While cats are seen as obligate carnivores, research has shown that alternative diets including vegetarian or vegan food can be just as healthy – if not healthier – as a meat-based one.
Study lead Professor Andrew Knight argued that biologically, cats need a specific set of nutrients (protein, taurine, and vitamins A and B12, for example), not meat, and these can be introduced via plant-based supplements.
Meat-based cat food can require added supplements too. “There’s no scientific reason why you can’t supply all the necessary nutrients through plant additives,” Knight told the Guardian. “Modern vegan diets produced by pet food companies use plant, mineral and synthetic sources to supply all needed nutrients.
They also lack hazards such as animal-sourced allergens that occur within meat-based pet food.”