Vegan Diets for Cats?

Vegan diets may be a suitable choice for some people but what about our feline friends? The simple answer is that a vegan diet is a poor choice for your cat. These diets cannot provide all of the nutrients that your cat requires for a healthy life.

Cats are obligate carnivores. This means that cats require meat in their diet. They have specific nutrient needs that can only be supplied through the ingestion of animal meat.

For example, taurine is a specific amino acid that is required by all cats. Without sufficient amounts of taurine in the diet, cats can experience heart disease, vision problems, and other health issues. Taurine needs to be provided through the diet and is only available through animal sources. Although there are synthetic supplements available these are not recommended.


Vitamin A and Arachidonic acid also need to be provided in the food your cat is eating and these are primarily available through animal sources.

As a result of these unique dietary requirements, a cat is unable to safely eat a vegan diet. Even with synthetic supplementation, producing a cat food that is complete and fills all of the nutritional needs of a cat is difficult (and dangerous) without adding meat to the diet.

So if you choose to enjoy a vegan diet, please do not expect your cat to eat the same way!

Last year a kitten was admitted to the Lort Smith Animal Hospital after being fed a vegan diet - you can read more here.