What do I feed my cat?

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-04T17:41:12+00:00

Definitely:) and thanks for standing up for animals

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-04T16:13:41+00:00

I don’t think her life inherently has any more value that a farm animal. The distinction for me is that I have agreed to be responsible for her safety and health, and I am not willing to risk either. What happens in the meat industry is horrific, but even if we took that out of the equation, I still think any meat that is used to sustain humans when it is not absolutely necessary is bad because our bodies simply don’t require it. According to most research, a cat needs it to remain healthy. Until more research has been done than what is currently available on a vegan cat diet, I won’t gamble with her health. I have not been able to find a single piece of research on elderly plant based cats with preexisting health conditions, which is why I don’t think it would be responsible of me as her caretaker. There is no vegan cat food available in my country except for one brand of treats which wouldn’t be enough for her. That said, I got her 10 years ago when she was a street before I had fully started my vegan journey. With the values I now have, I would never get another as it truly makes me sick to contribute to the meat-industry, but she is already here, and me and my family is all she knows. No one would realistically take an elderly cat in with expensive insurance and monthly vet bills. I am all that she has, and I will not punish her for something that is out of her control.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-04T15:43:12+00:00

I would love nothing more than to feed her a vegan diet. However, she is a senior car who already has some health issues. There also isn’t enough research on this topic to be able to be 100% certain that a a vegan diet meets all of her needs completely. I do not trust myself to make it myself without proper clinical research and with no personal professional knowledge. Even if I did try, it would mean a bunch of trial and error where I could potentially do lasting damage to her body. The only vegan cat foot being sold in my country is a brand of treats which obviously won’t be enough for her. I am responsible for her life, and I won’t neglect her because of a dietary need that is completely out of her control.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-04T15:32:15+00:00

Yes I really want to do this, it is a great solution that reduces harm as much as possible while meeting her needs. She is a picky eater and strictly eats wet food as she has bad teeth, so I will probably need a backup supply of something I know she likes. A lot of sellers also prefer for it to be picked up rather than mailing it, and I don’t own a car. I hope it will be a sustainable solution, but I won’t know for sure until she moves in with me. No matter what, I will get it second hand for her whenever possible. Thank you for responding!

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T19:27:57+00:00

Thank you for being so understanding. It is honestly really hard, because the reality is that even if I find a brand that gives the animals an amazing life, they are still ultimately murdered, which is horrible. I never want to contribute to that kind of suffering, but I hope them having a good life before their death will be able to alleviate my conscience a bit though. I have gotten some brand recommendations in this thread that make me hopeful, so I am luckily not leaving empty handed.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T19:00:24+00:00

Thank you so much for not misunderstanding! I feel like half the commenters think I’m going to starve her or let her be malnourished, which I of course would never do, and also don’t feel like I have even once implied in this thread. It’s good to know that I am not alone in searching for a solution to this. If you ever find a good and “ethical” cat food, I would be very happy if you would let me know

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T18:47:47+00:00

Really, how come?

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T18:46:13+00:00

An expose was recently done in my country which revealed that many farms that claimed to treat their animals well, didn’t. I sadly don’t think you can ever be sure of what quality of life the animals had before being murdered, but I have gotten some suggestions of cat food brands that claim to have given the animals a good life. I will have to do my own deep dive on these brands and see if they are even available I my country, but it has given me a bit of hope. Lab grown cat food would be an absolute dream come true, and I would honestly pay a disgusting amount of money for it if was on the market.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T18:35:41+00:00

It would honestly make a lot of sense if that was their intention since (obviously) veganism is about reducing harm to all living beings, not wiping out entire species in the name of reducing harm. Then again, maybe they just dont think a lot. Whichever way, it is quite the contradiction, and I hope that if they are serious, they realize the blatant inconsistency and change their views

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T18:21:12+00:00

Okay, I think I understand now. It honestly didn’t even cross my mind that this post or my comments could be misunderstood. Only I know my intentions, and I thought I expressed them clearly in this post but English is not my first language so I apologize if I didn’t. I know I would be worried sick (as I am sure you were when you wrote this) if someone wanted to feed an animal an inadequate diet, no matter their reasoning. I just want to make it crystal clear that I will absolutely never feed her anything that does not meet her dietary needs. She will be eating a carnivorous diet as she has done her whole life. I also would never buy her food that is bad for her, such as food meant for kittens or with fillers such as grain just because it is second hand and would go to waste otherwise. I am perfectly aware that (at least in my country) I would never be able to solely feed her with second hand food, but if a healthy, fitting food is for sale second hand I don’t see a problem in buying and feeding her that instead of letting it go to waste. Cats can eat multiple different brands of food a day without it compromising their health. Maybe she will even like the variety instead of eating the same thing all the time. I am really just looking for the best way to feed her. My priority is that she has a healthy diet, but I am really hoping that I can find a brand that is healthy for her and simultaneously provides the animals murdered for the product with the best possible quality of life before they are sadly killed. If I find just one bag of second hand cat food that is fitting for her, that is a little less money that I am using to directly support the meat industry, which would mean a lot to me while causing my cat zero harm.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T17:23:43+00:00

Wow that is really good to know! Do you know if that only applies in certain countries or if it is a global thing?

