Lorelei Wakefield's guest appearances

Lorelei Wakefield

The Vegan Option - Vegetarianism: The Story So Far

Steven Pinker

Peter Singer

Andrew Knight

Benjamin Zephaniah

John Arnold

Deepak Kumar

Tristram Stuart

Jason BeDuhn

Ramachandra Guha

Aysha Akhtar

Dennis Kucinich

Chris Williamson

David Pearce

Armand D’Angour

Ruby Roth

OwlTail

Eric Weisman

Jean Hofve

Cats: Ethics Last show’s investigation of whether cats can be vegan leaves us with an ethical quandary. What should vegans feed cats? Erin and I reflect on listener’s comments. The three expert veterinarians examine the moral issues. And I ask Eric Weisman, CEO of major US vegan cat food brand Evolution, some tough questions.  (30 min) Play or download (18MB MP3) (via iTunes)  Veterinarian Guests There is more information about Lorelei Wakefield, Andrew Knight, and Jean Hofve on the episode page for the last episode, “Cats: Can They Be Vegan?”. Since then, Lorelei Wakefield’s site, vegetariancats.com, has returned, and there’s lots of information there. She is also conducting a new study, with a focus on the urinary tract issues we discussed in the last show, and is asking cat owners to complete her survey and share medical records. Erin “Red” Grayson Erin can be found at Tumblr (currently), ErinRed.com (under construction), and @ErinRed on Twitter. She mentions a discussion about the ethical dilemma of vegan cats with Prof Gary Francione in a February 2012 episode of Red Radio, and quotes Hamlet. Lisa Freeman’s 2004 Study of Cat Foods Lisa Freeman was the senior member of a team that tested:  Vegecat KibbleMix, from Harbingers of a New Age Evolution diet vegan gourmet vegetable stew entrée, Evolution Diet  (Technically, I should be calling it the Gray study, as she is the primary author.) In our brief conversation, Dr Freeman strongly backed the veterinary consensus, saying there was no safe way to feed a cat vegan. The study is: Christina M. Gray, Rance K. Sellon, Lisa M. Freeman (2004), Nutritional Adequacy of Two Vegan Diets for Cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 225:11, 1670-175 Eric Weisman and Evolution Diet Eric Weisman is the Chief Executive of Evolution Diet, manufacturers of vegan foods for cats, dogs, and ferrets, in St. Paul, Minnesota USA. He also posts at WeismanNutrition.com. Loss of Chiropractic Licence Eric Weisman gained his licence in 1979, but in 1982, he was reprimanded and put on probation for one year; and again in 1986 and 1987. The complaints process ended in a 1997 Order in which Mr Weisman agreed that he’d committed a number of practices, including: Advertisements in connection with Respondent’s [Mr Weisman’s] pet food business which identify Respondent only as “Dr. Eric Weisman” and from which a reader could reasonably infer that Respondent is a veterinarian instead of a chiropractor. He accepted a penalty of 300 hours of community service, a $15,000 fine, and some ethics courses. In 1999, the board found he had paid the penalty in time or money; and in 2002 the board revoked his licence for breaches of the 1997 order [PDF] , including: Engaged in advertising that is false or misleading The memo that the board attached to the order said that: The advertisements admittedly issued by the Respondent also include claims that his treatment programs for animal and human disease have “good long-term results in most cases.” During his January 9, 2001, conference with the Panel, the Respondent stated that he defines a “good long-term result” as an instance in which an animal using his products and/or treatment programs survived longer than was originally predicted by a veterinarian. Because the Respondent’s definition of “long-term is contrary to its common dictionary definition,” his claims about “good long-term results” also are false and misleading. The Respondent has disseminated advertisements in which he claims his research or the research conducted by his pet food company proves dogs and cats can  live 20-25 healthy years and thereby implies that the use of his products lengthens the life expectancies of animals. He admitted, however, that he does not have a dog that has lived 25 years, he did not conduct any actual research other than calling about 30 veterinarians, and he was not referencing animals that had used his products, the Respondent admitted  during his conference with the Complaint Panel that this claim is “just an assumption” on his part because he distributes the food throughout the United States. This claim is false or misleading because the Respondent has no actual data or information to support this representation. His claims about animals’ life expectancies, therefore, are false or misleading. Thus, “overselling”. The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the revocation the following year. Those documents, again, are:  Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Stipulation and Order, 17th July 1987 Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Eric Weisman revocation order  Court Action The Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine sued Weisman in 2002; the parties settled the case in 2003 by agreeing an injunction [PDF]. This banned him from, in part: Engaging in any conduct that constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine … … making any claim that Defendant’s pet food or other products for animals will treat, prevent, or otherwise affect a disease or condition … unless Defendant has first obtained written authorization from the Food and Drug Administration … Directly or indirectly representing or implying, in connection with the sale of pet food or any other product or service, that he or any business in which he has an ownership interest has conducted “research,” including, but not limited to, “clinical trials,” “human studies,” “case studies” or “literary research,” that supports claims about the efficacy of the pet food, product or service. Directly or indirectly representing or implying that that (sic) any animal’s life will improve through the use of Defendant’s pet food or other products …  In 2011, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office brought 58 charges of practicing medicine – on humans and other animals – against Weisman [PDF]. But in February 2012 all of these were dismissed bar three charges of contempt of court [PDF]  – to which Weisman plead guilty. Local media covered the case:  Jessica Lussenhop, Minneapolis CityPages, “Eric Weisman won’t stop playing doctor”, 2011 Jul 20 Jessica Lussenhop, Minneapolis CityPages, “Eric Weisman pleads guilty to three misdemeaonor charges in bizarre veterinary medicine case”, 2012 Feb 28 Sarah Horner, Twin Cities.com, “In Little Canada, probation for ex-chiropracter, satisfaction for city”, 2012 Feb 23  He has also been criticised by blogger SkeptVet. Ida Fong on Animal Voices podcast and Dan Robinson who runs the Vegan Cat Institute website both offer strong anecdotal criticism; whereas the majority of Amazon reviews offer positive anecdotes. Thanks … go to Robb Masters for the music, to all the interviewees, and Erin Red. The illustration is a cat in Peru by Ilke Ender on Flickr, used under a CC-BY licence. Production Note This is not veterinary advice. It is a radio show with vets.

