Forcing ideologies on pets...

[B. de Corbin]

What next?


Kitten Nearly Dies On Vegan Diet, Gets Healed With Meat



I have an idea...

Cut down on the feral cat population by teaching them to practice abstinence while in heat. Right now they run around like little hussies...

[Maria de Luna]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

Cats are abject carnivores... whoever tried to make their friggin cat a vegie is a moron, seriously, basic internet search will tell you that.... No excuse for this level of asshattery...

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

It's the same mindset that tries to force other humans to change their sexual orientation or spirituality. During my vegetarian years I had a cat. She ate cat food and I never gave a thought to the meat in it. That was her business. (She did love cantaloupe though LOL) So many people get pets and do NO homework on the needs of the species. They just want them because they're trendy or they look cute. Like getting a "trophy wife/husband" I guess. Ugh.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

NOT ok. If you want a vegan animal, get a pet that naturally eats vegetables. Cats and dogs are carnivores, and they don't benefit from vegetable protein the same way humans can.

I have a lot of vegan friends, and almost all of them think making your carnivorous animal eat a vegan diet is pretty cruel, so I think it's a minority at least. The one who didn't was a boyfriend of a colleague. They wanted to get a dog, and he wanted it to be vegan. She refused, because even though she was vegan, she didn't think dogs should be. He used an example of their friend's dog, and she was like "that dog is skinny, smells funny, and seems miserable."

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

Yup - I'm sure it's a goofy minority. I've got a vegetarian daughter, and a vegan daughter. Both feed their pets what their pets need to eat.

Sometimes people go way too far in their pursuite of an imaginary vision of what the world "ought to be."

[Ophidia]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

In this situation, I think PETA's stance is actually preferable. If you can't abide the thought of feeding meat to an animal with a short digestive tract (not to mention single stomach & no rumen), no 'sweet' sensors and sharp ripping teeth then you shouldn't be able to abide the thought of keeping animals in captivity, either.

The whole thought of trying to make a ferret or cat vegan makes me want to punch vegan babies, man.

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

In this situation, I think PETA's stance is actually preferable. If you can't abide the thought of feeding meat to an animal with a short digestive tract (not to mention single stomach & no rumen), no 'sweet' sensors and sharp ripping teeth then you shouldn't be able to abide the thought of keeping animals in captivity, either.

The whole thought of trying to make a ferret or cat vegan makes me want to punch vegan babies, man.

And I hate when people feed cat food to ferrets. I can spot such a poor ferret a mile away. Their eyes are funny and their coat is thin.

[RainbowDemonic]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

I've heard of people trying to make their dogs vegan too. It's messed up. I think my work from early on with animals training them, volunteering at no-kill shelters, helping out around vet's offices, etc. etc. etc. -- quickly made me HATE the human species and their extreme anthropocentric idiocy. 9 out of 10 pet owners do not have any business owning animals. You tell a cat owner "Hey, too much tuna can kill your cat" or, "You know kitty's clearly trying to tell you he hates that, right? Look at his body language..." and it's always "ORLY? I HAD NO IDEA!" - You tell a dog owner something basic like "You know, unless you scold them immediately after they misbehave, they're not going to make the clear association that they're being scolded for that particular behavior, so yelling at him the moment you get home is like saying 'I'm home and I HATE YOU'" and it's always "Psh, nahhh, he's like a little person with fur! He understands me!" Riiiight.

I basically have to ignore most other pet owners and pretend they don't exist or it makes me insane. Even "happy" pets suffer a lot because of stupid people.

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

I've heard of people trying to make their dogs vegan too. It's messed up. I think my work from early on with animals training them, volunteering at no-kill shelters, helping out around vet's offices, etc. etc. etc. -- quickly made me HATE the human species and their extreme anthropocentric idiocy. 9 out of 10 pet owners do not have any business owning animals. You tell a cat owner "Hey, too much tuna can kill your cat" or, "You know kitty's clearly trying to tell you he hates that, right? Look at his body language..." and it's always "ORLY? I HAD NO IDEA!" - You tell a dog owner something basic like "You know, unless you scold them immediately after they misbehave, they're not going to make the clear association that they're being scolded for that particular behavior, so yelling at him the moment you get home is like saying 'I'm home and I HATE YOU'" and it's always "Psh, nahhh, he's like a little person with fur! He understands me!" Riiiight.

I basically have to ignore most other pet owners and pretend they don't exist or it makes me insane. Even "happy" pets suffer a lot because of stupid people.

^ This.

I did 5 years of research before committing to my African Grey parrot. (I had a cat who was getting old, so it was "planned parrot-hood" for right after she passed.) I read all I could find on different species of parrot, talked to owners, visited bird stores, etc. I originally had a cockatoo in mind but the greys were a much better fit for me, and now that the little dictator has been with me 23 1/2 years, I have zero regrets. I've seen people pick a bird because of their color or something, and have no clue about nutrition, noise level, etc. Humans are my least favorite species.

