Background information
A real dog’s dinner: why vegan pet food is a bad idea
by Patrick Vogt
Vegan cat food: one variety wins over Stiftung Warentest
4.5.2023
Translation: machine translated
Animal-free pet food: When it comes to cats, most experts advise against a meat-free diet. But in a new test, a vegan dry food also achieved good results.
The debate about vegan food is often heated - even when it comes to dogs and cats. While some pet owners are increasingly opting for meat-free food, vets (still) advise against it. Editor Patrick Vogt interviewed a vet about this.
"Cats are dependent on certain substances that are only found in meat. These are essential amino acids such as taurine, vitamins A and D, but also essential fatty acids," explains vet Claudia Nett-Mettler. According to the expert, a meatless diet is neither species-appropriate nor compatible with animal welfare laws in Germany and Switzerland.
Vegan food scores "good"
It is all the more surprising that the Stiftung Warentest has now found one of three tested vegan foods for cats to be good.
The three meatless variants were at the bottom of the ranking of 20 complete cat foods tested. Nevertheless, the vegan product from the V.E.G. brand achieved a 2.0 in the nutritional quality category: the most important evaluation criterion in the test. This assesses the ingredients such as proteins, amino acids and vitamins and provides information about the food as a source of nutrients.
Although the test shows that vegan food can also provide for a cat, no blanket recommendation is made in favour of meat-free foods. According to Stiftung Warentest, it is still too early for this.
The rest of the ranking
In addition to the V.E.G. food, the conventional varieties from Whiskas, Royal Canin or Purina Felix as well as the cheaper Aldi, Kaufland or Dm products can also be seen and eaten: The overall ratings range from "very good" to "satisfactory".
In the top three places were the Attica crunchy menu from Netto (1.3) and the Real Nature Wilderness Adult varieties from Fressnapf and Sanabelle Adult with ostrich (both 1.5). It is striking that the test winner Attica is also the price winner at 7 cents per daily ration. And so it shows: High-quality cat food doesn't have to be expensive.
Not among the first places, but also represented in the ranking, are some dry food varieties from our shop.
Cover picture: Maike Jensen
Cat lady and coffee lover from up north. Always on the lookout for «News and Trends».
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