<h1>Cats: Ethics</h1> <p><a href="http://theveganoption.org/2013/02/01/cats-vegan-lorelei-wakefield-andrew-knight/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Last show’s investigation of whether cats can be vegan</a> leaves us with an ethical quandary. What <em>should </em>vegans feed cats? Erin and I reflect on listener’s comments. The three expert veterinarians examine the moral issues. And I ask Eric Weisman, CEO of major US vegan cat food brand Evolution, some tough questions.  (30 min) Play or download (<a href="http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/99352638-veganoption-cats-ethics-evolution-diet-erin-red-eric-weisman-lorelei-wakefield.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">18MB MP3</a>) <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-vegan-option-internet/id472440610" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">(via iTunes)</a> </p> <h3>Veterinarian Guests</h3> <p>There is more information about Lorelei Wakefield, Andrew Knight, and Jean Hofve on the episode page for the last episode, “Cats: Can They Be Vegan?”. Since then, Lorelei Wakefield’s site, <a href="http://vegetariancats.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">vegetariancats.com</a>, has returned, and there’s lots of information there. She is also conducting a new study, with a focus on the urinary tract issues we discussed in the last show, and <a href="http://vegetariancats.com/study/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">is asking cat owners to complete her survey and share medical records</a>.</p> <h3>Erin “Red” Grayson</h3> <p>Erin can be found <a href="http://erinred.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">at Tumblr (currently)</a>, <a href="http://erinred.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ErinRed.com</a> (under construction), and <a href="http://erinred.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@ErinRed on Twitter</a>. She mentions a <a href="http://erinred.com/2012/02/ep13-erin-red-welcomes-special-guest-gary-l-francione/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">discussion about the ethical dilemma of vegan cats with Prof Gary Francione in a February 2012</a> episode of Red Radio, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lady_doth_protest_too_much,_methinks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">quotes Hamlet</a>.</p> <h3>Lisa Freeman’s 2004 Study of Cat Foods</h3> <p>Lisa Freeman was the senior member of a team that tested:</p> <ul> <li>Vegecat KibbleMix, from Harbingers of a New Age</li> <li>Evolution diet vegan gourmet vegetable stew entrée, Evolution Diet</li> </ul> <p>(Technically, I should be calling it the Gray study, as she is the primary author.) In our brief conversation, Dr Freeman strongly backed the veterinary consensus, saying there was no safe way to feed a cat vegan. The study is: <a href="http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2004.225.1670" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christina M. Gray, Rance K. Sellon, Lisa M. Freeman (2004), Nutritional Adequacy of Two Vegan Diets for Cats. <em>Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association</em> <strong>225</strong>:11, 1670-175</a></p> <h3>Eric Weisman and Evolution Diet</h3> <p>Eric Weisman is the Chief Executive of <a href="http://www.petfoodshop.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evolution Diet</a>, manufacturers of vegan foods for cats, dogs, and ferrets, in St. Paul, Minnesota USA. He also posts at <a href="http://www.weismannutrition.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WeismanNutrition.com</a>.</p> <h4>Loss of Chiropractic Licence</h4> <p>Eric Weisman gained his licence in 1979, but in 1982, he was reprimanded and put on probation for one year; and again in 1986 and 1987. The complaints process ended <a href="http://www.mn-chiroboard.state.mn.us/Orders/SO%20Weisman%20Eric%20H%2097%2007%2017.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">in a 1997 Order</a> in which Mr Weisman agreed that he’d committed a number of practices, including:</p> <blockquote><p>Advertisements in connection with Respondent’s [Mr Weisman’s] pet food business which identify Respondent only as “Dr. Eric Weisman” and from which a reader could reasonably infer that Respondent is a veterinarian instead of a chiropractor.</p></blockquote> <p>He accepted a penalty of 300 hours of community service, a $15,000 fine, and some ethics courses. In 1999, the board found he had paid the penalty in time or money; and <a href="http://www.mn-chiroboard.state.mn.us/Orders/SO%20Weisman%20Eric%20Revocation%20Order%2002%2011%2005.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">in 2002 the board revoked his licence for breaches of the 1997 order [PDF]</a> , including:</p> <blockquote><p>Engaged in advertising that is false or misleading</p></blockquote> <p>The memo that the board attached to the order said that:</p> <blockquote><p>The advertisements admittedly issued by the Respondent also include claims that his treatment programs for animal and human disease have “good long-term results in most cases.” During his January 9, 2001, conference with the Panel, the Respondent stated that he defines a “good long-term result” as an instance in which an animal using his products and/or treatment programs survived longer than was originally predicted by a veterinarian. Because the Respondent’s definition of “long-term is contrary to its common dictionary definition,” his claims about “good long-term results” also are false and misleading. The Respondent has disseminated advertisements in which he claims his research or the research conducted by his pet food company proves dogs and cats can  live 20-25 healthy years and thereby implies that the use of his products lengthens the life expectancies of animals. He admitted, however, that he does not have a dog that has lived 25 years, he did not conduct any actual research other than calling about 30 veterinarians, and he was not referencing animals that had used his products, the Respondent admitted  during his conference with the Complaint Panel that this claim is “just an assumption” on his part because he distributes the food throughout the United States. This claim is false or misleading because the Respondent has no actual data or information to support this representation. His claims about animals’ life expectancies, therefore, are false or misleading.