![]() This is important information since deficiency diseases can take time to develop. We might assume one year – but this isn’t specifically stated. Some owners also fed their cats treats and essential nutrient supplements, so any beneficial effects (or a lack of harmful effects) may not be due to diet alone.Īnother missing piece of information is how long the cats were kept on the diet. Many of them went outside and may have hunted down meaty treats even while on a vegan diet. This means there was a general trend (which was sometimes strong), but doesn’t necessarily mean there is a very predictable relationship.Īs a survey study, it’s not possible to confirm exactly what the cats were eating. The authors reported a tendency towards positive effects of vegan diets. Most of the health benefits reported for this group also did not reach statistical significance, which may be the result of simply not having enough animals in the study. That said, only 127 of these cats were on a vegan diet. Putting the findings in contextĬompared to similar past studies, this study included a relatively large number of cats. There was only one disease for which a significant statistical difference was observed: cats fed a vegan diet were slightly more likely to have kidney disease. But again, the differences between the two diet groups were not statistically significant. Examples of less common diseases for cats on a vegan diet included dental disease, skin disease and hormonal diseases. They found 15 diseases were more common in cats fed meat, while only seven diseases were more common in cats on a vegan diet. Non-significance means the researchers didn’t find strong enough evidence to say there was a meaningful difference between the groups – but it doesn’t mean there was no effect (especially since some of the trends were strong). ![]() These included reduced veterinary visits, reduced use of medications and fewer instances of owners thinking their cats were in poor health. The researchers looked at seven indicators of illness and found non-significant reductions in all of them in cats on a vegan diet. In fact, the authors suggest a vegan diet actually leads to health benefits for cats. ![]() Overall, the study found no evidence of detrimental health effects in cats fed a vegan diet. They were also asked their opinion on how healthy their cat was, and what they believed their vet would say about their cat’s health. The owners were asked about their cat’s health, including specific health conditions, medication use and how often they saw a vet. A small portion (9%) fed their cats a vegan diet in spite of their own dietary choices. Most (about 65%) had themselves adopted some form of diet to reduce meat consumption – being either vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian (fish only), or reducing their meat consumption. Most lived in the UK, with others residing in Europe, North America or Oceania. Respondents were mostly female (91%) and represented a range of ages. The authors of the study surveyed 1,369 cat owners, who fed their cats either a vegan or meat-based diet, about their cats’ health. So, are vegan diets really more healthy for cats? When we start to pick apart the findings, we see the evidence is far from conclusive. These results largely concur with previous, similar studies. cats fed vegan diets tended to be healthier than cats fed meat-based diets. But a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE challenges this assumption. Vets have long maintained that feeding cats a meat-free diet is a big no-no. Recently there’s been a trend of people wanting to feed their pets a diet that follows their own dietary preferences – which often means a meat-free diet. ![]() The analysis is undertaken by one or more academics not involved with the study, and reviewed by another, to make sure it’s accurate. Research Checks interrogate newly published studies and how they’re reported in the media.
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