Evolution-based, appeal to nature arguments aren’t good. As I suggested in the post, please see the first chapter of After Meat which discusses in detail. Key points: (1) Evolution doesn’t select for optimal health; it selects for propagation. What cats evolved on versus what they need today are different. (2) Nutrient deficiencies are one of the easiest things to measure. Measure vitals and look for what’s depleted. (3) There’s nothing magical about meat. We know how metabolism and biochemistry works, so for meat to essential, there would need to be essential nutrients that are only found in meat. That has not be found after decades of research.
Vegan diets for cats will constantly develop and be iterated. Again, we should continue to make better and better formulations. We can get to something that cats prefer versus meat and that’s more healthy for them.
This is not how ethics work. If someone has a personal choice to eat meat unnecessarily, I wouldn’t say that’s a decision to be respected. Once we get to a world where there are convenient vegan cat food options that promote better health for cats, it’d be unethical to stick with meat-based options.
Yes, I agree that we need more studies and more science here. The limitation is funding. I am campaigning for that.
Another comment brought up a similar point, see https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/AFPXXepkgitbvTtpH/getting-cats-vegan-is-possible-and-imperative?commentId=yM9hvEHYHwJnZ7PfM
Evolution-based, appeal to nature arguments aren’t good. As I suggested in the post, please see the first chapter of After Meat which discusses in detail. Key points: (1) Evolution doesn’t select for optimal health; it selects for propagation. What cats evolved on versus what they need today are different. (2) Nutrient deficiencies are one of the easiest things to measure. Measure vitals and look for what’s depleted. (3) There’s nothing magical about meat. We know how metabolism and biochemistry works, so for meat to essential, there would need to be essential nutrients that are only found in meat. That has not be found after decades of research.
Vegan diets for cats will constantly develop and be iterated. Again, we should continue to make better and better formulations. We can get to something that cats prefer versus meat and that’s more healthy for them.
This is not how ethics work. If someone has a personal choice to eat meat unnecessarily, I wouldn’t say that’s a decision to be respected. Once we get to a world where there are convenient vegan cat food options that promote better health for cats, it’d be unethical to stick with meat-based options.