Can You Really Be Vegan and Have Pets?

Millions of animal-loving Americans may be giving up meat, but their pets are still munching through tons of it—a fact many vegans and vegetarians may find hard to swallow.

A 2020 poll by Gallup found that 23 percent of adults in the U.S. claim they have reduced how much meat they consume. When asked how often they eat meat, such as beef, chicken, or pork, two in three U.S. adults said they eat it frequently, while 23% said they eat meat occasionally, and 7% rarely eat it. According to the poll, the biggest factor in reducing meat consumption was due to health concerns - nine in 10 said it was the major (70%) or minor reason (20%) behind their decision to cut back on meat.

The average cat chows down on approximately 86 pounds of meat and animal by-products in their food every year. That is the raw meat equivalent of about eight salmons and 13 chickens!

Eager to protect the planet, veterinarian Dr. Arielle Griffiths went vegan four years ago at the age of 52. She was also concerned about the pet obesity epidemic, so she decided her dog Ruff should make the change and try to eat ethically too.

"As a vet, I really wanted to do something about it," Griffiths told Newsweek. She set about finding the perfect diet for Ruff and now feeds him homemade vegan meals and is also director of the Just Be Kind dog food company.

Interest in vegan diets for animals has surged in recent years, driven by a steady rise in pet ownership as well as environmental, health and welfare concerns.

By 2030 there will be 100 million dogs in the United States, up from 85 million in 2020, according to American Veterinary Medical Association projections.¹ It is forecasting an even bigger rise in the cat population, from 65 million in 2020 to more than 82 million.

Those pets consume a lot of animal protein. A 2022 report² from Kansas State University researchers states that pet foods use 1.83 million tons of meat, poultry and organ by-products each year. It also points out that the U.S. meat industry produces 8.9 million tons of rendered protein meals each year and pet food accounts for 1.5 million tons of the total.

For Dave Neale, animal welfare director at the charity Animals Asia Foundation, this means dog and cat owners in particular are "responsible for the raising and slaughter of many billions of animals each year, often within deplorable conditions that lead to their suffering and death."

Animal welfare concerns include chickens suffering pain from beak trimming, pigs having their tails cut off, and dolphins being caught and killed in tuna fishing nets.

Then there's the impact that pet ownership has on the planet. In 2022 pets worldwide ate over 100 billion pounds of pet food and data firm Statista expects this to rise to nearly 160 billion pounds by 2027.

Pet food consumption is responsible for 64 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year, according to a 2017 study.³ That's roughly equivalent to the carbon footprint of 13 million cars, Neale said.

Markus Maibaum, who runs the Veganivore website, also points to the effect that cats can have on local wildlife as ruthless predators of birds and small mammals.

So, what can animal lovers do to offset the impact of their pets? A vegan diet seems to be one solution—and plant-based pet foods are available—but how suitable are they for dogs and cats? Could lab-grown meat one day offer a solution? And if you want to raise your pet ethically, what else should you be doing? Newsweek spoke to experts for some answers.

Should You Feed Your Pet a Vegan Diet?

Some owners might be concerned that a vegan diet will not provide all the nutrients their dog or cat needs.

There is "certainly no evidence" that vegan pet foods are more likely to be "nutritionally deficient or of lower quality," according to Dr. Andrew Knight, a veterinarian and the director of the Centre for Animal Welfare at the University of Winchester in the U.K.

He said there was "significant evidence," however, that vegan foods were less likely to contain "potentially hazardous ingredients."

In two studies, one published in 2021 and the other in 2022, Knight and other researchers found that vegan diets were "slightly less likely" to be nutritionally deficient than meat-based diets⁴and "the healthiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs are nutritionally sound vegan diets."⁵

Knight's 2022 report is one of 16 studies about vegan pets that have been analyzed by scientists from Mexico and Australia. Their review said those 16 studies found "little evidence of adverse effects" and "some evidence of benefits" to pets' health.⁶

By contrast, a meat-heavy diet has been shown to lead to "all sorts of conditions" in animals, Griffiths pointed out. These include higher rates of some cancers.

If your dog eats pure plant-based proteins, she added, you also don't have to worry about a "bioaccumulation of heavy metals and toxins" found in fish or in the excretory organs of animals, such as livers or kidneys, which are used in many pet foods.

Do Dogs Need To Eat Meat?

Knight's behavioral research has found that both cats and dogs are "just as happy" with vegan diets, which he said would "transform how we feed our dogs and cats in the future."

The idea that dogs are strict carnivores and require meat is a misconception, according to Griffiths. She describes them as "opportunist omnivores" that have adapted to what they've been fed.

It is "certainly possible" for dogs to be fed a wholefood, plant-based diet, she said, but it must be supplemented with omega-3 algae oil, Vitamin B and certain amino acids.

The body "cannot tell the difference" whether a protein source broken down into an amino acid comes from an animal by-product or a plant, she added.

Don't Cats Need Meat?

Cats are "obligate carnivores," Neale said, which means they cannot digest plant material and their diet contains more than 70 percent meat.

However, Knight explained that cats don't "need" any particular ingredient, but rather require specific nutrients. In nature, these nutrients are found in meat. Vegan and other alternative diets aim to supply them from plant, yeast, mineral or synthetic sources.

Cats on plant-based diets were found to have more "ideal body condition scores" than ones fed meat, in a January 2021 study by pet nutritionist Dr. Sarah Dodd.⁷ The study also found that vegan cats were less likely to suffer body weight, gastrointestinal or liver problems.

According to Griffiths, however, it is more challenging to balance a vegan diet for cats and there are no "perfectly balanced" vegan cat foods yet on the market.

She expects these products to become available in the next few years, which will address the top health concerns for cats, such as obesity and kidney disease in cats fed mostly on fish, which can lead to elevated levels of arsenic.

