Vegetarian diet for cats

In this Fact Sheet: Why consider a vegetarian diet for your cat, Special issues and Vegetarian pet foods/availability

Cats are regarded as obligate carnivores, this means that in the wild they could not survive without eating meat to obtain all the nutrients they require. However, for the domestic cat there are commercial vegetarian foods available that contain synthetic versions of essential nutrients.

Feeding a cat a vegetarian diet requires greater planning and guidance due to the fact that cats require specific nutrients, inparticularly taurine and arachidonic acid

The issue of feeding your companion animal is a personal decision. As a Society we fully appreciate that committed vegetarians can find themselves facing a difficult decision and our aim is to provide further information in this area so that cat owners can make an informed choice.

It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that their animal is fed a balanced diet suitable for its age, lifestyle and health status. We would recommend seeking further guidance before deciding to change your cat’s diet and always speak with your vet, who should be able to advise further. New foods need to be introduced gradually over a number of days and the animals health carefully monitored.

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