Is it possible to start my cat on a vegetarian diet.?

Question

She is really overweight.

Answer 1

Dogs can be vegetarians, but cats just cant. They actually NEED meat in their diet. To lose weight, feed her less and get her some exercise.

Answer 2

Well... you have said a number of times before on this board that vegetarians eat fish, so I don't see any harm in feeding your cat your version of a vegetarian diet.

Sorry, don't mean to be snide, it's actually nice to see you posting something genuine rather than copying and pasting someone else's answers.

Cats are carnivores; they need meat. To feed them a diet without meat is a cruelty.

If you are concerned about her weight, and the vet agrees that she's overweight, take the vet's advice re limiting or adjusting her food intake, and give her plenty of opportunity to play outside.

Answer 3

NO!!! Cats need meat in their diet. If you remove meat from their diet, you will eliminating essential nutrients that they need, that are not necessary for humans.

If she's overweight, you can get a low calorie cat food, and/or cut back on the amount of food you are giving her. Also, cut out the people food. It's one of the main contributors to feline obesity.

AND make sure she is getting enough exercise. Just because she's not a kitten any more doesn't mean she doesn't like to play. Get several cat toys that will entice her to jump and run. One of the best ones that will get her moving without exhausting her owner, is one of those laser pointer lights. My male cat loves it and will play for hours.

Answer 4

Yep they do sell vegan/vegetarian cat food ill find a link

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreF...

have to add stuff to it..but the site has more

Answer 5

Cat's are more "purely carnivorious" than dogs and I believe cat nutrition requires at least two amino acids that can't be obtained from plants.  

One of the amino acids is taurine.

I agree with lou; if you believe a vegetarian includes fish then that would be a good diet for a cat. Most cats love poultry and/or fish. It's hard for me to imagine a cat on a real vegetarian diet actually doing well and liking it.

Answer 6

You could also try limiting the amount of food you set out for her.  I guess that an overweight cat is a better reason to feed a cat a vegetarian diet than wanting to be more natural.

Answer 7

i keep hearing that cats are carnivores and they need meat, but after hearing that people who fed their cats the vegetarian food were healthier and lived longer, i wasn't so sure. maybe you should ask your vet and check to see what they advise you should do.

Answer 8

I once stayed with a family in Finland who fed the cat oatmeal and frozen (thawed but not cooked) peas.  The cat was 15 and had the most beautiful coat I've ever seen.  They said they did stir in a little fish on Sundays, just to make the meal nicer.

Answer 9

Get her on a light cat food then.  Cats need meat to survive

Answer 10

cats are naturally CARNIVORES look in the wild. go to the vet get her high quality protien & exercise toys!! hope she gets healthy

Answer 11

Cats are meat and vegetable eaters...like the other answerer says, they are omnivores. They won't thrive without their native diet. Get her on a ***vet-recommended weight-loss diet****, and then spend time with her playing. Get her to follow a fishing pole toy, chase her, get a treat and break it into little pieces, and hide them or throw them for her to break into or chase. Don't go the veggie route. Go for a researched diet and increase her activity. You can do it and you owe it to that sweet little girl! She'll lose weight very gradually, but it will be worth it, hon. Do it the right way!

Answer 12

You can feed them on a partial vegetarian diet. Not a full, supplement with a specified amount of meat products or they can become very ill if not monitored correctly. I am a vegan with 8 cats. And ya, my cats eat meat products.

Feeding your cats grains and rice is actually something that can cause them to be overweight. They arent meant to eat those sort of foods. If you look up obese cats/diets online you will find alot of information out there as to what to feed your cat. You have to be very careful when putting your overweight cat on a diet. If  you cut back their food too much it can cause liver/kindey problems and they can become very ill and some may even die as a cause of it.

If you "free feed" your cat, in otherwords leave dry food out for your cat at all times, thats a good place to start. STOP free feeding. Cats really only need to eat once every 12 hours. Its tough at first to cut them back when they arent used to it, but they will eventually stop hounding you for food.

Definetlely do your research and consult your vet before making a drastic change in your cats diet.

Answer 13

Cats are predatory hunters by nature and a protein diet is best for them.  If your cat needs to lose weight, play with her and let her become more active by using her natural instincts.

Answer 14

Check with your veterinarian for recommendations.  Cats are carnovores - they were meant to eat meat/flesh.  While a good commercial cat food does contain vegetable matter, it's best to go with a vet's recommendation.  You don't want to turn your overweight cat into a malnourished kitty - that's just swapping one problem for an equally serious other problem.

Answer 15

Cats need meat and especially protein.  Kitty would be very unhappy and unhealthy on a vegertairan diet.

Answer 16

I don't think so.  I'm a vegetarian myself, but cats are just...carnivores.  That's how they are.  You drop a bit of tomato on the floor for instance and a dog will gobble it up, but a cat won't care.    There are special lower calorie pet foods for overweight pets, though, and you can feed a cat less.

Answer 17

Yes it is possible to feed cats on a properly balanced vegetarian diet. The pet shops have many products for vegetarian cats. My All American Blue Tabby Persian, Ali Katir of Meri Druid was a vegetarian and he loved to supplement his diet with corn bread, dried pineapple and tomato skins. I also gave him some cottage cheese nutritional yeast and granulated garlic.

He would catch the mice in our passive solar farm house and carry them outside and let them go without ever hurting them. Oh and he lived to a healthy 17 years, fathered several litters of prize winning kittens two of whom  lived at the French Embassy in New York.  So yes, it can be done without any harm to the cat.

Answer 18

Cats are omnivores....they need meat.

Just don't feed her as much and especially don't leave a bowl of dry down.  Feed her at specific times.  Play with her more so she is active more often.

Answer 19

vegetarianism isnt for losing weight its a lifestyle

yes there are alternatives but they are very hard to find and cats are carnivores by nature, they have instict to hunt and you cant change that.

theyre are diet cat foods, just go to pets mart