re: veggie cats and dogs

[James Mathiesen <JIM%BROWNVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>]

Dogs can indeed be fed vegetarian with no ill effects if some care is
taken.  (If you look in pet magazines you can find mail order places
that sell such chow).  Cats cannot (as the good Dr. said, they need
various amino acids that just don't show up in vegetables).

There is much variation from species to species regarding what
vitamins/proteins etc... can be synthesized and which must be eaten.
For instance humans can't synthesize vitamin C, but I believe felines
can.  Dogs can make do with just vegetables and synthesize the rest,
cats die of malnutrition.

One could always feed various supplements to the cat, but that would be
tricky, undignified (for both the cat and the owner) and probably still
be an animal product.

As a vegetarian I wouldn't have any trouble feeding a cat fish-based
cat food (white tuna).  The cat needs it, I don't.

james