Rating: 
Summary: A good book-- but it could be better.
Review: Reading Jed Gillen's book, Obligate Carnivore, was an educational experience-a logical foray into the reasons why it is best to feed one's cats & dogs a vegan diet. I recommend this book, and yet I think the book could have been better. The reason I say that is that I believe the author's logic broke down during the chapter titled, "It ain't naturel." From reading this chapter, it seems the author would have us believe that our pet food is chock-full of happenstance ingredients such as styrofoam, ground-up plastic, and sodium pentobarbital (to name a few from the list). I just don't think that's logical, such that I've personally known dozens of cats & dogs that for years have been given pet-food supposedly containing euthanasia solution, and they haven't dropped dead suddenly or even in the long-term. (a couple have been hit by cars though-- very sad.) I'm not saying that pentobarbital is a cornerstone of a pet's diet, but I do dispute the argument that a cat or dog's health is substantially undermined by such potential ingredients in the amounts found in commercial pet food. Even the data on page 50 is inconclusive-- the correlation between the dogs' health and the duration of their vegan/vegetarian diet isn't very convincing when you take a close look. (not to mention that the sample size of the lifelong vegetarian dogs is rather small (12)). There are so many things out there that just aren't "naturel", and quite harmful to all animal species. For humans I can think of a few: 1) Sun exposure, which is inherently damaging to our skin. (Yet, at the same time our skin uses sunshine to synthesize vitamin D.) 2) Apple juice, derived from crushed apples. The appleseeds therein contain small amounts of cyanide. 3) Alcohol - toxic to the human body, but the data show that a glass of wine a day has significant health benefits. 4) Car exhaust - As a car-free individual, I'm inhaling significant quantities of this stuff, emitted from fellow vegans as I pedal next to their vehicles- exhaust containing poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, benzene, sulfur dioxide, etc. - which affect not only my health, but the health of animals in the surrounding area. But I deem this respiratory intake worth it, in light of the daily exercise. ....not to mention the whole arena of bacteria and viruses which our bodies are constantly battling against. And I think we're evolved to deal with such un-natural components of life- ie. cats, dogs, humans alike have livers, kidneys, immune systems to rid their bodies of the aforementioned toxins and microbial invaders. The effectiveness of such systems can't be dismissed. (I'm sure the 'hard drinking vegan' author notices the efficacy of his liver in metabolizing ingested alcohol). I do think that this is an educational book, and I recommend it, but I think this particular chapter, "It ain't naturel" --along with the brief chapter, "Eating cancer"- are strongly biased in that they strive for conclusions that aren't adequately based in science.
Rating:
Summary: A good book-- but it could be better.
Review: Reading Jed Gillen's book, Obligate Carnivore, was an educational experience-a logical foray into the reasons why it is best to feed one's cats & dogs a vegan diet. I recommend this book, and yet I think the book could have been better. The reason I say that is that I believe the author's logic broke down during the chapter titled, "It ain't naturel." From reading this chapter, it seems the author would have us believe that our pet food is chock-full of happenstance ingredients such as styrofoam, ground-up plastic, and sodium pentobarbital (to name a few from the list). I just don't think that's logical, such that I've personally known dozens of cats & dogs that for years have been given pet-food supposedly containing euthanasia solution, and they haven't dropped dead suddenly or even in the long-term. (a couple have been hit by cars though-- very sad.) I'm not saying that pentobarbital is a cornerstone of a pet's diet, but I do dispute the argument that a cat or dog's health is substantially undermined by such potential ingredients in the amounts found in commercial pet food. Even the data on page 50 is inconclusive-- the correlation between the dogs' health and the duration of their vegan/vegetarian diet isn't very convincing when you take a close look. (not to mention that the sample size of the lifelong vegetarian dogs is rather small (12)). There are so many things out there that just aren't "naturel", and quite harmful to all animal species. For humans I can think of a few: 1) Sun exposure, which is inherently damaging to our skin. (Yet, at the same time our skin uses sunshine to synthesize vitamin D.) 2) Apple juice, derived from crushed apples. The appleseeds therein contain small amounts of cyanide. 3) Alcohol - toxic to the human body, but the data show that a glass of wine a day has significant health benefits. 4) Car exhaust - As a car-free individual, I'm inhaling significant quantities of this stuff, emitted from fellow vegans as I pedal next to their vehicles- exhaust containing poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, benzene, sulfur dioxide, etc. - which affect not only my health, but the health of animals in the surrounding area. But I deem this respiratory intake worth it, in light of the daily exercise. ....not to mention the whole arena of bacteria and viruses which our bodies are constantly battling against. And I think we're evolved to deal with such un-natural components of life- ie. cats, dogs, humans alike have livers, kidneys, immune systems to rid their bodies of the aforementioned toxins and microbial invaders. The effectiveness of such systems can't be dismissed. (I'm sure the 'hard drinking vegan' author notices the efficacy of his liver in metabolizing ingested alcohol). I do think that this is an educational book, and I recommend it, but I think this particular chapter, "It ain't naturel" --along with the brief chapter, "Eating cancer"- are strongly biased in that they strive for conclusions that aren't adequately based in science.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for cat-loving vegans!
