Today's question comes from Barry, a relatively new cat dad with a voracious need to learn as much as he can about cat care. Barry keeps me hopping with his questions, for which I am very grateful.
Question: Why are cats described as "obligate carnivores?"
The following sentence makes sense to most people: "Cats are carnivores."
The following sentence is unclear: "Cats are obligate carnivores."
What the heck does the word "obligate" add to the sentence "Cats are carnivores?"
Any of various generally meat-eating mammals of the order Carnivora. Carnivores have large, sharp canine teeth and large brains, and the musculoskeletal structure of their forelimbs permits great flexibility for springing at prey. Many carnivores remain in and defend a single territory. Dogs, cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, hyenas, and (according to some classifications) seals and walruses are all carnivores.Please read the remainder of my reply before posting your comments.
Comments
Franny, thank you for this explanation. I would just like to see a couple of things added. For instance, a lot of dry foods have aggregate amounts of corn that equal more than the meat protein, it is just that they have separated them out, making the volume of EACH smaller than the meat. Also, I would really love to see something more strongly worded about vegetarians who insist on not feeding their cats meat. If a human being has moral and humane issues with eating animal protein, that is MORE than fine. For them. But one can not say they believe in the humane treatment of animals, and then exclude their own pets.
Thank you for the article. I am a vegetarian, but it’s my choice to eat this way, key word, choice. It is a moral and ethical reason for me. It would be unfair to make my cats eat the way I do, especially since they unlike me need meat based protein to live a healthy life. My cats all eat canned, and I feed them as close to their natural diet as I can, Innova EVO Venison, to be exact. If I could afford to feed them a raw based diet I would, but I feel comfortable knowing they are getting the nutrition they need to thrive. Heck, I wouldn’t even subject a dog to a completely vegetarian lifestyle either, as even though they are considered omnivorous, I don’t see it as natural to completely take away meat based protein for them either.
Thanks for your comments E. There is an excellent article on my site by HOSTBarb which thoroughly covers the vegan angle. I have added a link to that article.
Should I try a Vegan Diet for my Cats. I have also added more information about the splitting of ingredients, such as corn.
Nuria, I appreciate your attitude, and I’m happy that it is shared by not just a few vegetarians, according to my mailbox.
Thanks, Franny. You ROCK!