All of my life I have been told that cats need animal-source vitamins, but no one could really tell me which ones, or for what reason. None of these arguements I believed, but lacking super information about cats, their health & diet, I was stumped. My cats like vegetables and I have been able to make their foods, but I never trusted my own vegan combinations being nervous they were not getting the nutrition they need.
My research lead me to read articles like the NaturalNews.com report on the horros of the pet food industry, and I realized I need a new game plan, and quickly. No matter how much money I'm spending on cat food, the quality was desperately lacking, and I refuse to poison the little ones I have vowed to take care of.
The Whole Dog Journal did a wonderful exposé on the inside of a pet food manufacturing plant, but not on any brands I had ever heard of. Anyway, it was informative on certain practices and laws that are in play.
Finding the VeganCat.com site made me breathe a great sigh of relief, because not only do they have the answer I have been looking for, they have done the RESEARCH, and can physically tell me exactly what nutrients cats produce, why they need some extra help from animal sources, and exactly how they found replacement vitamins and minerals and from what sources.
From the VeganCat Website:
Cats need dietary taurine, but significant quantities naturally occur only in animal tissues. A shortage causes blindness and heart disease. Most mammals biosynthesize vitamin A from the yellow pigment (carotene) found in vegetables. Cats lack this ability, making a dietary source of this vitamin, found naturally only in animal tissues, essential. Vitamin D is another essential vitamin, found naturally only in animal tissues as D3. The essential fatty acid arachidonate is rare in non-animal sources. Cats require it for numerous vital metabolic processes including reproduction. Vegecat products contain the rare nutrients mentioned above derived from non-animal sources, such as D2 from yeast. Recipes meet nutrient levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Official’s (AAFCO) Cat Food Nutrient Profile for adult cats, without using any animal products. Each container comes with simple recipes which, when used with Vegecat, are formulated to meet all the nutritional requirements for adult cats. (For kittens, see Vegekit also offered on our site.) Vegecat recipes may include ingredients such as lentils, garbanzos, tofu, TVP, & yeast (we highly recommend VegeYeast as it is the healthiest for cats).
There are different products and brands of vegan options for your cat on their site. If you are tired of processed pet foods on the market, and ready to make the switch to a cruelty-free life for your pets, this is definitely the place to begin!