</p></blockquote> <p>Thus, “overselling”. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Court_of_Appeals" rel="wikipedia noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Minnesota Court of Appeals</a> <a href="http://law.justia.com/cases/minnesota/court-of-appeals/2003/opa030450-1222.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">upheld the revocation the following year</a>. Those documents, again, are:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.mn-chiroboard.state.mn.us/Orders/SO%20Weisman%20Eric%20H%2097%2007%2017.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Stipulation and Order, 17th July 1987</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.mn-chiroboard.state.mn.us/Orders/SO%20Weisman%20Eric%20Revocation%20Order%2002%2011%2005.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Eric Weisman revocation order</a></li> </ul> <h4>Court Action</h4> <p>The Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine sued Weisman in 2002; the parties settled the case in 2003 by <a href="http://www.vetmed.state.mn.us/portals/22/weisman.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">agreeing an injunction [PDF]</a>. This banned him from, in part:</p> <blockquote><p>Engaging in any conduct that constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine … … making any claim that Defendant’s pet food or other products for animals will treat, prevent, or otherwise affect a disease or condition … unless Defendant has first obtained written authorization from the Food and Drug Administration … Directly or indirectly representing or implying, in connection with the sale of pet food or any other product or service, that he or any business in which he has an ownership interest has conducted “research,” including, but not limited to, “clinical trials,” “human studies,” “case studies” or “literary research,” that supports claims about the efficacy of the pet food, product or service. Directly or indirectly representing or implying that that <em>(sic) </em>any animal’s life will improve through the use of Defendant’s pet food or other products … </p></blockquote> <p>In 2011, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office <a href="http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/NR/rdonlyres/4E89D22E-ED1A-4351-B40E-5B342614DC3D/26907/NewsRelease61611EricWeismantoface58charges.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">brought 58 charges of practicing medicine – on humans and other animals – against Weisman [PDF]</a>. But in February 2012 all of these were <a href="http://theveganoption.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/state_of_minnesota_vs_eric_howard_weisman.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dismissed bar three charges of contempt of court [PDF]</a>  – to which Weisman plead guilty. Local media covered the case:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.citypages.com/2011-07-20/news/eric-weisman-won-t-stop-playing-doctor/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jessica Lussenhop, Minneapolis CityPages, “Eric Weisman won’t stop playing doctor”, 2011 Jul 20</a></li> <li><a href="http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/02/eric_weisman_pleads_guilty_to_three_misdemeanor_charges_in_bizarre_veterinary_medicine_case.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jessica Lussenhop, Minneapolis CityPages, “Eric Weisman pleads guilty to three misdemeaonor charges in bizarre veterinary medicine case”, 2012 Feb 28</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_20032734" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah Horner, Twin Cities.com, “In Little Canada, probation for ex-chiropracter, satisfaction for city”, 2012 Feb 23</a></li> </ul> <p>He has also been criticised by <a href="http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/06/mr-eric-weisman-promoter-of-evolution-diet-finally-prosecuted/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blogger SkeptVet</a>. <a href="http://animalvoices.ca/2006/03/21/vegan-pet-food/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ida Fong on Animal Voices</a> podcast and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R13QLEJVJZPSV8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Robinson</a> who runs the <a href="http://www.ixamall.com/hpusa/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vegan Cat Institute website</a> both offer strong anecdotal criticism; whereas <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Cat-Food-20lb-Bag/product-reviews/B0002SQ1MG/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the majority of Amazon reviews</a> offer positive anecdotes.</p> <h3>Thanks</h3> <p>… go to <a href="http://www.idiotech.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robb Masters</a> for the music, to all the interviewees, and Erin Red. The illustration is a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilker/4444257868/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cat in Peru by Ilke Ender on Flickr</a>, used under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CC-BY licence</a>.</p> <h3>Production Note</h3> <p>This is not veterinary advice. It is a radio show with vets.</p>

