March 24, 2005

Natural Pet Food

Every vegetarian or vegan at some point struggles with the fact that we have to feed meat to our animal companions. I know some vegetarians try to turn their feline or canine friends into vegetarians and I've written before about how unethical and cruel that is. While dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet because they are omnivores, cats are pure carnivores and will not survive without meat.

One problem I have is the fact that most commercial pet food contains animal byproducts. If the label says "chicken byproducts" it means your cat or dog is probably consuming chicken beaks, cartilage, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. All of it is ground up and rendered into something that looks benign and passes for "food". It isn't very nutritious or digestible, but saves the food manufacturer money because it adds bulk and helps them to use every last part of the chicken.

If the first ingredient of the food you're buying is a byproduct, you know it's low-quality. If you can't afford natural pet food, choose one that lists byproducts as the second or third ingredient, not the first.

Some people prepare fresh meals for their animal companions to ensure giving them all-natural food, but for vegetarians this is problematic because we don't usually like to handle meat products or have the smell of it in our kitchens.

Perhaps one day I'll be able to afford a personal chef for my cat, but for now I just buy natural pet food without any byproducts. There are several on the market. Do some research online and check out the ingredients on the different brands on your next trip to the pet store. Sure, it will cost you a few dollars more but it'll definitely be worth it in the long run of your cat or dog's health.

Posted by Anna | Filed under:

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Posted by: Abby at August 10, 2005 03:38 PM

Posted by: Kimberly Scrocco at October 25, 2005 12:14 PM

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