I laughed when an editor at Vegetarian Times asked me to write a story answering the question, "Should my dog (or cat) go Vegetarian?" My unequivocal answer was "NO!" How could I write a 1300-word story saying, in effect, um, no? But once I began researching the issue, I realized that there are actually a whole lot of vegies and vegans out there—not to mention companies who cater to them—who try to get their naturally carnivorous pets to eat garbanzo beans and quinoa. There's even an organization called the Vegan Dog Nutrition Association.
As I say in the article (Download 0308_VegPets), if you want your pet to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle, you should stick with a "companion animal" that's naturally vegan such as a rabbit or a guinea pig. My cats (this is Iris, above) love fruit and vegies, but I would never think of depriving them of the food that gives them the most sustenance (and pleasure): meat. And yes, they prefer it raw. (Current favorite brand is Primal from San Francisco.)
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