'Vegan' kitten nearly dies

[frazzled]

23. Absolutely wrong: cats are obligate carnivores

and they require animal proteins, not plant proteins, to be healthy. This is SCIENCE, not opinion. Cats are not just carnivores, like dogs, they are OBLIGATE carnivores: because their guts are short, they do not have the ability to digest and utilize the nutrients in plants materials. They need taurine to thrive--found primarily in the muscle meat of animals.

Cats are obligate carnivores and are very different from dogs-and people-in their nutritional needs. What does it mean to be an obligate carnivore? It means that cats are strict carnivores that rely on nutrients in animal tissue to meet their specific nutritional requirements. In their natural habitat, cats are hunters that consume prey high in protein with moderate amounts of fat and minimal amounts of carbohydrates. Cats also require more than a dozen nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids. These nutrients are the building blocks of various structural body tissues; are essential for chemical reactions (metabolism, catabolism); transport substances into, around, and out of the body; supply energy for growth and maintenance; and provide palatability.

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/FeedYourCat.cfm

See also: http://cats.about.com/od/catfoodfaqs/f/obligatecarnivores.htm