Hi, every morning I have breakfast with unsweetened soy milk. My cats kill me if they can’t empty my bowl, but because I add stuff like raisins which include sugar, I give them some plain soy milk instead. The vet said it’s “probably fine”, but I want to know for certain. Does anyone know for certain soy milk is or isn’t bad for cats? Thanks!
In short soy isn’t great for cats, but just giving them a bit of soy milk won’t be harmful.
https://bedforpetprague.org/tpost/fxoxsd4211-why-soy-is-not-the-best-choice-for-cats
Wow, this is exactly the answer I was hoping for, thank you.
I had vegan friends who fed their cat vegan food. I’m a vegan too, but humans are omnivores, cats are carnivores. Feeding cats vegan food is bad in my opinion, I see it as animal abuse. It comes with a lot of health risks which are similar to what I read in the articles you posted. It all makes sense.
From now on, they will get a little bit of unsweetened soy milk once in a while, not every day. (I have to find a middle ground, otherwise they will kick me out)
Thanks! I really appreciate it :)
Your opinion is fact: feeding an obligate carnivore vegan food is actual animal abuse.
Also please dont feed them (or anything or anyone else) raw food right now, kibble is safest until this bird flu shit is done with.
I only feed them kibble. Adviced by the vet, not because of bird flu but because of wet food being bad for their teeth. They had wet food while growing up, since they were castrated at 6 months the only food they get is adult dental kibble (Hills brand). I gave then Royal Canin before, but I heard (unconfirmed) they add sugar, so I switched precautionary.
until this bird flu shit is done with.
I’m scared we’re only in the pre phase of a massive pandemic. Let’s hope it won’t go that far, but with the current world tension status and clowns rising to power, I’m scared the shit is about to hit the fan like it’s 1939 with a massive pandemic combined.
I’m not your vet, so I’m sharing this for informational purposes, but your vet seems to have the opposite opinion of most vets I’ve spoken with. I foster with a few different organizations, so I’ve spoken with quite a few vets.
I had originally been feeding my own cats mostly kibble, but their vet strongly encouraged me to transition them to at least 50% wet. They won’t really touch the wet if they also have kibble available, so now they only get wet food in their dishes, and kibble is reserved for use as treats. My oldest had his annual exam a few weeks ago and the vet said his teeth look great.
Studies have shown that cats that eat primarily dry food may drink more water than cats that eat primarily wet food, but cats on a primarily wet food diet overall consume more water. This is particularly important for their kidney and urinary health.
Dry food also tends to be much higher in carbohydrates, and cats really don’t need carbohydrates, like at all. They need lots of protein and some fat.
Yeah I’ve heard the same thing. Wet food is better for them.
+1 this is what I have been told by vets and cat rescue organizations when we were going through the adoption process
Multiple vets and the university animal hospital adviced against wet food, so I’m going to follow their advice. But I will sure ask them again knowing this information. Thanks!
You know that many vets and universities get kick backs or receive funding from kibble companies right? I was training to be a vet nurse (I have the prerequisite qualification and only reason I didn’t finish was because my disability worsened and I was unable to do the clinic hours) so I’m not just some rando giving advice… We switched our cats to raw food a decade ago and they have never been healthier. Cats are obligate carnivores and in the wild they eat almost nothing but raw meat (a little vegetable matter in the guts of their prey and eating grass, etc). Cats have evolved over millennia to eat raw meat. Their physiology is not adapted to eat the high amounts of carbohydrates in kibble. Not to mention the high rates of kidney disease, diabetes, dental disease, etc. with feeding kibble. Kibble is a species inappropriate diet no different from humans eating junk food. For the same reasons humans get diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. from eating junk food, cats suffer poor health eating kibble. The kibble industry is a billion dollar industry with a vested interest in keeping vets and pet owners hooked. If you can’t feed raw, feed wet. Its not ideal, bit it’s far better than kibble. Your kitty deserves better than the bs the kibble industry spouts.
EDIT: While I’m thinking about it, do not feed cats beef. It is one of the single biggest contributors to allergies. Small cats eat small prey and cows are definitely not small. Again, their physiology is not designed to handle digesting meat from large animals. Beef is allergenic to cats.
I know vets have contracts with food companies, but these companies also sell wet food which is more expensive so you’d expect vets to try and sell you we food instead. These companies tell you to combine dry and wet food, they have charts to tell you how much of each for your cat. Instead, several vet offices with different contracts all tell me the same, as well as the university hospital, to stick with only dry food so I’m going to stick with that. Wet food isn’t great for their teeth and it has too much protein making them fat. My cats are super healthy with a perfect weight. They just need water available at all times so I give them fresh water daily and they have 2 cat fountains.
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I’m not your IT admin, so I’m sharing this only for informational purposes but you seem to have posted twice ;-)
Ahh, yes, fediverse is fun. I accidentally hit the submit button when I was nowhere near done, so I quickly deleted the original comment while I continued working on my draft. Once I was done composing my thoughts, I tried editing the deleted comment, but even after refreshing it still shows as deleted for me, so I submitted my final draft as a new comment instead.
