Following owner’s vegetarian diet, cat nearly dies from malnutrition

Cats are carnivorous animals, but there is a couple in Melbourne, Australia who have been vegetarians for many years, and their pet cat has also become vegetarian. The kitten was later taken to the hospital due to malnutrition, very weak and dying, and almost died.

Cats are carnivorous animals. If they are forced to eat vegetarian food, insufficient nutrients in their body will easily cause health risks. (Photography/Huang Zhiwen)

The staff of Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North Melbourne, Australia, said that the kitten was very weak and dying when it was sent to the hospital. It was immediately hospitalized and given an intravenous drip. Feed it meat. The reason is that he followed his owner on a "vegetarian diet" for a long time and only ate soy milk, milk, pasta, etc., resulting in severe malnutrition and almost death.

Veterinarians advise owners not to impose their own ideologies on their pets, especially because cats are carnivores, and "animal protein" is a very important nutrient for them. Although cats will eat some plants (such as cat grass, pumpkin, etc.), they are to help digestion and cannot be used as staple food.

The vegetarian pet feed available in the market may contain many additives and spices. Even if the cat likes to eat it, it may not be healthy for the cat. Therefore, when choosing feed, owners should also pay attention to whether the protein in the ingredients is plant-based or animal-based. In addition, taurine and arachidonic acid in meat are also very important nutrients for cats. Long-term deficiency may cause blindness, dry and dull fur, and skin diseases. If you want to prepare fresh food for cats and dogs, it is recommended to consult a doctor or nutritionist for recipes, which do not add human seasonings, and avoid foods that cats and dogs are forbidden to eat (such as grapes, green beans, chocolate, etc., which are all taboo foods) ).

After seeing reports about Australia’s “vegetarian cats”, many netizens thought it was quite an exaggeration. Some said: “If owners can’t accept pet meat, then they might as well choose to raise rabbits.” Others said: “It’s better to Don’t raise anything else, lest you fail to protect living things and end up killing them instead.”