Cats: Ethics. With Erin Red, Evolution Diet’s Eric Weisman, and vets Lorelei Wakefield, Andrew Knight, and Jean Hofve

Cats: Can they be vegan? Three experienced veterinarians with experience of vegan cats say whether and why they think cats can thrive on a vegan diet. Jean Hofve argues – out of bitter experience – that cats need meat. Andrew Knight advocates a vegan diet for cats – if you do it right. Only Lorelei Wakefield has published a peer-reviewed study to try to discover who is right.  (23 min) Play or download (15MB MP3) (via iTunes)  Veterinarian Guests Lorelei Wakefield Lorelei Wakefield’s study site – vegetariancats.com – is currently down, but you can access vegetariancats.com via web.archive.org. That peer-reviewed paper is:  Wakefield, LA; Shofer, FS &amp; Michel, KE (2006). “Evaluation of cats fed vegetarian diets and attitudes of their caregivers” .Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 229 (1): 70–3.  She does housecalls in NYC, and her site is ComfortsOfHomeVet.com. Lorelei is vegan. Her own cat, Noel, used to be vegan but is now on a meat-based prescription food. Andrew Knight In between extreme ironing , vegan campaigning, and writing a cost/benefit analysis of Animal Experiments, Andrew Knight also runs VegePets.info, which offers advice for people considering vegetarian diets for dogs and cats. Jean Hofve Jean Hofve is a retired veterinarian with an interest in nutrition and alternative veterinary medicine. She writes at Little Big Cat .com, including about vegetarian cats. Other Guests Erin “Red” Grayson Erin offers listeners to Red Radio “vegan banter with a bite” – strong vegan opinions and supportive commentary, as well as guests, compassionate clips, and rants. She’s Canadian transplanted to Brooklyn, where she co-founded “The Seed: a vegan experience”, and practices muay Thai. Erin can be found at Tumblr (currently), ErinRed.com (under construction), and@ErinRed on Twitter. She discussed the ethical dilemma of vegan cats with Prof Gary Francione in a February 2012 episode of Red Radio. Mazzy Mazzy is a female tortoiseshell rescue cat, and she’s on my lap as I’m typing this. She’s also had struvite crystals (when on a meat-based diet) so she’s also on a meat-based prescription diet. Mainstream veterinary opinion David Dzanis wrote in the Veterinarian Newsletter in 1999, concluding of both dogs and cats: … while both species can eat and utilize some plant-source ingredients (dogs more than cats), they simply are not intended to eat only plants as are other animals such as cattle and sheep.  Vegetarian Diets for Pets?, FDA Veterinarian Newsletter May/June 1999 Volume XIV, No III  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals say: When it comes to felines, it really is best to provide a diet that includes meat. I’m going to pass this on to other websites, but we mentioned that the challenges for vegan cats are: That US National Research Council released dietary guidelines for Cats and Dogs in 2003 (before Lorelei Wakefield’s study) saying that cats: should not be fed a vegetarian diet because it could result in harmful deficiencies of certain amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins The show specifically discussed how cats need Taurine and B12; and the dangers of urinary struvite crystals. Other vegan experiences Colleen Patrick-Goudreau addressed the issue in her 2007 podcast episode, What do Vegetarians Feed their Dogs and Cats? – and, as I mentioned, feeds her cats meat. US writer and activist Jo Stepaniak blogged about how she feeds her cats meat after they did not thrive on a vegan diet. Vegan vet Armaiti May advises having a vet monitor your cat’s urine pH, rather than doing it yourself. Animal Voices (Toronto) covered this topic in 2006 with a round table discussion, involving two local activists whose cats fell seriously ill on a vegan diet, as well as Eric Wiseman of Evolution pet food. Thanks … go to Robb Masters for the music, the three veterinarians for our interviewees, and of course Erin Red. Production Note The interview with Andrew Knight is from back in 2010, hence some rookie mic handling noise. This is not veterinary advice. It is a radio show with vets. Next show: Cats, the ethical quandary, and the criminal vegan pet food CEO

