Cats may be carnivores, but a new study led by an academic from the University of Winchester suggests that our feline friends might be better off eating a vegan diet.
A statement from the university’s press centre continued:
“The findings could prove important in reducing the environmental impact of the protein consuming pets who number around 400 million worldwide and have a massive ‘carbon pawprint”.
The vegan versus meat-based cat food study, was authored by Professor Andrew Knight, a visiting Lecturer at the University’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing.
The study concluded: “The pooled evidence to date from our study, and from others in this field, indicate that cats fed nutritionally sound vegan diets are healthier overall, than those fed meat-based diets.”
International Cat Care respond…
“One of our core Cat Friendly Principles is Respect Cats – we respect the diversity of the species and understand the individual cat. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive, and we should, therefore, respect that.
“Whilst iCatCare support sustainability goals, our current position is whilst the safety, efficacy and welfare implications of plant-based diets for cats is still being researched, focusing our efforts on animals that have the ability to eat both meat and plant-based diets, such as people, is likely to have a greater impact on sustainability with less risk.”
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Further information on our Cat Friendly Principles can be found at www.icatcare.org/about/