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Kat's Korner
Kat Brown

Cats just cannot be healthy and vegetarian

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A STORY REAPPEARED on Facebook recently about a kitten brought in to a vet, dying from being forced to eat a vegan diet. It brought a plethora of responses, including warnings from veterinarians and feline nutritionists that removing meat from a cat’s diet is not an option.
    Some humans are sure that cats and dogs and other carnivores they chose to have in their lives can easily be transferred to a human lifestyle. They are encouraged by certain vegan “experts,” of which PETA is the most outspoken group. Other groups such as Best Friends Animal Sanctuary embrace the vegan lifestyle for themselves, but do not try to change an animal’s natural nutritional needs.These two groups have met in many a courtroom where PETA has been trying to dismantle the trap-neuter-release movement that Best Friends has sponsored for years.
    Supporters of a vegan-only option fail to understand that not all species are equal in their ability to assimilate the diet into their lives. A vegan diet must be followed carefully for humans to be properly nourished, and requires supplements and certain food combinations to be sustainable for many. Even then, it is not always possible for everyone to attain nutritional balance.
    A well-known case is the Dalai Lama. It is usually assumed that the spiritual leader of Tibet is vegetarian. Turns out that is a false assumption. As a child, he grew up eating a predominantly carnivorous diet, as there are very few plant sources in Tibet. The population has evolved to make greater use of meat in their diet. When the 14th Dalai Lama moved to India, he switched to a vegetarian diet and soon grew sick with hepatitis. Because of his heritage, he was not predisposed to be healthy as a vegetarian, much as he wanted to. So he has adopted the practice of the Buddha himself in eating meat. (Vegetarianism was a later development in Buddhism.)
    Now to the point of forcing our pets to adhere to our lifestyle. Cats have been carnivores for centuries—long before we domesticated them. They are classified as obligate carnivores, or hyper-carnivores, which means they require a diet of more than 70 percent meat to survive. Unlike dogs, they have not evolved beyond that primal situation.
    All cats are obligate carnivores, from domestic tabbies to big cats in the wild. And the cat is not alone in being a strict meat-eater. Other obligate carnivores include minks, tarsiers, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and walruses, to name a few. Non-mammals include rainbow trout, salmon, hawks, eagles, crocodiles, many snakes and lizards, and most amphibians.
    Is it possible that a vegan diet could be designed for carnivores to survive and be healthy? Yes, but it is many years and a lot of research away. Anyone who says it is possible today is either scamming or grossly misinformed.
    You can choose an herbivore as a pet if you require that it be vegetarian. But you cannot expect to change thousands of years of evolution in one generation, just to suit your needs and sensibilities. There are some lovely herbivores that have been unnaturally selected to be companion animals. I have found French Lop rabbits to be wonderful pets, litter-trainable and with a personality very much like a combination of cat and Cocker Spaniel. They require a lot of work, but are so worthwhile to have in your life.
    If you crave animal companionship, rest assured that there is something out there for you. Be creative, and you may be surprised to find the perfect pet for your vegan lifestyle.
    
Kat Brown of Albuquerque is a lifelong animal-lover, especially of cats. She wears many hats, but animal-lover is perhaps the one that has given her the most pleasure. Share your cat stories or comments at katskorner88@gmail.com.