Some recent ‘research’ about vegan diets for cats is bogus. Even the study itself says so – you just have to read past the headlines.
“Vegan Diet Healthier For Cats Than Meat…” and “Cats on plant-based diet tend to be healthier” are just two headlines appearing to announce an incredible new discovery has been made about the diet choices for obligate carnivores.
Keep in mind that the biological status of cats as obligate carnivores is not in question. It has not changed. This means a cat’s diet requires them to eat meat – because the nutrients they need to survive are only found in the flesh of other animals.
So how is it now possible that vegan diets for cats could be healthier as these headlines announce?
They’re not.
The research – published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE – actually didn’t study cats. It surveyed cat guardians about their cats – and asked what health issues they perceived their cat to have. Or not have. The participants of the study completed questionnaires over the course of 1 year. 1242 people fed their cats a meat-based diet. 127 people fed a vegan diet. At the end of the year the findings reported nothing statistically significant.
So why the extraordinary headlines?
The introduction to the ‘study’ cites the growing global pet food consumption – and it’s impact on the planet. Go to the footnotes and you’ll find this research is funded by ProVeg International.
This is why we believe it’s always so important to know the source of anything. Anything we put in our heads as information or even research science. Certainly anything we put in or on our cats bodies. Including vegan foods.
“Health and nutrition” were cited by this study as “the factor considered most important”. We leave it to you to read the ‘research’ and decide if their findings support the actual health and nutrition of your obligate carnivores.
While it is wonderful that we humans can make diet choices, our cats have no choices but the ones we make for them.
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