggie's with pets, what do you feed them?
Replies
YES... we usually do raw meat for our cats as well as mushed up steamed veggies, some days i will add cooked basmati rice in with the veggies and meat they REALLY enjoy it... and occasionally i jazz it up with a bit of natural yoghurt mixed in, which they love... keeping it as raw as possible and varied as possible, i like to give them variety....
Hi Louise... I have been a vegetarian on-and-off for 44 yrs, constant for the last 15 yrs. I have always had animals in my life. Years ago, I believed that since vegetarianism is so good for me, why not for my cats and dogs. But over the years, which have included working in animal facilities, I have come to believe that both cats and dogs need to have some meat. However, I tend to believe the majority of food ought to be veggie and grain. Thus, I tend to provide raw meat less frequently rather than more frequently (than the veggies/grains). Also, I agree with commentors 100% - dogs and cats should NOT be given cooked meat, only raw. My way would be "natural" food all week and meat once a week, at the most. It's only based on my experience and observations, cats seem to have an easier time enjoying an all-veggie diet; one of my cats was vegetarian her entire life and lived till 18. The average life-span of all my pets (the ones who died 'naturally') is between 18 and 20 yrs. Since diet is the most important factor in health (humans and animals) I think this lends to the conclusion that it can provide a good quality of life and health for them to eat veggie. Dogs I would be very consistent about meat once a week - only raw! (I know it's gross!) I recommend NONE of the name brand store pet food. Research the healthiest food at a coop, organic store, local pet supply store. I think the most important thing to remember, regardless of what we feed them is what they need - cats MUST get a lot of moisture in their diet; the vitamins in a bag of food need to be considered. Cats absolutely love yogurt however, just like in humans too much can cause UT problems. My two cents: If you have time and money, start "homecooking" their meals - rice, veggies, etc. and provide raw meat each weekend (liver is an absolute favorite of cats; again, I know GROSS); make a week's worth of meatless dinners and keep it in the fridge/freezer. Also, be aware of what foods are bad for dogs and cats, e.g. cats should never eat onions. I feed my cats in the evening each day, as the sun starts to go down. I believe that keeps the balance of their wild ancestors who always hunt and feed at night. I've been doing this for 30 yrs and they're very happy and stay at a perfect weight. I used to (don't anymore) fast them once a month - just one meal but make sure they have water; this is something wild cats do naturally. A non-food tip: Before dinner, brush your cats - it energizes their system and they digest their food so much better (think wild cats: before they can actually eat, they're systems are revved up for the hunt). Bottom line: Just remember, whatever is unhealthy for us or gives us diseases, is not going to be any better for them, except for periodic raw meat.
Sheesh, didn't mean to go on and on... you asked for thoughts - you should never open that door with a Leo!! : o
Good luck on your meal-planning!
Peace
Just to show how content and healthy my cats are...
Hey Sickandtiredofhate :) love the name.. Thank you for your views on this much appreciated. I like the fact your willing to look at your pets needs and provide them with what they need. I do give my boy a varied diet and raw meat is just a part of the varied diet. He has grains and veggies too and his raw food is from a great place (however still hate it all).. Wish God/source/creator never made any of the species meat eating will take this up with him/her/it one day lol.. The fact your pets are living that long says to me your doing something right for sure. It's nice to see people looking at this topic open mindedly as it is hard being a veggie and having meat eating pets. You always feel like your compromising your own beliefs and morals but they do depend on us to do the right thing by them, so I am willing to do that for them if they really need it which I think they do. Thanks though great pointers :)
When I hear someone enforcing vegetarianism on a carnivore, it makes me sad and ill.
I think giving pets that are supposed to eat meat... veggie food instead... is a form of animal abuse. Even though it's abuse due to being misguided and uninformed, it's abuse none the less. So I'm glad you brought this topic up to help educate people. Thank you.
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I've tried on a few occasions feeding house cats slivers of fresh, organic, raw chicken, they took one sniff, batted at it... and walked away. LOL. They were not having it. I gave them some treats after so they didn't walk away "empty handed".
Hi Leffotrak, yes it is a tough one and peoples opinions do vary. However when I strip it back to basics of how they would naturally eat and survive they would generally catch their prey and feast on it. This is why I think and feel I need to honour their genetics it sucks big time for me as a veggie as everytime I handle their food my heart goes out to the animals that died for it. However I have animals and have to feed them what they need regardless of my morals and personal beliefs. Thanks for your views :)
Aw, don't let it beat you up. If we have any knowledge of our lives before we enter them... then these little chickidees and cows knew that the species they would embody had the potential to end up as someone's dinner. Just like antelopes or zebra in the wild would know they might end up lion food. I look at it this way... if they have any sense of consciousness to understand things after death, they might feel, "I'm glad I was able to provide nourishment for someone else before I left this physical life"... and it might cause them some grief to know that their death and use is causing someone else grief. I'm the type to praise the meat before consumption... and if it's specially delicious, I make sure to "tell them" that. "Ohhh, how lucky are you to be brought into a household that would appreciate you for all your glory with not a scrap gone to waste!" --- =)
Put yourself in the shoes of the animal... if you're a cow or chicken, and had a nice life of free grazing and wandering, and then a humane death (bam, hits you before you even know what happened to you)... isn't that better than some of the mental and emotional torture some people go through before death? --- I'll stop while I'm ahead because I know that's not the point of this discussion. Just trying to help you release some of the guilt you feel about the consumption/death of animals.
I had guilt the other day. I saw a bird steal a baby bird who was still waiting for it's feathers to come in, from another nest... he flew right over my head so I saw the baby bird just chillin, being held in the bigger birds birdfeet... probably not aware about his fate that was about to come but hopefully enjoying the scenic view of the flight... and the baby bird's parents were chasing after it yelling at it. I was angry. And I was sad. And a little voice in the back of my head kept reminding me, "Circle of life. It's just the nature of things. It's the circle of life."
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