<h1>Cats: Can they be vegan?</h1> <p>Three experienced veterinarians with experience of vegan cats say whether and why they think cats can thrive on a vegan diet.</p> <p>Jean Hofve argues – out of bitter experience – that cats need meat.</p> <p>Andrew Knight advocates a vegan diet for cats – if you do it right.</p> <p>Only Lorelei Wakefield has published a peer-reviewed study to try to discover who is right.</p> <p></p> <p>(23 min) Play or download (<a href="http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/99224935-veganoption-cats-can-they-be-vegan-lorelei-wakefield-andrew-knight.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">15MB MP3</a>) <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-vegan-option-internet/id472440610" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">(via iTunes)</a></p> <p></p> <h2>Veterinarian Guests</h2> <h3>Lorelei Wakefield</h3> <p>Lorelei Wakefield’s study site – <a href="http://vegetariancats.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">vegetariancats.com</a> – is currently down, but you can access <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110717192211/http://www.vegetariancats.com/index.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">vegetariancats.com via web.archive.org</a>. That peer-reviewed paper is:</p> <ul> <li>Wakefield, LA; Shofer, FS &amp; Michel, KE (2006). <a href="http://www.vegepets.info/resources/Publications/Veg-cats-Wakefield-et-al-JAVMA-2006.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Evaluation of cats fed vegetarian diets and attitudes of their caregivers”</a> .Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, <b>229</b> (1): 70–3.</li> </ul> <p>She does housecalls in NYC, and her site is <a href="http://www.comfortsofhomevet.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ComfortsOfHomeVet.com</a>.</p> <p>Lorelei is vegan. Her own cat, Noel, used to be vegan but is now on a meat-based prescription food.</p> <h3>Andrew Knight</h3> <p>In between extreme ironing , vegan campaigning, and writing a cost/benefit analysis of Animal Experiments, <a href="http://www.andrewknight.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andrew Knight</a> also runs <a href="http://www.vegepets.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VegePets.info</a>, which offers advice for people considering vegetarian diets for dogs and cats.</p> <h3>Jean Hofve</h3> <p><a href="http://www.littlebigcat.com/about-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jean Hofve</a> is a retired veterinarian with an interest in nutrition and alternative veterinary medicine.</p> <p>She writes at <a href="http://www.littlebigcat.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Little Big Cat .com</a>, including <a href="http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/vegetarian-cats/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">about vegetarian cats</a>.</p> <h2>Other Guests</h2> <h3>Erin “Red” Grayson</h3> <p>Erin offers listeners to <em>Red Radio</em> “vegan banter with a bite” – strong vegan opinions and supportive commentary, as well as guests, compassionate clips, and rants.</p> <p>She’s Canadian transplanted to Brooklyn, where she co-founded “The Seed: a vegan experience”, and practices muay Thai.</p> <p>Erin can be found <a href="http://erinred.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">at Tumblr (currently)</a>, <a href="http://erinred.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ErinRed.com</a> (under construction), and<a href="http://erinred.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@ErinRed on Twitter</a>.</p> <p>She <a href="http://erinred.com/2012/02/ep13-erin-red-welcomes-special-guest-gary-l-francione/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">discussed the ethical dilemma of vegan cats with Prof Gary Francione in a February 2012</a> episode of Red Radio.</p> <h3>Mazzy</h3> <p>Mazzy is a female tortoiseshell rescue cat, and she’s on my lap as I’m typing this.</p> <p>She’s also had struvite crystals (when on a meat-based diet) so she’s also on a meat-based prescription diet.