Can felines benefit from a plant-based diet?
Prof Knight, a world-renowned, multiple-award-winning veterinarian and animal welfare Professor at the University of Winchester, has published the findings of his extensive research on the safety and potential health benefits of a plant-based diet for cats. He has once again demonstrated that owners of cats fed vegan diets reported fewer visits to the vet, less medication use and that their vet was more likely to describe their cat as healthy.
Science-based facts on feeding cats a nutrient-sound plant-based diet.
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Cats demonstrated superior results when fed vegan diets for all health indicators, indicating a clear and persistent pattern.
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The latest research was consistent with earlier 2021 findings, in which vegan-fed cats reported better health, had higher ideal body condition ratings, and were less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal and liver diseases than meat-fed cat, on over 1000 cats participating in this study. This study revealed that no illnesses were more likely to be discovered in vegan-fed cats.
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Published scientific data and references to the present information can be found below;
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"Biologically, what cats require is not meat, but a specific set of nutrients," explained Prof Andrew Knight. "There's no scientific reason why you can't supply all the necessary nutrients through plant additives."
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As of yet, no published studies of this nature have looked at the benefits of high fish-based diets (because cats are land mammals and fish is high on the list of ingredients they are intolerant of), raw food diets, or even insect-based diets and their benefits to cats, so this is a significant step forward for sustainability and pet health.
Key takeaway: Rehardening plant-based nutrition for cats.
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Cats require nutrients, but doesn't require any specific ingredient; as long as their nutritional requirements are meet, a cat will be healthy.
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Taurine and L-carnitine in processed commercial cat food are not derived from meat. The heating process eliminates these nutrients from the raw animal protein ingredients. To comply with nutritional standards, synthetic taurine and L-carnitine are added to the formulation after heating.
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Taurine and L-carnitine in meat-based cat food, fish-based cat food, and plant-based cat food are all the same synthetic chemical.
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During the manufacture of commercial cat feeds, the contents are subjected to extreme heat and pressure, leaving little to no nutrients and fibres. To compensate for this and to adhere to the specified feline feeding guidelines, manufacturers add synthetic nutrients (minerals, amino acids, and vitamins), including the notorious Taurine and L-carnitine.
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The synthetic nutrients used in meat or fish-based cat food are identical to those used in plant-based commercial cat food. As a result, there is no difference in the nutrient sources or nutritional values between meat-based, fish-based, and plant-based cat foods.
Current knowledge about the risks and benefits
of raw meat–based diets for dogs and cats
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There are no published level 1, 2, or 3 studies of nutritional risk or benefit of raw meat feeding to dogs or cats.
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In addition, raw food poses a substantial risk of infectious disease to the pet, the pet’s environment, and the humans in the household.
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Lisa M. Freeman, DVM, PhD, DACVN; Marjorie L. Chandler, DVM, MS, DACVN, DACVIM; Beth A. Hamper, DVM, PhD, DACVN; Lisa P. Weeth, DVM, DACVN
