Obligate Carnivore: Cats, Dogs, and What it Really Means to be Vegan (Paperback)

by Jed Gillen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
There is probably no issue more divisive among the vegan community than whether cats should be fed a vegan diet. It stirs great passions from both sides. In Obligate Carnivore, Jed Gillen presents arguments as to why we should make a strong effort to feed our cats vegan food.

Obligate Carnivore is a quick, fun read due to Gillen's humor and unorthodox writing style. Gillen uses the topics of dog and cat food to discuss many issues surrounding veganism and I found the book quite interesting for this reason and would recommend it even if you do not have companion carnivores.

Given Gillen's position, one might jump to the conclusion that he is merely a vegan puritan who has irrationally forced his purity onto his unfortunate animals. To the contrary, Gillen argues that reducing suffering is much more important than being pure.

A few excerpts cannot do the book justice. However, the following quotations can provide a feel for the book:

"The [relationship between predator and prey] cannot be said to exist between the cats and dogs that live in our homes and the barely recognizable animals that have been turned into pellets or packed in cans that magically appear in the their bowls twice a day.... The animals we feed to our cats and dogs have been genetically manipulated, pumped full of hormones, confined, beaten, and murdered without ever having had a chance at a normal life. When they eat meat, it is not because they are following some immutable instinct that has developed over millions of years; it is simply because we have chosen to put some in their dish and they have learned to recognize it as food."

"But to make a choice as complex as which food to buy, an issue which carries ethical concerns that they couldn't possibly begin to understand, is one of our jobs. Not only is this kind of thing not contradictory to good parenting, it is an inherent part of it!"

"[C]ats are perfectly capable of thoroughly enjoying meals that aren't [meat]."

"It is similarly unwise to assume that cow or chicken meat is automatically going to be a better substitute for mouse or insect meat than a well-formulated vegetable based meal."

Gillen spends some time discussing all the terrible things that go into many commercial dog and cat foods, such as dead dogs and cats from animal shelters. When it's suggested that "premium" pet food is better than the nastier kind, he says: "Quite the contrary, when you really think about it: whereas the low-priced supermarket brands are atrocious, they contribute to the profitability of animal slaughter less so than the more expensive brands."

The one problem Gillen has found with a small percentage of male vegan cats is that a vegan diet can exacerbate struvite crystals in male cats who are prone to them. He covers this issue in great depth and presents solutions which should work in most cases. It is a good idea to bring your male cat to the vet and have their urine pH checked within a couple weeks of putting them on a vegan diet.

If a cat can live and be happy on vegan food, then it seems that there is little reason to keep them on a diet of animals. But for cats who have trouble with such a diet, it would be interesting to find out how much the inexpensive brands actually do contribute to farmed animal suffering. If all vegans put their companion cats on a vegan diet tomorrow, would fewer farmed animals really be bred and raised?

Gillen makes the point that at the very least vegans should try vegan cat food and see if their cats like it. He ends the book asking people to at least meet him halfway - feed your cat meals that have at least some vegan food mixed with the other food.

I recommend Obligate Carnivore for people interested in animal liberation. -- Jack Norris, Vegan Outreach

We lazy vegans need a book like this to kick us in the butt and do the right thing. -- Herbivore Magazine, Fall 2003

Product Description
The book we've all been waiting for!

Not only provides a definitive answer to the controversial question "Can cats be vegan?" (they can!), but through examples, philosophical musings, and personal stories, explains why those in the ethical vegan community MUST feed their cats and dogs a vegan diet!

Discusses relative merits of meat vs. vegan diets from a number of perspectives (ethical, health, environmental, etc.), and gives practical advice for making a successful switch for your cats and dogs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Steinhoist Books (July 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974218006
• ISBN-13: 978-0974218007
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #988,654 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and Persuasive, July 30, 2005

By	Dormilona (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

I have just finished reading "Obligate Carnivore," which makes a powerful and persuasive case in favor of all-vegan diets for companion cats and dogs. I then read the reviews here in the hope of discovering whether an equally persuasive case could be made for the other side.

But the MOST negative review here makes no such case. The reviewer claims that Gillen's arguments are ideological and based on emotion, not science. Did he read the same book I read? Yes, Gillen's personal position IS emotional and ideological, based on his belief that anything which increases the suffering of animals is morally and ethically indefensible. He makes this point clearly.

But the beauty of Gillen's book is that most of the points he makes are completely unrelated to his personal moral compass. He builds his case using logical arguments and scientific evidence, NOT emotion or ideology.

Furthermore, the negative reviewer claims that since "meat"-based pet foods are a by-product of animals that are slaughtered for human food, refusing to buy such pet food will do nothing to reduce animal suffering. This argument makes no sense to me: I assume that the pet food industry is no different from any other industry in that it is profit-driven. If the waste products of an industry that slaughters chickens, cows, and other sentient beings for human consumption could not be converted into profitable "meat"-based pet foods, I suspect the slaughterhouses would be driven to reform at least some of the outrageous and abusive conditions in which animals are kept, prior to being slaughtered. After all, they would no longer be able to profit from the carcasses of animals that died of neglect and abuse and are unfit for human consumption. To realize any profit at all from those animals, they would have to take better care of them before slaughtering them.

My companion cats and I have only recently begun moving toward a vegan lifestyle, but already I can see benefits. For instance, the "meat"-based kibble attracted flies and ants; so far, the vegan kibble hasn't attracted those pests, although the cats love it.

Jed Gillen's wonderful book has addressed all my concerns about switching my cats to a vegan lifestyle. Moreover, it's fun to read, informative (especially the delightful crash-course review of the Socratic method!), and blessedly brief (but so entertaining I was sorry when it ended). Thank you, Jed Gillen!

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three paws up for "Obligate Carnivore" , December 8, 2004

By	goonius (a room in a house on a street in a city just like any other.) - See all my reviews

Finally a book that presents reasons both philosophical and logical for diverting from the norm and choosing an all-plant diet for our companions!

I entered this book and the introduction of veganism to my three cats with skepticism and doubt. Can an animal whose natural inclination is that of a carnivore be content and healthy with an herbivorous diet?

Absolutely. My cats have been vegans for over a year, and are doing better than ever. Molly is 17 and spritely as a kitten. Katze, at 5, has lost her excess(ive) fat and become more active. Mietze, now 3, suffered from bloody stools and chronic gas from kittenhood to six months. She has flourished on her new diet; she no longer suffers from intestinal problems.

But is it natural to inflict our morals on our companions? This question seems to be the premise by which most people deny a vegan diet can sustain our feline friends. Yet we rarely ask ourselves if a cat's natural environment would include living indoors, sleeping on beds, crapping in a box, eating pre-packaged food, co-habitating with humans... much less taking down a steer for supper, drinking bovine milk or consuming processed cheese, cannibalizing their own kind.... need I go on?

With the threat of prionic disease for both us and our feline companions, veganism is not only an option but perhaps the most healthy alternative to a questionable mainstream food supply. As a bonus, you get to promote - via consumerism - companies who do not support the exploitation of animals.

But don't take my word for it; read the book. Check the facts. This is information every pet owner should know.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well thought out., October 19, 2004

By	Andre Bouchard "abouch" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading this book I was convinced. The topics of dietary health, natural diet, and the mass pet food industry are examined at length. Since reading this I have slowly transitioned my cat onto a vegan diet. It has been over a year and she is actually doing much better health wise. My vet gave my cat a much better bill of health this year than a year ago (no urinary tract or dental problems anymore.)

And since then I have discovered a range of products that cater to the vegan cat at about the same price of high end mass market cat food. This is much easier to do than one would think!