Pets

The foundation of veganism is the strive towards a relationship between humans and other animals in which humans do not exploit, kill or dominate others or destroy other animals’ chances at life. Keeping pets therefore raises ethical concerns for vegans. On the other hand, many have discovered the vegan way of life because they value animals and their relationship with members of other species is an important part of their life.

On owning animals

Breeding and selling animals for hobby purposes or as companions or workers is ethically problematic. However, each vegan makes their own decisions on how to operate in this market. Obviously, we should at least take good care of animals and ensure a good life for animals in the possession of humans.

Those that wish to adopt a pet in the most ethical way possible should consider a rescue or an adult pet looking for a new home. These animals either have no humans to look after them, or their previous owner has had to give them up. In any case, an animal like this is already at the mercy of humans, so taking them in as a family member does not add to animal exploitation. Rescue animals have almost always been sterilized.

Feeding of pets

Feeding pets on a vegan diet is not always possible. From the point of view of veganism, raising pets for the benefit of humans is especially problematic if taking good care of them requires the death of other animals.

Even if it turns out that feeding a certain animal on a vegan diet is not possible, you can still pay attention to production methods. This is not necessarily easy, though: animal food is not beholden to the same package marking requirements as human food. You can also try to source food that would otherwise go to waste. For example, you might make a deal with your local grocer of making use of meat that would otherwise be thrown out.

It may also be possible to decrease the amount of animal-based food in your pet’s diet. The Finnish Vegan Association is in favor of products that seek to solve the ethical issues of pet food. For both dogs and cats, there are various products on the market: mostly or entirely plant-based complete feed (suitable for the pet’s sole food source), different treats as well as supplementary feed that can be added to home-made pet food.

Feeding plant-based food to dogs and cats – and sometimes even just the existence of these products – evokes strong emotions. Public discussions on the topic are often difficult.

In the Finnish Vegan Association’s view, it is secondary whether some animal is a “carnivore” or an “omnivore” or what a pet’s “natural diet” would be. Similar arguments are made about human nutrition, and they are obviously just as pointless. Some mythical, original diet does not matter – what matters is what nutrients a certain species or individual needs for health and wellbeing, and how the need for these nutrients can be fulfilled.

Just like human food, pet food should be sufficiently flavorful, sufficiently healthy, and in a form which the body can absorb. “Sufficiently” is an important word in this consideration. Is the best possible taste or pleasantness or the ultra-maximizing of health an adequate justification for taking the life of another animal, if we also have the option of offering our pets – and ourselves – sufficiently good taste, pleasantness and healthfulness?

The availability of vegan pet food is more limited than that of animal-based pet food, and the widest selection can be found in online stores such as Zooplus.fi or Vegelemmikit.fi.

When feeding your pets on vegan products, you may face problems with product range and availability. Allergies and diseases that are treated with special diets are becoming more common. The relatively narrow selection of vegan pet foods means that there may not be a product for all possible special needs. Vegan products may also be more expensive than animal-based ones.

In 2020, the European Commission and its member states investigated whether plant-based complete feeds meant for certain species, especially so-called carnivores, are suitable feeds specified by the law, and whether calling them complete feed is misleading. The result was a ruling that being plant-based does not inherently make dog food unsuitable as complete feed. Plant-based complete feed, like all other pet food sold as complete feed, must fulfill certain nutritional criteria, and this is the responsibility of the manufacturer.

Can dogs or cats survive on a plant-based diet?

Fully plant-based dog foods have been on the market for over forty years, and countless dogs have used them without issues. The first vegan dog food was brought to the market by V-Dog in England in 1980. It was followed by Ami Pet in Italy in 2002 and Benevo in England in 2005. These brands are still favorites in dozens of countries, including Finland. Today, many different brands are also manufactured in Germany. Many companies specialize solely in vegan dog food. The selection includes wet and dry foods, chewable “bones” and sticks as well as treats. At this point, a vegan diet for dogs cannot really be called unusual or new. In Finland, too, the topic has been written about for example in the Finnish Kennel Club’s magazine Koiramme (6/2021).

Cats are perceived more strongly than dogs as “carnivores”. The recommended nutrient ratios for a cat have been calculated from a mouse-based diet: 5-10% carbohydrates, 20-30% fats, and 60% protein. The essential vitamins and minerals have also been calculated. It is true that a cat’s natural diet (small rodents) is remarkably meat-based, and that cats need vitamins and minerals in ratios that are fulfilled when a large portion of the diet is meat. However, the need for these nutrients can also be fulfilled in other ways.

Cats cannot accurately be called “100% meat eaters” even though they are pure predators. Meat alone would not be an adequate replacement for the cat’s natural diet. Small rodents also contain carbohydrates, fibers, essential fatty acids, sodium, potassium, as well as other minerals and micronutrients. Fat- and water-soluble vitamins and minerals are also largely missing from pure meat. In industrial pet food, these natural parts are replaced with either nutrients from other natural sources or with synthetically produced nutrients. This is also true for vegan pet food.

The claim “cats cannot survive without meat” is often justified with amino acids that do not naturally occur in plant-based sources, taurine being the most well-known one. People making this claim forget that certain amino acids cannot withstand heating. Even if industrial cat food contained 100% meat, the amount of taurine would be 0 mg. Vitamins, minerals and amino acids are therefore added into all pet foods that are cooked using heat (wet foods, dry foods) in a synthetic form during manufacturing. It would be more accurate to say: “cats can survive without meat, but not without certain amino acids commonly found in meat”.

The claim that vegans force cats to eat according to their ideology does not stand up to logical scrutiny. First, all cat owners know that cats cannot be forced to eat. Second, keeping a cat as a pet means that feeding inevitably happens on human terms anyway. Few cat owners can feed their cat on mice, and commercial cat food is made from chicken, beef, mutton, rabbit, salmon, cod… None of these are natural food sources for cats. A responsible cat owner offers their cat food that is tasty and contains the right nutrients in an absorbable form, including the necessary amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Again, it is important to remember that nutrients are not the same thing as food sources.

It is also untrue that a cat cannot digest plant-based proteins. This claim is invalidated by both cats who have been fed plant-based food and lived healthy, long lives, as well as scientific studies. In 2014, in a diploma work in veterinary medicine at the University of Vienna, Pia-Glorie Semp examined blood samples from 15 cats on a vegan diet, showing that none of them suffered from protein deficiency.

Many studies have been published since then. A questionnaire study from 2021 and a research review from 2023 even indicated possible health benefits. However, there is still less research on plant-based diets for cats than for dogs. The existing studies have also been criticized for issues in quality, for example small sample sizes or basing dietary or health information on the observations of pet owners.

Professor Knight, a leading expert in plant-based pet food notes, however, that evidence is constantly accumulating in support of plant-based food being a viable source of nutrition for both dogs and cats. They point out that although there is relatively little research so far, there is no evidence to the contrary whatsoever. There are neither research results concerning a larger group of pets, nor any individual cases, where a balanced plant-based diet was shown to be detrimental to a cat or dog.