Many cat parents choose to feed their cats a vegetarian diet, but is this a sufficient diet that would provide them with all the necessary nutritional elements that they need to thrive and flourish?

Here in this article, we will tackle this subject and discuss it in-depth and we will answer all the related questions also.

So without wasting any further time, let’s begin,

Carnivore Vs Omnivore Definition 

Carnivore is a Latin term that is consist of two parts prefix and suffix

The Various prefixes  ( “carni” and “Omni” and “herbo” ) refer to different meanings; “carni” means “meat” while “omni” means “all” and “herbo” means “plant” 

The suffix, on the other hand, “vore” means “eating” 

So an animal is being called a carnivore if his natural food chains only consist of a meat-based diet, while omnivores refer to animals that can eat both meat and plant-based diets.

Herbivores, on the other hand, refer to animals that only eat a plant-based diet.  

To Which Of The Aforementioned Categories Do Cats Belong?

Cats by nature are carnivores, their natural diet consists only of meat and flesh-based meat.

Their bodies are adapted to meat-based diets through innate tendencies and evolutionary processes to the extent that they can’t survive if they are not supplied with rich meat-based diets on a constant basis.

Their body would suffer from multiple disorders and a specific cat’s organs such as eyes and heart would degenerate due to the lack of certain amino acids such as (arginine and taurine)

However, that doesn’t mean that you should let your domestic cat eat their natural diet because domestic cats used to live in clean environments where their bodies are not exposed to bacteria and harmful microorganisms so as a result of that they don’t have an efficient immune system as wild cats have. 

So when domestic cats eat a natural, raw diet (similar to the diet of wild cats) it can affect your cats with pathogenic bacteria that could lead to serious health conditions. 

However, pet food companies usually add plant-based ingredients to their product such as ( grains, starch, fiber,..etc). 

This should not worry you because cats are perfectly fine with eating those processed plant-based ingredients.  Also, these plant-based ingredients are usually included in cat food products in adequate amounts and it is not overly abundant in such products.

If I Feed My Cats A Strict Vegetarian Diet, What Could Happen?

Typically, vegetarian diets lack certain amino acids that are critical to cats’ overall health.  If they don’t consume these amino acids, their body wouldn’t function properly and they will develop serious health complications such as retinal and cardiac, and metabolic health issues

However, some pet food companies that only serve vegetarian dry kibbles for cats and dogs claim that their products contain all the necessary nutritional elements that a cat needs to thrive. [1]

Final Thoughts 

The best thing that you could do as a cat parent is to provide your cats with quality foods that contain quality meat ingredients, meat is a cornerstone in a cat’s meal, so they shouldn’t be deprived of their favorite meals because it may seem to us as unfair or unethical.

However, if you decide to go with vegetarian diet options, you should watch for certain amino acids and Their calculated content in percentages to figure out if it is a sufficient diet for your cats or not. This will give you rough guidelines for selecting your cat food.

Either way, you should consult your Vet before you make changes to your cat’s regular meals to guide you to a better option and customize your cat’s meal meals in the healthiest way possible.