Rating: 
Summary: Vote with your dollars
Review: A must read for everyone concerned about the suffering of animals. This book is directed at those who have animals in their homes, yet is a very interesting (and funny) read for anybody, whether you are already vegan or not. Straight forward and logical, you can't argue with the ideas presented. If you don't approve of the slaughterhouse industry why would you support it by buying pet food containing dead animals? His style throughout is very entertaining and the book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Well thought out.
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Save the Lives of Your Cats
Review: As one of the original purchasers of this book directly from the author earlier this year, it was just one resource of many that led me to conclude that cats can be raised vegan successfully, if we follow a few simple rules.
Rule one is that many if not most commercial cat foods contain products that are slowly poisoning our companion cats. At least two commercial products can avoid this poisoning.
Rule two is that cats require some essential ingredients that can be found in two commercial vegan cat foods sufficient to maintain the health of our cats.
Rule three is that if you do enough research on the subject, you can learn enough about the various issues to make an informed decision in favor of vegan cats without risking harm to your feline family.
Rule four is to ignore all the doom and gloom from your vet if they are unwilling to study the issue. My experience from interviewing several dozen vets is that they are part of the animal disease industry, and anything that threatens their source of income is something they are reluctant to support. Some rare animal friendly vets are enlightened enough to support the issue of vegan cats. You just need to seek them out. A current scientific study is being performed at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Vet Med, to lend some credibility to the issue. There is a vegetariancats website for further info.
My feline son has been eating Evolution Kibble for the past 6 months and his health has had a marked improvement. At 11 years of age he now has the energy of a kitten. His urine pH is at the acidic levels to avoid struvite problems. He has lost the fat that had accumulated around his middle over many years. He sleeps less and plays more. And best of all, no other animal had to die to feed my son.
Jed's book added significant information essential for me to make the decision to leave the world of Purina in favor of vegan food from Evolution. The book has a humor component which may enhance the message but the bottom line is that the content is valuable in making an informed decision. I highly recommend this easy to read book and encourage anyone interested in the issue to supplement their knowledge with additional information through other resources. An online search for vegan cats will bring up a wealth of information about this important issue.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Insightful for you & your furry companions
Review: Being a vegan myself, I thought that I'd find this book fairly interesting. I do like that it touched on taurine for cats. I always believe that cats couldn't be vegan but after reading the book, I think I may slowly make the switch and see how things go. Having companion animals, I never really made the connection that their food is a slaughterhouse byproduct and I'm contributing to it. Kinda makes you sit back and think for bit. Really, if meat & dairy isn't necessary for humans and causes nothing but health problems, why feed it to our other family members. I do hope that others read this book and educate themselves as I have. 2 Thumbs up, Jed. btw.. veganmercantile.com rocks!
Rating:
Summary: Very Insightful for you & your furry companions
Review: Being a vegan myself, I thought that I'd find this book fairly interesting. I do like that it touched on taurine for cats. I always believe that cats couldn't be vegan but after reading the book, I think I may slowly make the switch and see how things go. Having companion animals, I never really made the connection that their food is a slaughterhouse byproduct and I'm contributing to it. Kinda makes you sit back and think for bit. Really, if meat & dairy isn't necessary for humans and causes nothing but health problems, why feed it to our other family members. I do hope that others read this book and educate themselves as I have. 2 Thumbs up, Jed. btw.. veganmercantile.com rocks!
Rating:
Summary: Three paws up for "Obligate Carnivore"
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Obligate Carnivore Has Changed My Life
Review: I have myself been vegan for 8 years, but thought I had to feed my dogs & cats a meat diet. Friends of mine who are also vegan & have 9 cats & 2 dogs (all rescued) also fed their animals meat and/or commercial pet food. One of thse people read Obligate Carnivore & said, "That's it! We are veganizing our animals!" I read the book & came away with the same response. Jed Gillen presents a powerful, irrefutable argument for feeding cats & dogs a vegan diet. He also presents an excellent discourse on being vegan. The writing is easy to comprehend & it is done with a zany, appealing humour - yet the underlying passion for what he believes is compelling. I am recommending this book to everyone I know. It's one of the most revolutionary books I've ever read (& I do lots & lots of reading!). It has revolutionized me & my approach to feeding my pets.
Rating:
Summary: Obligate Carnivore Has Changed My Life
Review: I have myself been vegan for 8 years, but thought I had to feed my dogs & cats a meat diet. Friends of mine who are also vegan & have 9 cats & 2 dogs (all rescued) also fed their animals meat and/or commercial pet food. One of thse people read Obligate Carnivore & said, "That's it! We are veganizing our animals!" I read the book & came away with the same response. Jed Gillen presents a powerful, irrefutable argument for feeding cats & dogs a vegan diet. He also presents an excellent discourse on being vegan. The writing is easy to comprehend & it is done with a zany, appealing humour - yet the underlying passion for what he believes is compelling. I am recommending this book to everyone I know. It's one of the most revolutionary books I've ever read (& I do lots & lots of reading!). It has revolutionized me & my approach to feeding my pets.
Rating:
Summary: All vegans should read this book!
Review: I read Obligate Carnivore in order to get more information about feeding my cats and dogs a vegan diet. This book is filled with great information about that topic. But it also offers so much more. It made me think about veganism in new ways. Most importantly, it's a really entertaining book. It's filled with funny stories that made me think about how I am living my life. If you are thinking of cutting that last tie to the slaughter house by switching your cats and dogs to a vegan diet, if you already have but are looking for better ways to defend your choice to your friends, or if you just want an enjoyable book to read, I highly recommend Obligate Carnivore.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-meant, but dangerously wrongheaded.
Review: Let me preface this review by saying that I am a vegan, so I'm no cheerleader for the meat, egg, and dairy industries. That said... Despite Gillen's claims, the arguments for feeding cats a vegan diet are founded on emotion, not science. Some well-meaning but misguided vegans think that they have to enforce their ethical system upon their carnivorous companion animals. What they don't seem to realize is that using their absolute power over their animal companions to force them into an unnatural and dangerously inadequate diet is in itself a form of animal exploitation and abuse.
Nor does it dawn on them that refusing to buy meat-based pet food has absolutely no effect on the slaughter of farmed animals. Those animals are killed FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION; the meat that goes into pet food is either byproducts, or meat marked for human use. Until humans stop consuming animal flesh, animals will be slaughtered. It's as simple and straightforward as that. Not feeding your obligate carnivore meat is symbolic gesture rather than an effective one. You'd do better to donate the money you'd waste on vegan pet food to an animal advocacy organization like The Fund for Animals or United Poultry Concerns.
And if you're an ethical vegan, and you're that bothered by feeding carnivores the meat they physiologically need, do yourself and the animals a favor and adopt a rabbit or guinea pig. Many dogs can and do thrive on vegan or vegetarian diets--they are omnivorous--but cats are true carnivores and *need* meat in their diets. For a cat, a vegan diet is most likely to be a slow and painful death sentence. No amount of energy and good intentions can trump millions of years of evolution. Don't gamble with the health and lives of animals who love you, trust you, and are utterly dependent upon you, just for the sake of ideology.
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