Is it safe to feed my kitten a vegetarian or plant-based diet?

I would not recommend placing a kitten on a vegan diet. This is not the proper formulation for a cat. It is important for cats to eat meat to have proper nutrition and grow properly. IF it is for religious regions I would consult your vet about a prescription diet. Purina HA for dogs is a vegetarian based meal. It is possible that HA for cats is the same. However you will need a prescription to buy this food.

This is really not recommended. While I appreciate that you are a vegetarian it is not fair to subject your cat to your beliefs. Cats are carnivores by nature and their body/metabolism is set up for processing protein; especially a cat like can Ocicat. Cat also need the amino acid taurine - without it they will have many health issues. They get taurine from meat or specially formulated cat food. Please do not make your cat a vegetarian. You will end up making her have many health problems. This article may help you and answer more questions. http://pets.webmd.com/features/vegetarian-diet-dogs-cats#1 Best wishes.

The problem with feeding cats a homemade diet is that it is very difficult to get the correct balance of nutrients cats need. They are obligate carnivores, meaning they have to eat meat in order to survive, and their diet has to provide essential amino acids as their body cannot make them on it's own. I can put links below to websites that provide recipes for homemade diets for cats, and I would check that out if you want to try making a homemade diet for Orieo. I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com

Cats are obligate carnivores and do not "need" vegetables or carbohydrates to maintain health. Any carbs or vegetables they do eat are typically found in the gut of small mammals. As long as Cutie is eating a good quality canned or dry kitten food, he is eating a balanced diet.

People food is just that – food for people. Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, have a delicate balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamins and minerals that must be maintained. Cats should eat a balanced high quality diet in order to meet all of their nutritional needs. Unbalanced diets with vitamin/mineral imbalances risk a variety of health problems. Home cooked diets are not as commonly recommended, but are preferred by some cats and pet owners. If you opt to go down this road, a carefully crafted recipe by a specialist in veterinary nutrition should be used with proper vitamin and mineral supplementation. Even with a commercial diet, occasional treats of boiled white meat chicken, turkey, salmon, or tuna can be perfectly fine in small quantities.

Hello there. Good question! Kittens and cats need to eat food made for them. The reason for this is that the food is fortified with the amino acid taurine. Taurine is critical for normal vision, normal digestion, normal heart muscle function, to maintain normal pregnancy and fetal development, and to maintain a healthy immune system. Taurine is an essential amino acid in the cat. If taurine levels are deficient, the retinal cells of the eyes will eventually degenerate, impairing the vision. This condition is referred to as feline central retinal degeneration (CRD). Deficiency of taurine will also lead to a weakening of the muscle cells in the heart, causing a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. Taurine is a component of bile salts, and its deficiency may cause digestive disturbances. During pregnancy, a mother cat must have adequate levels of taurine to maintain her health and to ensure proper growth and structural development of her kittens. Low taurine levels result in small litter sizes, low birth weights or fetal abnormalities. In growing kittens, taurine deficiency can result in delayed growth and development, central retinal degeneration and dilated cardiomyopathy. So, long story short, tuna and cheese is not a good diet. You must find a kitten food that he likes. You may have to buy a few brands/types until you find one he likes. I am not familiar with the diets you have available in the UAE so you may have to ask your vet for more recommendations. He should stay on a kitten diet until he is about 8 months of age and then he can go to an adult cat diet. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Akmi! Dr. Amber

Properly balancing a home cooked diet for cats is extremely difficult, and is nearly impossible for growing kittens. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they require meat as the staple of their diets. They are also require a careful balance of amino acids, particularly taurine, to maintain optimal health. Nutritional deficiencies can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, abnormal bone growth, or a host of other problems. I strongly recommend exclusively feeding Pelly a commercial kitten food to provide a proper nutritional balance for optimal growth. Royal Canin kitten food is a great option! You do not need to add additional foods or vitamins while feeding commercial diets. If you decide to feed more home cooked foods, try to wait until she is fully grown, and then only do so under the guidance of a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (including the recommendations found on www.balanceit.com). I hope this helps and that all goes well for Pelly!