AR-News: (US) The Cat That Ate Tofu

[Animalconcerns]

[opinion from AlterNet]

Alfredo Kuba stands in the kitchen of his Mountain View, CA home, stirring
a spatula through a potful of lentils and tofu. Mussi, his sleek tabby
cat, watches expectantly from his kitty bed, eagerly flicking his tail to
and fro. Kuba spoons the stew into a bowl – and sets it on the floor. It's
Mussi's dinner. "It took him a little while to get used to this, but now
he loves it," says Kuba. "For a special treat, I give him a little tofurkey."

Mussi eats this way everyday, and he's not alone in his peculiar tastes.
Some cats will dig through trash only for the empy tuna cans, but others
will lust for spinach, steal cantaloupe – even slurp spaghetti. Mussi is a
vegan cat, part of a growing group of cats whose owners, vegans
themselves, have decided to wean their cats off their "natural" food and
put them on a plant-based diet. With the proper supplements, these
cat-owners claim, a cat can live a healthy, normal, even happy life eating
vegetables. 
...
Vegan Cats?

The mainstream has yet to embrace the idea of vegan cat food. "I don't
know about that stuff," says one Berkeley pet store employee when I asked
about vegan cat food, "Some places have vegan dog food, but I don't know
about that either. Dogs evolved from wolves and I can't imagine a wolf
that would prefer a salad to a moose."

But despite conventional wisdom, some dogs do prefer the salad. As any dog
owner knows, dogs love to munch down on meat, vegetables, old pizza crusts
and just about anything else they might find in the trash. Most experts
agree that dogs are omnivores that can thrive without meat; vegan dog
foods can even be found in some mainstream grocery stores.

But cats are a different story. Unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores
– meaning that in the wild they would eat nothing but meat. Dogs can enjoy
a meatless diet because they can synthesize some necessary nutrients that
cats need to get from their food. Those essential nutrients – including
taurine, arachidonic acid, and vitamin A – abound in meat. Cats go blind
and deaf without taurine. Without arachidonic acid, they suffer from
reproductive problems. And a vitamin A deficiency will stunt their growth
and bone formation. 

full story:
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18767

*** NEWS recently added on Animalconcerns -- added throughout the day
without posting to e-mail lists!  (Looking for something to post to your
e-mail lists?)

3 animal rights activists arrested - Pasadena Star-News

County shelter must take all animals; private shelters can choose - Durham
Herald Sun

In Oregon: Reward offered for firebomb clues - Salem Statesman Journal

History of risks surrounds captures of water park marine animals - South
Florida Sun-Sentinel

BOSS TOLD TO SHUT UP SHOP, OR ELSE - Derby Evening Telegraph

SPCA Mum On Lawsuit Allegations - Winchester Star

Government slow to enforce laws meant to protect marine animals - South
Florida Sun-Sentinel

Cops raid temple where birds, animals were being sacrificed - Ahmedabad
Newsline

The Cat That Ate Tofu - AlterNet

Malformed Proteins Found in Sheep Muscle - New York Times

Bush Speechwriter Emerges As Animal Welfare Advocate - Washington Post

----------
Your Portal to Animal Concerns Forum (discussion board), More News
Headlines, AR-News on the Web, Events, E-Mail Lists, Jobs, and
Organizations! Try searching for the news item on Animalconcerns!
http://www.animalconcerns.org/





-------------------------------------------------
This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/