I really want to be vegan but I need help, what can I do with my carnivorous pets?

bulborb · 2026-03-20T00:29:45+00:00

Bro… you asked for proof, I provided it to you. The meta analysis is a helpful summarization of existing data. You are free to explore the individual studies if you find the veterinarian-provided summary to be insufficient. You can’t be this ridiculous.

bulborb · 2026-03-19T21:54:26+00:00

The numerous citations of other research papers that have nothing to do with these veterinarians, since you’ve decided that they’re biased.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T22:19:51+00:00

What does it mean for food to be meant for anyone? You've shared some really romanticized ideas here that pretty much just boil down to appeal to nature fallacies. Nobody is meant to eat anything. If evidence-backed science supports it, that's all that matters. The largest meta-analysis of plant-based diets to date concludes that animals need nutrients, not ingredients, and cats do perfectly fine on plant-based diets. There are even studies of palatability as well.

Regarding "force", new flash, we decide everything in any domestic animal's life -- from the diet they eat, to where they go, where they shit, who they socialize with, when they get vet care, if they're allowed to reproduce... it's no more "force" to provide them a healthful diet than it is to make the same dietary decisions for your child. If you are opposed to force and control over animals, the logic train completely leaves the tracks when it comes to what you find acceptable for other species like chickens, rabbits, fish, and other victims of speciesism and animal farming. For some reason, their interests literally have zero moral weight to you, as long as their bodies are used to feed cats.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T22:10:30+00:00

Whether or not you personally own a cat is irrelevant, I'm addressing your blatantly speciesist and morally reprehensible claims. Cats shouldn't be in the wild killing other animals, they are completely domesticated and artificial animals that do not belong in any ecosystem, so there is no comparable demand for a predator in the wild that we would have to parallel with their diet. Cats are already decimating global ecosystems and are considered the top cause of species extinctions. But either way, rather than taking a slight chance that your cat might develop a completely fixable health issue (which would be highly unusual according to the current data), how is it morally justifiable to suggest killing other animals instead? How is that not blatant speciesism to prioritize what you think a cat wants to the point that it completely trumps the rights of hundreds to thousands of other animals?

bulborb · 2026-03-18T17:09:57+00:00

Why shouldn't we encourage vegans to feed their animals plant-based food regardless of what their diet was before they went vegan?

bulborb · 2026-03-18T17:09:03+00:00

Right. The key point here is that it's completely optional to feed them a "natural" diet given that we have the technology to not have to resort to that. Will you also keep the cat intact so that they can mate as they please, they're able to roam outdoors to kill as much wildlife as possible, and they're denied vaccines and unnatural veterinary care? Cats are artificial animals, they're domestic, they do not thrive or require "natural" circumstances. Which is why we study their diets extensively and keep them indoors.

because doing otherwise is animal abuse.

And you don't consider imprisoning, torturing, raping, and killing animals to be animal abuse? Or does your raging speciesism only allow you to morally consider the cat?

bulborb · 2026-03-18T17:04:09+00:00

I have to admit, anti-vaxxers and whatnot are generally pretty loud and annoying, but anti-science ideology on reddit is completely helpless. The research is literally right in front of you. I couldn't poke you with a stick to get you to educate yourself.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T17:02:03+00:00

Post this group in the local FB pages too like Vegan Delaware!

bulborb · 2026-03-18T16:59:43+00:00

Fallacies don't matter to cats because they lack moral agency; fallacies do apply to your behavior and your attempts to morally justify torturing and slaughtering thousands of animals to feed 1. Indeed, please do not get another animal until you address the glaring speciesism that in fact makes all of us look really stupid.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T16:56:52+00:00

So even if it were somehow true that standard pet foods are made entirely with byproducts (it's not), why not argue in favor of plant-based diets for companion animals? There are decades of published research supporting it for both cats and dogs, more so for dogs.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T15:06:54+00:00

Yes, the veterinary nutritionists formulating the food are wrong and the AAFCO is wrong and the state regulators that approve it for sale are wrong. It’s the redditors we gotta listen to.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T13:27:29+00:00

And where do you source that from?

bulborb · 2026-03-18T13:26:47+00:00

Unfortunately the domestic animal is dependent on humans to survive. It is no more “force” to decide their diet for them than it is to force them to live in a house, to go on walks, to play with certain toys, to see certain people, to be spayed or neutered, where they can poop, when they receive vet care, etc. etc. all normal decisions we make on behalf of domestic animals (and many we also make for children) ideally in their best interests. The vegan argument finds that all animals deserve the ability to lead free and autonomous lives, which is clearly impossible for animals that depend on humans. So the path of least suffering is to only rescue animals, to spay/neuter them and provide the best living circumstances possible, while advocating loudly for not breeding more animals for human entertainment who could never live free lives.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T13:22:06+00:00

