Do Vegans Feed Their Dogs and Cats Meat?
It's one of the questions vegans are asked more than almost any other.
"If you're vegan, what do you feed your dog?"
Or...
"Surely you don't make your cat vegan?"
The honest answer is that there isn't one answer that represents every vegan. Some feed their pets meat. Some feed specially formulated plant-based food to their dogs. Cats are a much more complicated story.
Dogs and Cats Are Not the Same
When people ask this question, dogs and cats often get lumped together, but they're very different.
Dogs are omnivores. Like humans, they can obtain the nutrients they need from different sources, provided their diet is complete and properly balanced.
Cats, however, are obligate carnivores. They have nutritional requirements that make feeding them far more complex. While there are vegan cat foods on the market, they remain a subject of ongoing debate among veterinarians and researchers, and many vegans choose not to feed their cats a plant-based diet.
The important point is that responsible vegans put their animals' health first.
Why Many Vegans Still Feed Their Pets Meat
This often surprises people.
Many vegans—including us—feed our dogs food that contains meat.
Why?
Because our pets didn't choose veganism.
When you bring an animal into your home, you become responsible for its health and wellbeing. That responsibility comes before trying to prove a philosophical point.
For us, feeding our dogs is about giving them the diet we believe is best for their individual needs, not about making them follow our lifestyle.
Can Dogs Be Vegan?
Research has shown that some dogs can live healthy lives on carefully formulated commercial plant-based diets that provide all the nutrients they require.
However, that doesn't mean every dog should be vegan, nor does it mean you can simply replace meat with vegetables or homemade recipes.
A dog's diet should always be complete, balanced, and appropriate for that individual animal. Age, breed, medical conditions, activity level, and advice from a veterinarian all matter.
That's why you'll find different opinions—even among vegans.
Why Cats Are Different
Cats have unique nutritional needs that are much harder to meet without animal-derived ingredients.
While some owners choose commercially formulated vegan cat foods, many others—including many vegans—believe feeding meat remains the safest choice for their cats.
For most vegans, the priority isn't making every animal around them vegan.
It's making sure the animals in their care are healthy and well looked after.
The Bigger Picture
Veganism is about reducing animal exploitation as far as is possible and practicable.
That principle applies to ourselves.
Our pets don't make ethical choices—we do.
Whether someone feeds their dog meat or a carefully formulated plant-based diet, most vegans would agree on one thing: the animal's welfare must come first.
For us, that means feeding our dogs meat.
It's not because we stopped being vegan.
It's because being responsible for another animal sometimes means making decisions based on their needs, not our own.