It sure feels like it felt in feb 2020 right before covid really kicked up. I’m also hoping that it won’t end up another pandemic though, because if it does we are so thoroughly fucked
I’ve seen at least a few kibbles that include some freeze dried raw meat in them, so I don’t think “kibble” is 100% safe unless you’re paying close attention. For example: https://www.chewy.com/instinct-original-recipe-real-chicken/dp/693326
I also just want to note for anyone reading here that the venn diagram of “raw” food and “wet” food has very minimal overlap, especially in terms of what’s sitting on the shelves in stores. Most canned food is not raw, and should be safe from bird flu.
In order to maximize shelf life, most raw food is generally sold either freeze dried or frozen. In the case of freeze dried, it’s often stored at room temperature, and you can either reconstitute with water to serve “wet” or serve “as is” in it’s dry, crunchy form. Something else to be aware of is that a lot of treats at the “fancy” pet supply stores are freeze dried and raw, so it’s worth paying very close attention if your cat is immunocompromised (very young, pregnant/nursing, senior, FIV+, etc.) and/or if you’re concerned about bird flu.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15141877/
Also, daring to doubt your vet and ask the internet for opinions. Normally it’s the other way around.
All I know for certain is that unsweetened is a lot better than regular. The added sugars and high calorie count is not good for cats.
Yeah, sugar is a big no no for cats. I’m making sure they won’t get any. Same with salt.
I follow the advice of the vet, but the vet said they didn’t know for certain. I’d rather have a specialist day they don’t know something than make something up. So that’s why I ask the internet. I prefer the vet’s advice over random internet people but I got replies backed by sources so I’m happy.
Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it :)
Hey, I’m a specialist- but not in cats.
But I got curious and looked it up, from what I’m seeing, small amounts as a treat are “probably” fine- the top hits note that cats may have difficulty digesting the plant protein in soy milk.
This would likely be more problematic if they have large amounts. (Also it does some weird stuff to their hormones so it’s probably best to keep it as “occasional”)
Your vet is likely seeing the same things and assuming it’s not massive amounts and “probably fine” is a reasonable answer.
Just keep an eye on them. If they start having digestive problems, maybe try stopping for a while and then smaller amounts.
Thank you! I appreciate the research, awesome!
The only digestive problem there is, is the damn smell. I have 3 chemical warfare kitties.
But I’m going to keep it to a minimum, maybe switch it over to regular cat treats. Although they eat junk from everywhere. Walking trash cans they are. Vacuum cleaners. I can’t have trash inside my house and when they go outside they often return with scavenged waste from a neighbor. I do my best feeding them healthy food, but they are smart kitties willijg to do anything to get their paws on junk.
Have you tried offering them any of the milk products specifically designed for cats? I’ve seen a powdered goat milk with added probiotics at my local pet store, there’s formula replacement for nursing kittens, and at least one other that I’ve seen.
Edit: Chewy seems to have quite a few “milk” products that are intended for cats: https://www.chewy.com/s?query=Milk&rh=PetType%3ACat
its probably not—they are cats and designed to eat small animals, not heavily processed plant products. They probably love it because they are mammals and we all instinctually crave protein juice.
Your camera is so clear i thought it was AI for a second
Yeah I love it! It’s a Oneplus 9pro, with Hasselblad firmware and filters. Amazing photos, every time!
Lord Wiggle recommends: 9pro with Hasselblad. Amazing photos, every time.
Definitely sounds like they pay you to make that up. ;-p
I wish I got paid lol
Had that phone as well, only just replaced it after 4 years. Probably could have kept going but I wanted to spoil myself a bit and now I have a backup phone.
Started with OP 5, then 9, now the 13. Both the 5 and the 9 lasted 4 years with no issues.
pro tip—you can clean the lenses on your phone’s camera.
how about oat milk instead for the kitties (i personally like it better then soy milk anyway)
https://www.catster.com/nutrition/can-cats-drink-oat-milk/
Cats can have oat milk and it’s generally safe for them to drink
I just gave them some of mine. Since I’m a vegan, I need a replacement for regular milk. Only soy milk is a real substitute as it’s the only plant based milk with protein, all the others are basically tasty water nutrician wise, plus whatever vitamins they added. For my cats, I think it’s better to just buy something made for cats instead.
Pea milk has a similar amount of protein to soya and dairy. It doesn’t have the beany flavour of soya (it’s the closest to dairy in terms of flavour IMHO) and works well in hot drinks.
I have no idea if it’s safe for cats though; it’s typically made from yellow split peas.
Ah yes, as we all know every Lemmy user is also a moonlighting cat nutritionist. Glad you came and asked here, your vet probably doesn’t know what they’re talking about!
I mean, there’s a chance someone knows, right? We don’t all have to.
How do you differentiate between the countless anonymous users who know for certain one way or another? And why would you trust their opinion over that of your vet?
Edit: Stop booing me, I’m right.
No milk is good for cats.
They cannot digest it properly.
There is no milk in soy milk.
I know cats are lactose intolerant, yes. That’s why we’re talking about soy milk instead. Thanks anyway.
They cannot digest milk for the same reason as humans that are lactose intolerant. Non-dairy milk is a whole other thing, with their own concerns for health effects on cats.
Learn the difference between what actual milk is and what soy “milk” is. They are not the same.