[thalassa]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

The whole thought of trying to make a ferret or cat vegan makes me want to punch vegan babies, man.

I think...considering people have killed their children doing this, it should come as little surprise that they've done it to their pets too.

[Astrayus]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

Now people have let their kids die from malnutrition. My son is a vegetarian, like me, and I'm pregnant. I don't eat that much milk product because I'm lactose intolerant and we don't eat many eggs. BUT I do have the best blood tests and my pregnancy has been with the least complications from my pregnant group. I think it's all about balancing your diet. We eat a lot of whole wheat foods, beans, dark green veggies and tofu. Plenty of protein and calcium. Tons of fruits and veggies.

But my cats still eat cat food. Period. I even splurged and bought them some chicken and livers fancy feast.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

I think with kids it's debatable. People are omnivorous, so we do get nutrition from vegetable sources. I know lots of people who raise their kids vegan or vegetarian, and their kids are totally healthy. I think it has more to do with balance...if you're one of those people who simply cuts out meat and doesn't replace it with beans or something, you'll be malnourished, but it will be harder on your kids and it can harm them. If you're responsible and take care with your diet, it's probably fine.

Carnivorous animals, on the other hand, don't get the nutrition they need from plants, and their bodies aren't meant to process plant protein. Sometimes it seems like dogs will eat almost anything, but they do need meat. Cats will sometimes eat grass, melons, and cucumbers...my vet told me that some cats are attracted to the sweet taste, but that it doesn't do much for them other than help their digestion. soo there you have it. I think if people want vegan animals, they should get rabbits or guinea pigs. If you have to have a pet that shares your lifestyle, get a pet that -can- share your lifestyle!

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

I think with kids it's debatable. People are omnivorous, so we do get nutrition from vegetable sources. I know lots of people who raise their kids vegan or vegetarian, and their kids are totally healthy. I think it has more to do with balance...if you're one of those people who simply cuts out meat and doesn't replace it with beans or something, you'll be malnourished, but it will be harder on your kids and it can harm them. If you're responsible and take care with your diet, it's probably fine.

Carnivorous animals, on the other hand, don't get the nutrition they need from plants, and their bodies aren't meant to process plant protein. Sometimes it seems like dogs will eat almost anything, but they do need meat. Cats will sometimes eat grass, melons, and cucumbers...my vet told me that some cats are attracted to the sweet taste, but that it doesn't do much for them other than help their digestion. soo there you have it. I think if people want vegan animals, they should get rabbits or guinea pigs. If you have to have a pet that shares your lifestyle, get a pet that -can- share your lifestyle!

Yes - I've met vegetarians who eat potato chips and cheese pizza, and that's about it. Not good!

[Ophidia]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

Sometimes it seems like dogs will eat almost anything, but they do need meat.

There are 'nutritionally balanced' vegan dog foods out there. Saw some in PetCo. According to the 'net, there are vegetarian cat foods out there, but I've never seen any for sale IRL.

Personally, I couldn't do it to our dog. She gets a mix of dog food & whatever we're eating (and before all the people screeching 'dogs shouldn't eat people food/table scraps' jump down my throat - I do all the cooking and it's all whole foods, so she is getting lean beef and chicken and not McDonalds). Her bloodwork is good, she's at her ideal weight and she doesn't have dog breath, so we're doing something right, lol.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Forcing ideologies on pets...

There are 'nutritionally balanced' vegan dog foods out there. Saw some in PetCo. According to the 'net, there are vegetarian cat foods out there, but I've never seen any for sale IRL.

Personally, I couldn't do it to our dog. She gets a mix of dog food & whatever we're eating (and before all the people screeching 'dogs shouldn't eat people food/table scraps' jump down my throat - I do all the cooking and it's all whole foods, so she is getting lean beef and chicken and not McDonalds). Her bloodwork is good, she's at her ideal weight and she doesn't have dog breath, so we're doing something right, lol.

In theory, but in practice, it doesn't seem to work so well. I've also seen some vegan cat food for sale, and "nutritionally balanced" is a bit foggy when it comes to pet food. I think it just has to have a balance of protein, fiber, and vitamins. It doesn't necessarily mean your pet's body can process those things from those sources though.

And no worries...I feed kitteh meat too. I cook all my meat myself and only give him stuff with less seasoning. He also gets things like fish skin and chicken skin (he's elderly and has incurable thyroid probs, so the vet told me to give him fatty things whenever possible). We feed him raw meat quite a bit as well, at the vet's recommendation, as well as lactose-free cream (also vet advice).