Why is veggie food ok for cats since they eat meat out in the wild?
If it wasn't for scientific research it wouldn't be possible to even consider vegetarian cats. Thankfully we now know what nutrients are necessary for cats to thrive on and can obtain those nutrients without killing animals. Taurine is a good example. This is a vital amino acid that almost all mammals synthesize from other amino acids, but cats lost that ability thousands of years ago (lacking the necessary enzyme). Taurine is now available in synthesized form from non animal sources and works as well as that from animal flesh (even better since it is directly utilized without needing digestion). One particular nutrient is a fatty acid that is extremely rare in the vegetable kingdom but necessary for cats, that obtain it from flesh. That fatty acid we found is a seaweed which is a primary ingredient in Vegecat.
We've been manufacturing Vegecat since 1986 and many of our clients from the early years have stayed with us as their cats aged and even got new cats (since cats don't live forever). Not all cats immediately take to the new diet, and often it is necessary to make a lengthy transition from the old food to the new by mixing a little of the new gradually into the old food. That is usually the most successful way to make the transition.
Why to do it? It certainly is nice to be free from animal products and the hidden cruelty that they represent. It's nice to know that there is an alternative.
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