Monday, August 11, 2014

What do vegans feed their pets?

Meow! Thanks for feeding me my natural diet!  (public domain photo)
One of the things people often ask me is what vegans feed their pets. They are, of course, making the point that we do still buy meat, even if it's not for ourselves. So, for those people and anyone else who's curious, here's what vegans feed their pets and why.

It depends on their natural diet.

Some pets are natural carnivores. Some are natural omnivores. Some are actually vegans, like their owners. The most popular pets, of course are cats and dogs. They're usually the ones people are speaking of when they ask what vegans feed their pets.

I think some people who ask this question are genuinely concerned about the health of the animals in question. There's really no need for concern. Vegans love other animals. They would never cause them intentional harm.

What vegans feed "their" dogs

Vegans feed "their" dogs what dogs naturally eat, just as they feed themselves what they naturally eat. Dogs are omnivores. They can eat a wide variety of foods, including animal products. However, they don't need meat to be healthy. So, some vegans choose to feed dogs vegan food. There are commercially made vegan dog foods or one can make vegan dog food themselves. As for me, I feed "my" dog conventional dog food. I could go the other way, though, with no problem. I've been considering it because she absolutely loves veggies, just like me. Plus, she has weight issues we're trying to resolve.

What vegans feed "their" cats

Cats are carnivores. There's no question about that. There are predators and carnivores way back in their gene pool. Vegans are all about loving other animals. There isn't a vegan on this planet who would consider harming an animal in any way. So, cats are fed their natural carnivore diet, even when they live in a vegan household. If you really put some thought into it, this makes perfect sense, although, truth be told, many vegans don't have pets in the first place.

A lot of vegans don't have pets to begin with.

Many vegans don't really believe in keeping other animals for their own use. For many of us, that includes pet ownership. Pet ownership has thrown off the balance of nature. It involves thinking of other creatures as property, something that doesn't bode well with many vegans. That being said, I already mentioned I "have" a cat and a dog.

Why? Well, it's pretty simple. They both would have gone to the pound because their "owners" couldn't keep them any longer for differing reasons. They were rescue pets from 2 different relatives. Otherwise, they wouldn't be living with me. I don't really believe in "owning" other animals. Many vegans agree with that sentiment. So, you see for many vegans, the question of what to feed their pets is simply a moot point. That's because they don't have pets, for ethical reasons.

Note: This post was previously published by this author on a now closed Yahoo! property.

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