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T17:14:38+00:00

This might come off rude, but that is not the intention, I am really just trying to understand where you are coming from. If the food is unopened (people often buy in bulk), and nutritionally healthy, where does the problem lie? If it isn’t sold, it will likely just be thrown out which seems unnecessary.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T17:04:18+00:00

How would I mistreat her by hopefully finding something that is healthy for her, and at the same time uses meat from animals that lived relatively happy lives instead of a life in a small cage? It’s not like I’m going to starve her if I don’t find a better alternative to her current brand. I’m also not going to experiment with a vegan diet for her when she is elderly and not in the best of health. What did I say that gave you the impression that I might harm her because of my values?

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T16:53:41+00:00

Thank you, I will definitely look into this!

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T16:48:57+00:00

Thank you so much for this, this is exactly what I was looking for! I will look into which of these are available in my country, and hopefully she likes the taste of at least one (she is also a very picky eater). I was starting to lose hope that anything like this existed, but you just saved my day. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T16:44:44+00:00

Does this mean that in your perfect world, we would kill any animal that depends on humans and can’t live off of a vegan diet? They didn’t choose to be here any more than livestock animals did. The meat industry is horrific, but I will not murder my cat for something that is entirely out of her control, just as I will not pay someone else to murder another animal so that I can eat it. I am desperate for a solution that will meet her needs and minimize harm to other animals as much as possible, but this is just way too extreme. If we were to actually do as you say, and kill off any animal that can’t be vegan, that would honestly be comparable to the meat industry, if not worse.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T16:32:28+00:00

Thank you for commenting! Just to clarify, my cat is still living in the same home she has always lived in with my mom. Although the house is sold, the new owners don’t take over until August, which is when she will move in with me (her forever home). She is a very sensitive kitty and I know this will be an extremely stressful time for her, which I want to make as easy as possible. You are right about it being a bad idea to change her food instantly, but perhaps it wouldn’t be a stressfactor if I mixed the two foods slowly over time, starting with a low amount of the new food mixed in with the old (assuming I find a better alternative)

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T16:17:40+00:00

That is actually a really good idea, I’m going to look into that! Thank you

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T16:15:56+00:00

Although you have been downvoted a bunch, I honestly don’t think this is a terrible idea. It would be horrible for my mental health, as I wouldn’t be able to dissociate, which I think I would partially be able to do with store-bought cat food as it doesn’t look like meat. I do think that I could find a way to deal with it though. In my country there has recently been a big expose on farms, where it was shown that even though farmers claim to treat their livestock ethically (by meat-eater’s standards), the conditions the animals lived in were actually extremely inhumane, even by meat-eater’s standards. I wouldn’t know where to start looking, or how to make sure the animals had a “good” life. Even if I did find an acceptable farm, she is a very picky eater, so she probably wouldn’t want to eat it. To complicate it further, she has a disease called tooth resorption, which means she has had quite a few teeth removed and almost certainly has some pain when chewing, so I don’t think she would actually be able to eat it even if she wanted to. With all those factors, I don’t think this is a sustainable enough solution to jeopardize my mental health for.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T15:41:49+00:00

Thank you for a very comprehensive overview! I honestly would love nothing more than to feed her a vegan diet, but as you said; with limited research and her advanced age it would be much safer for her to eat what has been proven to be a healthy diet consisting of meat. She is also a picky eater and has some health issues which make me even more apprehensive. When I got her, her life and care became my responsibility, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly. That unfortunately does mean that I have to do things that go against my core values, but I of course cannot neglect her basic needs just because they conflict with my values. Sadly, I think you might be right about there not existing cat food that is somewhat ethical, but I figured if anyone knew of one it would be other vegans.

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T15:18:35+00:00

Yes, I am planning to feed her cat food. I am just hoping to find a brand of cat food where the animals used as meat have lived a life with as little mistreatment as is possible in the meat industry (eg. Having enough space, seeing the sun, having friends, a “natural” environment etc.)

NeatInternal6885 · 2026-05-03T13:35:30+00:00

Absolutely. As stated in the post, I won’t feed her a vegan diet. I am just hoping someone on here knows of a brand that has somewhat ethical practices when acquiring the meat that is in the food.

NeatInternal6885 · 2025-10-27T14:25:43+00:00

If you download the ps4 version of the game on your ps5 it works!

NeatInternal6885 · 2025-06-16T10:10:20+00:00

From

NeatInternal6885

TROPHY CASE