With the health benefits of a well-balanced vegetarian diet now widely acknowledged by most of the world’s leading nutritional experts, it should perhaps be no great surprise that many people are also favouring a vegetarian diet for their furry four-legged friends.

A recent report has suggested that almost one quarter of Britain’s cats and dogs are now fed an exclusively vegetarian diet.  Vegetarianism among pets has been made fashionable by celebrity veggies such as Alicia Silverstone hitting the headlines, but also is popular with health-conscious Brits following the government’s five-a-day fruit and veg guidelines and applying them to their pets’ meals too.

And pet health -  although by far the most popular reason for pet owners switching to a vegetarian diet for their faithful friends - is not the only reason for the trend. 12% of pet owners are trying to beat the credit-crunch by feeding their cats and dogs carrots, potatoes and peas in place of the traditional tin of Chum or Whiskas.

Caution should be observed when deciding to make any drastic changes though, particularly when it comes to nutrition. Dogs are able to survive easily without meat and in some cases this kind of diet could even improve dog health problems such as arthritis and obesity, but a sudden change in diet may not go down well and it is better to make gradual changes.

With cats, however, it is a rather different story.  While dogs are omnivores (i.e. they can get nutrition from either plant or animal sources) cats are classified as obligatory carnivores.   This means that there are certain nutrients naturally found in abundance in foods of animal origin which must be present in their diet; therefore you will need to purchase some kind of supplement or specialised food if you are considering vegetarianism for your cat.

Pets come in many varieties, and different species of animals have different dietary requirements.  It is always advisable to consult your vet before making any major changes which could affect the health of your pet.

It will certainly be interesting to see if the trend towards vegetarianism in our household animals continues in a similar fashion to that among humans.  One wonders if in years to come there could be discounts on full life cover insurance policies for vegetarian cats and dogs, as there already are special rates for life insurance for their veggie human counterparts.  This is obviously wild speculation, but who knows?! Let’s just see what happens….

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