In the age of anthropomorphism, anything goes, and it is no surprise that its intensity has transferred onto the pet population. Our seemingly harmless intention to reflect physical and behavioural qualities, which facilitate human traits, has altered the human-animal bond; some would argue for worse. Breeding squishy-faced, or chondrodystrophic breeds, reflects our desire for neotany, aka – life long, child-like/puppy features. This leads to a darker side of suffering from respiratory disorders and eye issues; but that’s an entirely different path.
I argue that the anthropomorphism of pets has resulted in an increased level of veterinary care and an improved welfare situation, however this has its limits. When it reaches the point of projecting your beliefs on your pets with unintentional harmful consequences – a red light goes off in my mind. Veterinary clinics are witnessing an increased rate of ‘vegan’ clients, and I am talking about the animal. Unfortunately, however genuine the owner’s intentions may be, dogs and cats cannot be sustained on a vegan diet. It will literally kill them. PETA’s endorsement of this idea certainty isn’t helping this deathly issue.
Cats are more at risk, they are obligate carnivores and MUST have a meat based diet for survival. They lack the ability to derive nutrients, which can only be gained from meat in sufficient quantities. Cats are engineered to use proteins and amino acids as their energy basis, not carbohydrates and do not have the physiological ability to digest plant based proteins. The amino acid profile of meat is complete and unique, providing our feline friends with critical components such as Taurine and Arginine. Failure to provide this results in cardiovascular disease, blindness and affects the metabolic cycles resulting in an increase in ammonia. This is lethal to your pet. It is also not just the amount of protein that is critical, it is the source – whole meat has a higher bioavailability of amino acids allowing it to be absorbed easier compared to beaks, tails and feet – keep an eye out for that on pet food packaging.
In dogs, feeding ‘human’ food can also be toxic leading to issues such as obesity and pancreatitis. Next time, keep those sausages and bacon scraps on your plate.
It is always best to seek veterinary advice before altering your pet’s diet, however if feeding a meat based diet to your cat is fundamentally against your ideologies – please consider an equally vegetarian counter part, like rabbits.