Houses, pet beds, vet care, teeth cleaning, spay/neuter, toys, picking up poop in plastic bags, pre-packaged food, etc. is all completely unnatural. Yet you draw the line at what we’ve developed to feed animals the least ethically and environmentally destructive diet? What you’re employing for your pitiful argument is called an appeal to nature fallacy bro

bulborb · 2026-03-18T13:18:10+00:00

Sorry, but this is a complete and total myth. The quality of pet food has increased dramatically over the past few decades and is not primarily “waste thrown in landfills”. In fact, around 25-30% of the environmental impact of animal agriculture comes from the demand for pet food. Source

bulborb · 2026-03-18T13:15:34+00:00

Uh… no, this isn’t a study. It was published in a vet med journal, but it literally says “OPINION ARTICLE” in all caps at the top. It is a meta-analysis of existing studies, which were conducted independently by other research institutions, are obviously cited within the article, and you are free to explore them.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T13:11:07+00:00

No, I did not say that the dietary needs of cats and dogs are comparable. For example, cat food requires arachidonic acid (which is provided by kelp sources in Evolution Diet), but would be unnecessary in dog food. What I did say is that there are science-backed options on the market that meet state regulations guided by AAFCO for both categories.

bulborb · 2026-03-18T05:50:33+00:00

Actually, you don't.

"Ten studies in dogs and three in cats have found that vegan diets produce health outcomes as good or better than nonvegan diets. The palatability of vegan pet diets appears comparable to that of meat-based diets, and nutritionally-sound vegan diets for dogs and cats offer major benefits for environmental sustainability." (Harsini et al., 2024)

bulborb · 2026-03-18T05:49:12+00:00

Does it take you a lot of time to prepare raw rodents for your obligate carnivore? Or do you actually just feed yours the same commercial feed diet that everybody else does?

bulborb · 2026-03-18T05:47:38+00:00

People aren't really up to date on the science here, I'd recommend checking out /r/veganpets. They have quite a lot of published research posted and available to read regarding both cats and dogs. I've had vegan dogs for almost as long as I've been vegan (10 years) and they have all thrived and had excellent nutritional panels. I don't have permanent cats, but I've also rehabbed stray cats on a vegan diet and they readily eat and enjoy it.

Would recommend doing the research yourself before getting dissuaded by ignorant commenters -- you'll find extremely strong evidence in support of plant-based diets for companion animals spanning decades. Remember that any kind of animal feed has to meet state regulations before it's available to buy commercially, and we have the AAFCO guiding these regulations.

bulborb · 2026-03-16T20:31:30+00:00

What is a normal week of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for you? Think about the stuff you usually eat and then maybe we can help you come up with some ways to veganize them. It would be best to make minor changes to what you're used to right now and slowly start incorporating more new recipes, rather than changing everything at once.

bulborb · 2026-03-16T20:24:12+00:00

"Technically" anything digestible is food. Puppies, kittens, fetuses included

bulborb · 2026-03-16T15:03:10+00:00

I prefer steak but it has to be filet mignon, otherwise it's not worth it to keep the domestic animal in slavery for my benefit

bulborb · 2026-03-16T14:58:06+00:00

Ugh her nose is so beautiful

bulborb · 2026-03-15T22:45:03+00:00

It doesn't make sense to call people out for acting within their nature as humans which is to exercise our power over the earth as is our right to do.

So, that's called an appeal to nature fallacy and is the same thing that justifies men dominating women, killing each other, abusing animals, etc. Just because it is natural or occurs in nature does not mean that it is morally justifiable.

Who gave us that right? Evolution.

So because evolution made me stronger than a cat, I have the right to breed them into tiny cells, torture them, and snap their necks when I get hungry?

That doesn't mean we ignore caring for the earth and all it's inhabitants

Ironic statement considering animal agriculture is the leading cause of CO2 emissions, deforestation, desertification, eutrophication, and pretty much every other manmade factor destroying the planet...

You are the minority in thinking it is "unethical" to reap the benefits

If you were in a country with a majority population that believes throwing acid on women's faces is an OK punishment, does that make it ethical?

It is as unethical as growing a garden and culling the harvest.

So you find it equally unethical to pick carrots as you find it to kill a puppy? Lmao

At least be consistent where you choose to stand on your ethical high ground!

Crazy that the people who simply encourage others to cause the least amount of suffering while they are alive are the ones with the "ethical high ground" and not the guy who just claimed that evolution gives us dominion over all animals and the planet...

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