Erm, okay, well I'm not a vegetarian ( I'm not a raving carnivore either) but I was wondering. Oh yeah. And sorry but this really sounds like a lame question. But I actually want to know. What do veggies think of Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plants? I have a dearly beloved Pitcher Plant and I wondered if veggies frown upon them as they eat living animals... This question isn't intended to be dumb... it just turned out that way... :S Would a veggie keep a Venus Fly Trap in their home?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! WTF? I would totally keep a venus fly trap. Who likes flies in your house? I would think that most veggie people would have a similar opinion of those plants as they do cats or any other meat-eating animal. That's just nature doing it's thing!
Well *I* would I don't see that as any different than a veggie having a pet cat. Cats are carnivores; it's just what they ARE - and that's okay love, mom
ah but cats HAVE to eat meat (except for my aunt's cat... she feeds it VEGETARIAN CAT FOOD - could someone tell me what that's made of? Fungi? Poor deprived cat...) whereas Venus Fly Traps have the other option of using photosynthesis like other plants. So if they wanted to, they too could be veggies. Would you let it eat flies if it was yours?!
yes I would let it eat flies. I'm not going to force my morals and dietary decisions on a plant. haha In fact I've been looking to get a venus fly trap for some time
not all veggies are so for ethical reasons. but i don't want flies in my damn house. im vegan for ethical reasons, but i'll still kill a roach or mosquito if it's in my house. i always escort spiders out, though... but thats just my take on it. venus fly traps usually can't get nitrogen from the soil (because of where they grow-bogs) so they have to eat insects to survive. they can't use photosynthesis to get everything they need. i think it has to do with using nitrogen for structural protiens? i could be wrong though... and about the aunt that feeds her cats vegetarian food? this is dangerous, that cat's hair will fall out and it will get anemia or something. cats can get very sick from that.
obligate carnivores MUST eat animal based protien. simple google search turned up these two. from a vegan website(http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qacarn.htm): 'Dogs are able to eat a wide variety of foods and, with proper supplementation, many do quite well on a totally or predominately plant-based diet. Cats, however, are inherent carnivores and require meat to thrive. Wet and dry vegan cat foods are available, as well as nutritional supplements that are intended to be mixed with home-prepared vegan cat foods. Nevertheless, we do not have hard evidence yet to ascertain whether synthetic taurine, arachidonic acid, and other essential nutrients are metabolized effectively by felines. It is quite possible that a number of cats fed a vegan diet could appear to be healthy for several years and then "suddenly" experience devastating health- or life-threatening consequences. Some side effects of inadequate or inappropriate nutrition in cats are blindness, heart problems, kidney problems, listlessness, poor muscle tone, dull coats, and flaky skin. Is it fair or right of vegans to impose their personal diet choice on naturally carnivorous companion animals? This continues to be an issue of much debate.' from http://www.catinfo.org : Cats are obligate (strict) carnivores and are very different from dogs in their nutritional needs. What does it mean to be an ‘obligate carnivore’? It means that your cat was built by Mother Nature to get her nutritional needs met by the consumption of a large amount of animal-based proteins (meat) and derives much less nutritional support from plant-based proteins (grains). It means that cats lack specific metabolic (enzymatic) pathways and cannot utilize plant proteins as efficiently as animal proteins. Proteins derived from animal tissues have a complete amino acid profile. (Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.) Plant-based proteins do not contain the full compliment of the critical amino acids required by an obligate carnivore.
"venus fly traps usually can't get nitrogen from the soil (because of where they grow-bogs) so they have to eat insects to survive. they can't use photosynthesis to get everything they need. i think it has to do with using nitrogen for structural protiens?" Wow, a Venus Fly Trap expert in our midst! That's not something you come across every day... Oh and my aunt's cats do get meat. But only at Christmas if we leave some turkey. And their hair hasn't fallen out yet, although they are a bit savage. I think that in their craving for meat they've resorted to eating humans instead. Usually my arm...
