Faced with the cruel reality of her carnivorous needs and dental struggles, they make a heart-wrenching choice—introducing raw meat into their sanctuary. Their sacrifice speaks volumes: love transcends ideology, and the well-being of their precious gremlin is their deepest commitment.
So we’re both vegan and have been for years. Last year we got a beautiful cat who is the grand baby neither of our parents will ever have. She’s obviously an obligate carnivore and we’ve been feeding her kibble and wet food.
Unfortunately, where she came from wasn’t a very good situation and she had horrible teeth when we rescued her. It hasn’t come to a point where she’s painful and doesn’t want to eat kibble but if it does, wet food will just make it worse.
We went on a website for rawfeeding animals and bought her some chicken necks and chicken hearts. According to the vet, this should encourage her to use her teeth as it smell “more appetising” than space nuggets.
We’ve obviously been quite uncomfortable with this as it’s raw meat in our otherwise vegan home so we’d do anything for our little gremlin so it’s worth it. We’ve since had some friends over who were horrified when we got raw meat out and asked us if we weren’t vegan and we said that we were and still are, but that kitty is not.
They’re now saying we’re fake vegans and that we don’t care about animal welfare if we’re feeding her raw meat. We don’t see the issue, as these are part of a chicken that humans wouldn’t eat and we are following what our vet told us to keep our baby at optimal health.
In our minds, these parts of already slaughtered animals would otherwise just be thrown away.
This has created quite a bit of drama in our friend group as some people are now accusing us of being hypocrites while the other half say that we’re just caring for our cat.
Are we the assholes here?
Edit 1: if we didn’t feed her raw meat she would have kibble instead but she’s reluctant to eat that when her teeth are sore.
Edit 2: first of all, holy shit. We did not expect this response. We posted this on a whim because we were unsure if we should stop calling ourselves vegan or not. Not feeding her meat was never an option.
Edit 4: her teeth are not currently painful (AFAWK) as she’s had them cleaned earlier this year. We’re trying to prevent it from getting painful again with this food. It also won’t be the only thing she’s fed as she’s still getting regular car food and getting these as “treats” because they taste nicer than space nuggets.
Edit 5: please don’t send us direct messages trying to convince us to feed her a vegan diet. Cats are fine on a vegan diet until they’re not. Cats also don’t show signs of illness until they’re very poorly.
We’re not going to feed her a vegan diet.
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) is facing a significant conflict between their deeply held ethical commitment to veganism and the necessary practical requirements of caring for their pet cat, an obligate carnivore with specific dental needs. They are prioritizing the cat’s health, following veterinary advice to feed raw chicken parts to encourage tooth use, despite the discomfort this causes within their otherwise strictly vegan household and friendship circle. This action has led to accusations of hypocrisy from some friends.
The core debate centers on whether the commitment to personal ethical purity (veganism) must supersede the specific biological needs of a dependent animal, especially when the intervention involves using byproducts from slaughtered animals as directed by a veterinarian. Should the OP compromise their personal ethical label to ensure optimal animal welfare for their pet, or is the act of feeding meat, even for health reasons, an unforgivable breach of their stated moral code?
Here’s how people reacted:
As long as your cat is an inside only cat, then you are doing fine. I have an issue with a friend of mine who calls herself an animal rights activist and climate conservationist… but she lets her three cats outside to decimate bird populations and hunt for fun \[not food.\]
Giving your animal food they need that would otherwise be tossed out is not wrong.
Letting your animal out into the world to kill wildlife while you pretend to be vegan would be wrong. Since you are not doing that, you are in the clear.
You are vegan. Your partner is vegan. Vegan diets are suitable for humans.
Your cat is a carnivore. Vegan diets are not suitable for cats.
You are doing nothing wrong.
However there are people that do eat chicken necks, but that’s neither here nor there. 😉
You guys are simply being responsible pet owners and there’s nothing wrong with that. Your cat can’t help she’s a cat and has to eat meat.
Calling you “hypocrites” just because you provide your pet with an appropriate diet just shows how ignorant they are.
Edit: no mistakes, just forgot to say the cat is cute.
You’re not a fake vegan.
Animals will always eat other animals, this is nature. You are doing what the vet advised and what you should be doing for this cat.
Anyone who is giving you trouble for that is no animal lover and is an idiot
Anyone who feeds a vegan diet to a carnivore animal who doesn’t even grasp the concept of veganism, is not only TA, but should also burn in hell.
And your “friends” are the type of people that make me hate most vegans. That’s what she’d eat in the wild. Or mice or rabbits. You’re amazing pet owners.
Cats are obligate carnivores as you rightly stated. Good for you, don’t listen to your vegan friends, you are doing the best for your kitty 🐱
Jk (almost) NTA. It’s a cat. Although mine is very fond of legumes.