</p> <h2>Mainstream veterinary opinion</h2> <p>David Dzanis wrote in the Veterinarian Newsletter in 1999, concluding of both dogs and cats:</p> <blockquote><p>… while both species can eat and utilize some plant-source ingredients (dogs more than cats), they simply are not intended to eat only plants as are other animals such as cattle and sheep.</p></blockquote> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/fdaveterinariannewsletter/ucm090188.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Vegetarian Diets for Pets?, </em>FDA<em> Veterinarian Newsletter May/June 1999 Volume XIV, No III</em></a></li> </ul> <p>The <a href="http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-pet-nutrition/vegan-cats.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals</a> say:</p> <blockquote><p>When it comes to felines, it really is best to provide a diet that includes meat.</p> <p>I’m going to pass this on to other websites, but we mentioned that the challenges for vegan cats are:</p></blockquote> <p>That <a href="http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10668" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">US National Research Council released dietary guidelines for Cats and Dogs in 2003</a> (before Lorelei Wakefield’s study) saying that cats:</p> <blockquote><p>should not be fed a vegetarian diet because it could result in harmful deficiencies of certain amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins</p></blockquote> <p>The show specifically discussed how cats need <a href="http://www.petwave.com/cats/basics/nutrition/taurine-deficiency.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taurine</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">B12</a>; and the dangers of <a href="http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/urinary/c_ct_urolithiasis_struvite" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">urinary struvite crystals</a>.</p> <h2>Other vegan experiences</h2> <p>Colleen Patrick-Goudreau addressed the issue in <a href="http://www.compassionatecook.com/writings/podcast-media/what-do-vegetarians-feed-their-dogs-and-cats-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">her 2007 podcast episode, What do Vegetarians Feed their Dogs and Cats?</a> – and, as I mentioned, feeds her cats meat.</p> <p>US writer and activist <a href="http://www.vegsource.com/jo/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jo Stepaniak</a> blogged about how <a href="http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qacats.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">she feeds her cats meat after they did not thrive on a vegan diet</a>.</p> <p>Vegan vet <a href="http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vegan_cats" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Armaiti May advises having a vet monitor your cat’s urine pH, rather than doing it yourself</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://animalvoices.ca/2006/03/21/vegan-pet-food/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Animal Voices (Toronto) covered this topic in 2006 with a round table discussion</a>, involving two local activists whose cats fell seriously ill on a vegan diet, as well as Eric Wiseman of Evolution pet food.</p> <h3>Thanks</h3> <p>… go to <a href="http://www.idiotech.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robb Masters</a> for the music, the three veterinarians for our interviewees, and of course Erin Red.</p> <h3>Production Note</h3> <p>The interview with Andrew Knight is from back in 2010, hence some rookie mic handling noise.</p> <p>This is not veterinary advice. It is a radio show with vets.</p> <p>Next show: <a href="http://theveganoption.org/2013/03/13/cats-evolution-diet-ethics-erin-red-eric-weisman-diet-lorelei-wakefield-andrew-knight/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cats, the ethical quandary, and the criminal vegan pet food CEO</a></p>

Cats: Can they be vegan? With vets Lorelei Wakefield, Andrew Knight, and Jean Hofve; and special guest Erin Red