Yeah, i wouldnt try and raise a cat vegan. Look at its teeth, its sharp claws, its eyes that see in the dark. Theyve come from wild cats. Carnivores. Dogs are omnivores and are therefore different
horticulture is my favorite hobby, thanks yes, please be sure this cat gets meat. some people even feed their cat raw ground hamburger meat every day because they are built to digest raw meat. feeding cats a vegan diet definately falls under animal abuse.
back to topic. We have discussed cats as veg*ans in painful detail on here. do a search... but, that debate did enter my head when I read the op. I can just see some well-meaning n00b veg breaking out the TVP for Audrey II.
just to confirm, i would NEVER force my vegetarian beliefs onto a cat. this is just to balance out the debate! from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/276734/raising_vegan_or_vegetarian_pets.html---> "It's possible to have healthy vegan dogs and cats (although vegan cats are more problematic)... (deleted section that discussed vegetarian dogs) ...a diet that consists of fresh and raw meat, eggs, bones, and vegetables and fruits for dogs, with a higher percentage of meat and fish for cats, might seem ideal. However, given the high toxicity levels of factory-farmed meat (antibiotics, tranquilizers, synthetic hormones, heavy metals, and pesticides like DDT, dioxin, etc.), and their possible links to cancer, allergies, infections, kidney and liver disease, and behavior problems, maybe we should re-think this issue... ...Cats, he believes, need some meat or fish in their diet, although vegetarian experts such as the U.K. Vegetarian Society offer case histories that cats as well as dogs can thrive without them, as long as a variety of high-protein foods are included. But Pitcairn points out that unlike dogs, cats cannot convert the beta-carotene in vegetables to vitamin A; therefore they need cheese, eggs, or cod-liver oil. Other feline requirements are animal-derived B-12, arachidonic acid (also in cod-liver oil) and the important amino acid taurine, found in heart tissue, seafood, meats, and dairy products. A deficiency of taurine can cause blindness and heart problems in cats. However, taurine supplements are readily available in pet stores.... (deleted section that discussed feeding dairy milk to cats and dogs) ...Taking all the above facts into consideration, the answer to whether dogs and cats can be vegetarians is a qualified yes. It is, however, more problematic to raise a healthy vegan cat. [/B]The nutritional needs of both dogs and cats must be fully understood before putting them on a vegan diet." ------------------------- http://www.vegepet.com/stories.html - stories of cats on a veggie pet food (also dog's stories) ------------------------ http://www.vegetariancats.com/index.php - interesting study on "vegetarian" cats ------------------------ from http://www.earthsave.ca/articles/ethics/vegetarian_cats_and_dogs.html---> "It is possible to feed cats and dogs well, and with little effort, on a vegetarian diet. In fact, they will probably be better off for it. All but the most expensive pet foods can contain diseased and contaminated meat and fish by-products. (If we are worried about humans getting "Mad Cow Disease," what about our pets?)... (deleted paragraphs that discussed veggie dogs) ...Cats have very different nutritional needs, and many people will tell you that a cat cannot be vegetarian. Well you can feed them vegetarian food and they can enjoy it and be perfectly healthy. They might not be totally vegetarian, whoever who knows how many mice they are catching? But at least you do not have to contribute to the slaughterhouse industry to keep them healthy and happy. Cats need a higher protein diet than dogs, and they have other special needs, such as arachidonic acid, the fatty acid necessary for growth; taurine, an amino acid; and Vitamin A, since they cannot make it from beta carotene like humans and many other animals. Fortunately, the company harbingers of a New Age makes a supplement powder called Vegecat, which, when added to some simple vegetarian recipes, provides all the nutrients your cats need... ...The recipes provided with Vegecat "meet all nutritional requirements" according to AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile. The supplement will only cost you a few cents per day, per animal." ------------------------------- from http://www.peta.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=34--> "Some people wonder if it’s “unnatural” to omit meat from the diet of a dog or cat. Animals in the wild commonly eat quite a lot of plant matter. Besides, to feed them the meat that they would naturally eat, you would have to serve them whole mice or birds or allow them to hunt for themselves, an option that is unfair to native species of birds and other small animals, since companion cats and dogs have been removed from the food chain and have advantages that free-roaming animals lack. Vegetarian or vegan dogs and cats enjoy their food and good health, and a vegetarian diet for your companion animal is ethically consistent with animal rights philosophy." TO REITERATE, I WOULD NOT FEED MY CAT A VEGETARIAN DIET, BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS DETRIMENTAL TO A CAT'S HEALTH
Well my pitcher plant doesn't smell. Maybe they're more thorough with their personal hygiene than venus fly traps.
