General Chat

You know those wandering thoughts one has that have nothing whatsoever to do with anything, but just pop into ones head?

Well, I just had one such thought.

Do strict vegans have pets? and what do they think about those pets eating meat/animals?


Don't ask me what 'I' think cos it will take me some time to ponder :-)))))

I feed my cats meat - they're cats! It's not fair that I decide for them what they eat, ..(well apart from they get whiskers whether they like it or not...well actually that's not true, they decide that they want whiskers, they won't eat anything else apart from Felix as good as it looks. So really they're in charge)

Really it's because, I choose to be a vegetarian, cats can't choose to be one, whereas if you happen to be a human, you can choose to cook your own meat thank you very much.

Well I have a friend who is strict and her dog is veggie too:-(( personally I think its cruel,its not natural is it!

I'm not a vegan, a vulcan maybe (I've got the ears) but not a vegan :-)

Hello Susan.....out of curiosity I googled " vegan pet food " and judging by the recipes etc I guess the answer to your pondering is that some vegans feed their pets none meat products .

There was a vegan on 'Come Dine With Me' and she had a cat.

AND fed it normal catfood. She said, her veganism was her choice, but as the cat would probably not choose a vegan diet over a tasty meaty meal, she considered it natural to feed it meat.

I am thinking more of those who are veggies because of their aversion to killing animals.

This of course is not a debate about the rights and wrongs of doing so. I just wondered if they had pets and if the same principles were adhered to.

I knew a couple who were vegans, but bought the best steak for their dogs
Liz

Cats are carnnivores ie only eat meat (which is why I can't understand why cat food manufacturers insist on putting peas & carrots in their food - they're always left!) Dogs, however, like humans are omnivores ie they can survive on both meat and plants, so feeding a dog vegan food wouldn't cause too many problems provided their minerals & vitamins were kept up.
However, routinely feeding non- meat products to a cat would be rather unkind, and the number of supplements they'd need (probably meat based) to remain healthy would defeat the object!

Hi Susan :-) But I'd be killing my cat if I didn't feed her meat. She doesn't like vegetarian casserole I'm afraid.

Humans have alternatives to eating meat, so I have chosen the alternative for me. I don't enforce it on anyone.

I don't think cats have an alternative - apart from chicken and fish :-) It's natural for them to eat it.

The nice man from whiskas puts the meat in those handy pouches for me so I don't have to kill the meat for them.

Hi all :-)

I am still a little confused ( nothing new there then Lol )

From Wiki

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.[1][2] "Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind".[3] The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights",


Edit:...I feel I must add that I am not out to slate Vegans.....was just wondering :-)

Sorry Susan, your title about Vegetarians threw me. Not sure about Vegans. For me, it's a personal thing, I live to my own ideology.

Vegans as such wouldn't be consuming the pet food, the pet would but whether they would see it that way, I don't know.

maybe true vegans dont own pets, perhaps they prefer them to live naturally in the wild?

Sorry Red.:-)....not sure I knew the 'exact' difference having had children who used every excuse not to eat what was put in front of them :-)) Perhaps you could all enlighten me so's I can argue the point with them :-))

As a vegetraian I eat cheese, milk, eggs etc. (Actually I'm not a true vegetarian, it's easier to say that)

Vegans wouldn't, they don't eat anything that is derived from animals. They don't wear leather etc either

Found this discussion which I thought may interest you:

http://caloriecount.about.com/true-vegans-own-pets-ft110129

How would they stop the cat from hunting?

I can't see a moggy being trained to seek out bean sprouts :-))

lol Sue:-)

I think the cat would just adopt a new owner. Cats aren't stupid lol

What an interesting question,

I have known veggie friends to only feed their pet their food, not something I can agree to. Each animal (including humans) has a natural choice, if I stopped eating meat I certainly would not expect my mutts to. infact I think it is cruel to deny them the natural instinct which is meat . ( I do deny my dogs the cats they would like I hasten to add )

Alas Soom, this may be true. I have for some time now ( as some of you may know ) been trying to train my cat to eat birdseed so's she can sing in tune of a night time. All to no avail :-(.

TSK! Soom and Red.....twas a serious discussion and now you have started me orft.....sigh!

Please ignore them...they are trying to make me laugh

Mag did you have your veggie dog from a pup ?