My cat has eaten only vegan food for five years with no health problems, but people still tell me that a cat cannot survive on a vegan diet. This website is an attempt to prove by example that cats can indeed be healthy, happy and vegan!

Mr. Snickers

around 15 years old male maybe American shorthair
Indoor only
Vegan for around 2 - 3 years

Submitted by Rebecca Perkins from New York state, United States

Diet

Snickers enjoys and thrives on a diet of whole plantfoods augmented with the VegeCat line of nutritional supplements, made fresh once every three days. (We use the VegeCat pHi and VegeYeast.) He enjoys variety, so I prepare various combinations of VegeCat recipes on a rotating schedule. I supplement with ProZyme Plus in every recipe. He is given a small bit of liquid CoQ10 every day, which is still relatively new. He enjoys crumbled nori on his food, occasionally, and asks for many other plantfoods, such as: avocado (never the peel), unsweetened hemp milk, tofu (even plain), Mindful Mayo (just a taste), almond butter, salad (lettuce dressed with sunflower oil), etc.. I mix two jars of vegetable-only baby food puree into his food every recipe.

Health

Superb! :-) He was generally healthy before transitioning, but his health actually improved. It's hard to put in words, but there is a greater sense of vitality. Even though he is of a mature age, he is very much a kitten again in many ways. He used to suffer from a dermatological condition vaguely diagnosed as an allergic reaction -- occurrence and severity of this declined and disappeared. His demeanour, though, again, not bad to begin with, also improved. To speak to the pH worries: Back in the dreadful, shameful corpse-diet days, he actually had a severe issue with a urinary blockage. He was rushed to the emergency clinic during a driving ban in a blizzard (we were temporarily stranded on the way back) and told we arrived in the nick of time. His condition was critical and he needed a procedure right away. He has not been to the vet even once for this since becoming plant-based.

Vet's reaction

We were still rather new as clients at the time. I presented the information I had, including a list of the ingredients in the VegeCat and VegeCat pHi. The (very nonvegan) veterinarian expressed a kind of conceptual disbelief, but said, very ecumenically, that as long as the nutrition was complete and adequate, there were no real complaints. The VegeCat nutrients were given acceptance as being nutritionally sound, and this was the final proof needed to get the household on board with the plantbased diet for my feline companion.

Other comments

I would love to travel back in time to transition him sooner. Sooo much sooner. At the time, keeping my diet plantbased was enough of a struggle in the household, and I didn't realize how awful (other than the inherent nonveganness) the corpse-products really were. I absolutely agree with the sentiment found in another story here: it might take time to make the transition (ours was nearly flawless and instant, but I've heard others weren't), but the dedication and commitment are so very much worth it. To clarify his indoor status: He is, as a rule, an indoor dweller. He enjoys supervised time outside on either a tether or a lead. He has also enjoyed walks in a carrier. I would love to try a feline stroller.