Cultivated Meat—The Future of Pet Food?

There may be another solution on the horizon: "cultivated meat" that is grown from animal cells, removing the need to slaughter animals for consumption and avoiding many of the environmental problems associated with mass farming.

Knight has described lab-grown pet food and other alternatives as "a new disruptive industry on the cusp of emerging." For Neale, who said the products could be available within years, it is "a major ethical alternative" to traditional pet food.

Pet food made from cultivated meat isn't on shelves yet because it has not received regulatory approval. But plenty of biotech businesses are working on it.

In 2020 Colorado-based Bond Pet Foods created the world's first animal-free chicken protein for dogs and cats, using DNA taken from a chicken in "a cruelty-free way."

Because Animals, a U.S.-based business, is developing cultivated meat treats for cats and dogs. In 2021 it unveiled cat treats made from cultured mouse meat, to reflect what their diets would be in the wild.

Ethical Pet Food—Where To Find Higher-Welfare Food

If lab-grown meat is the future, the present could be high-quality alternative pet food. In terms of safety and nutritional standards, vegan activist Jennifer Stojkovic recommends looking for "high-quality plant-based or environmentally friendly pet food."

Several dog food companies have been "doing very well in this space," she said, such as Wild Earth and Bramble in the U.S. and Omni, which is based in the U.K.

The nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has a lengthy list of vegan pet food companies on its website. It also lists ethical pet food producers that have pledged not to carry out tests on animals, such as Applaws Natural Cat & Dog Food.

Can You Make Your Own Vegan Pet Food?

If you prefer homemade to store bought, you can create vegan pet meals in your own kitchen provided you include the proper nutritional supplements.

Griffiths said: "I feed our dog a mixture of top vegan biscuits as well as homemade food. He loves all his food as much as he did when he was fed a meat-based diet five years ago. I love cooking for him and sharing foods that I eat with him."

There are several supplements available in the U.S. and Europe specifically designed to accompany home-cooked vegan pet foods, she added.

Diana Laverdure-Dunetz, a vegan canine nutritionist and author of The Plant-Powered Dog, told Newsweek that these supplements include VegeDog by Compassion Circle and Perfect Powder by Opal Pets.

Laverdure-Dunetz advised that between 50 and 70 percent of the calories in a vegan diet for an adult dog should come from protein-rich plant foods, such as beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh. She also recommended rotating a variety of nutritionally dense foods into your pet recipes.

Cats can be fed an entirely plant-based diet, so long as they're getting the required nutrients from a supplement, veterinary surgeon Dr. Malina Fielder told Newsweek. "Without added complete supplements, these requirements cannot be provided with plant food ingredients only."

Homemade food must be "tasty and acceptable to cats, with plenty of water always available," added Fielder, from vegan pet food supplements company Shevega.

How To Be a More Ethical Pet Owner

You might think having a vegan dog or cat sounds like so much effort, you're better off without a companion animal. But about 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and more than 900,000 are euthanized. These pets need responsible people to adopt them and they can be raised ethically, even if they're not strictly vegan.

Don't Buy From Breeders

The first consideration is how you acquire your pet. "Adopting is a must," said Maibaum. "Breeders perpetuate the animal problem we already have."

Neale said the same, explaining that high demand for dogs and cats had led to mass breeding. Many are bred in "poor living conditions," with little regulation to prevent overbreeding and abuse. This results in a large surplus of pets that cannot be placed in suitable homes.

Get a Herbivore Pet

An easy way to be an ethical owner is to opt for an herbivore, such as a rabbit. "You can often feed a rabbit only from vegan food leftovers. It is a cost-effective pet without the ethical dilemma," said Maibaum.

Make Your Pet Food Sustainable, Even If It Isn't Vegan

You could also follow the example of Yelena Wheeler, a vegan dietitian from Los Angeles. Her family cat isn't a vegan but its meals are far more sustainable than the norm.

Wheeler told Newsweek that her husband makes their cat food from a combination of vegetables grown in their backyard and fish pieces from a market, which are "inexpensive and often discarded."

They believe that feeding their cat meat that may have been discarded and allowing it to hunt rodents to control that population is "a somewhat sustainable way to feed our pet while still maintaining our vegan lifestyle," she said.

Neuter Your Cats

Neutering is a must for cats that are allowed outside, said Maibaum, in order to prevent more animals from ending up on the streets or in shelters. Veganism is about causing the least harm, so "neutering pets can still be vegan," he said.

… and Stop Them Killing Birds

Maibaum said some vegans, himself included, would only consider having indoor cats. If your cat goes outside, have it wear a collar with a bell to warn any birds and small mammals that it's on the prowl.

Do you have any tips for vegan pet ownership or how to be an ethical pet owner? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

References

1. Based on a model developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association in collaboration with economists at Mississippi State University and World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services.
2. Hill M, Shanoyan A, Aldrich G. Animal Protein-Based Ingredients in Pet Food: Analysis of Supply Chain and Market Drivers, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting in California, 2022, http://dx.doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.322509
3. Okin G. Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats, PLOS One, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181301
4. Knight A, Light N. The Nutritional Soundness of Meat-Based and Plant-Based Pet Foods, REDVET, 2021.
5. Knight A, et al. Vegan versus meat-based dog food: Guardian-reported indicators of health, PLOS One, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265662
6. Domínguez-Oliva A, et al. The Impact of Vegan Diets on Indicators of Health in Dogs and Cats: A Systematic Review, Veterinary Sciences, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010052
7. Dodd S, et al. A cross-sectional study of owner-reported health in Canadian and American cats fed meat- and plant-based diets, BMC Veterinary Research, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-02754-8