Vegetarians are fond of animals too - they simply do not eat them. Or perhaps that is why they do not eat them. Whatever! There is a question that troubles some vegetarians that own pets, and it is: do I have to feed them meat or can I supply vegetarian diets for my cat and dog. It is well worth thinking about this dilemma before getting a usually carnivorous pet.
Domestic carnivores such as cats and dogs are omnivores, which means that they will eat pretty much anything If a domestic animal goes ferule (wild) it will revert to its primitive form, which means that it will hunt and scavenge.
Cats and dogs will eat grains and grasses but they prefer them semi-digested, which is why, after they make a kill, they normally tear the stomach open first and eat that and the internal organs. The meat comes last on the list.
You can see by looking at the pets’ teeth that they have fangs for killing and gripping (for tearing) and molars for grinding and crushing. The grinding and crushing refers to grains and bones.
This means that you may be able to sustain your pets on a vegetarian diet, |but it probably will not be simple. There has been a lot of investigation into the dietary needs of human beings and so someone on a diet, measures what he consumes against what his body needs and takes supplements to match the shortfall.
However do you know exactly what your pets’ requirements are and how you can provide them? If you do not, where will you find out? I am sure you can with quite a lot of study, but do you have that degree of commitment? And do you think that your pet would thank you for making it a vegetarian? It might even turn your pet into a voracious killer to make up the deficit or fulfill its craving for meat.
Cats and dogs need a high percentage of protein, but do you think that you will be able to sneak enough nuts and tofu into its diet to supply enough? You may find your pets chasing every bird in your garden attempting to catch some meat, instead of watching them lazily from under your seat.
All in all, a vegetarian diet is not a good idea for domestic animals such as cats and dogs, and if you have trouble opening the cans or giving it raw meat, maybe you could ask someone else in the family who is a little less delicate to feed the animals or you could feed them meat less frequently, say just if you take them to your friend’s or mother’s house, then you can let them do it for you.
The other approach is to get rabbits or gerbils and tropical fish. Cats are not useful animals as dogs are in the sense that a dog will deter burglars and if you are just thinking of pets as stress-reducers or a way of introducing your kids to the animal world, a rabbit will do that equally as well.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on several subjects, and is currently concerned with quick vegetarian recipes. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.
If you enjoyed reading this article on organic dog food and you want to read more about dogs in general or dog training, please go to our our website at Dog Training