NEED THE SCIENCE? - WE ALL LOVE THE SCIENCE!
Article below written by Prof Andrew Knight and published in the Veterinary Times
4 published studies showing health benefits of vegan cat food diets:
Peer-reviewed analysis of 16 studies on the impact of vegan diets on cat and dog health
Domínguez-Oliva et al. (2023) concluded, “there was no overwhelming evidence of adverse effects arising from use of these diets and there was some evidence of benefits.
In 2023 veterinary Professor Andrew Knight and colleagues published a large-scale study of 1,369 cats fed vegan (127 – 9%) or meat-based (1,242 – 91%) pet food, for at least one year. Cats fed vegan diets had better health outcomes for each of seven general health indicators studied. First, differences between diet groups in age, sex, neutering (desexing) status and primary location (outdoor vs. indoor) were all controlled for statistically. Next, risk reductions were calculated for cats of average age, and other characteristics. For average cats fed vegan diets, risk reductions were:
• increased veterinary visits (possibly indicating illness) – 7% reduction
• medication use – 15% reduction
• progression onto a medical diet (after being fed a vegan or meat-based diet) – 55% reduction
• reported veterinary assessment of being unwell – 4% reduction
• reported veterinary assessment of more severe illness – 8% reduction
• pet guardian opinion of more severe illness – 23% reduction.
• Additionally, the number of health disorders per unwell cat decreased by 16%.
No reductions were statistically significant, but collectively they revealed a strong trend. Additionally, the prevalence of 22 of the most common feline health disorders was studied. Forty two percent of cats fed meat, and 37% of those fed vegan diets suffered from at least one health disorder. 15 disorders were most common in cats fed meat, and seven most common in cats fed vegan diets.
In 2021 veterinarians Dr Sarah Dodd and colleagues published a large-scale study, including dietary information for 1,026 cats, of whom 187 were fed vegan diets. The latter were more frequently reported by guardians to be in very good health. They had more ideal body condition scores, and were less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal and hepatic (liver) disorders, than cats fed meat. No health disorders were more likely, for cats fed vegan diets.
And in 2006 veterinarians Dr Lorelei Wakefield and colleagues published a study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association comparing the health status of 34 cats maintained on vegetarian diets, and 52 maintained on conventional diets, for at least one year. Most of the caregivers in both groups described their cats as healthy or generally healthy.
(And we haven't even begun to mention the benefit to the environment when you transition your cat onto a healthy plant-based diet - YOU WILL BE SAVING SO MANY FISH, CHICKENS, COWS AND PIGS - see the environmental impact here!)
Read more here from Prof Andrew Knight with all your questions answered.
WHY DO CATS DO SO WELL ON PLANT-BASED INGREDIENTS?
What about the palatability of plant-based cat foods?
Alison has fed all her animals vegan diets since the 80's (!). Listen to her speak about Ami vegan cat food in the clip below. Her full podcast is here where she talks about her cat living till 25 on a vegan diet eating Ami (but we've included that clip for you too below to listen to and be as amazed as we are!).