Review: Remember when you first learned that people can live without eating meat? It was radical thinking at first because, after all, vegetarianism turns upside down all the rules we learned through childhood about health. It rearranges facts that we've held so dear throughout the years: that meat is good for us; that it's necessary for good health; that we're, by nature, obligated to eating it. For many people, reading John Robbins' Diet For a New America was a turning point - the book that flicked the switch in thousands of people's brains. We don't need meat! Suddenly a radical concept became normal. They vowed to stop eating animal products because the information Robbins presents is undeniable and inspirational. It simply made sense. Jed Gillen is the John Robbins of the pet food industry. His book, Obligate Carnivore, exposes vegan guilt, vegan hypocrisy - that we are so firm about avoiding animal products, but we (gasp!) buy them for our companion animals. The book offers up evidence that cats can live healthy, happy lives without meat products with a little help from supplemental taurine. It doesn't focus on dogs because dogs don't require taurine for health, stripping them from the "obligate carnivore" label. One of the many insights Gillen has is the leather shoe commentary. If you've ever been to an animal rights protest, you've probably had someone yell out to you, "Your shoes are made of leather, though!" Well, no, actually, they're synthetic. So there! Where they would really trump us is if they yelled out, "You feed your cat meat, though!" Hmmm. You got me there. Obligate Carnivore is a good laugh, considering it's riddled with very serious considerations about cat health and the downer topic of farm animal abuse. Once I got accustomed to his humor (it took a few pages), I found Jed upbeat, fun, and bold. Chapter titles include "I Was a Vegetarian Idiot" and "Gwagwagwe." This last one had me laughing out loud for at least five minutes. That's a long time laughing; I thought I wasn't going to stop. A smile creeps to my face remembering the chapter "The Aching-Ass Equation." Without the humor, Obligate Carnivore would sound to a carnivore cat guardian like an annoying vegetarian to a meateater - a vegetarian who spews out facts that the meateater just isn't open to hearing. Even if you're unwilling to change your cat's diet, the perspective in this book is absolutely imperative to examine if you don't eat meat for ethical reasons. Vegetarians pride themselves in being committed to exploring the truth of health, environment and animal welfare issues. Therefore, if evidence suggests (and healthy cats prove) that vegan diets work, the obligation is to take a look. "You're not feeding your cats and dog meat? You're crazy!" Ah, but I'm not. I'm just vegan. --Reviewed by Caity McCardell
Rating: 
Summary: great book and great argument
Review: This is not just a book about how you should make your cats vegan, it also presents and explains in a easily understood matter what so many people just don't understand; why and what it means to be vegan.
I was a little skeptical after reading the back cover-
How could a vegan even consider "putting down", i.e. killing, an innocent cat just so he didn't have to feel guilt about supporting the meat industry? Of course he didn't pick this option, but still it is strange why some vegetarians would rather directly kill an animal then buy or bite into one.
What makes this book great is the completely and totally logical argument presented. The facts and explanations are simply undeniable. There are some hypocritical parts, but nothing like would you would expect from a book on such a controversial topic. They are the following:
1. As is important in a book telling why cat's should not be fed meat, Jed explains why just because it's not "natural" does not mean it's not okay. He also explains how people should drink milk because no other animal does outside of infancy, so its... not... natural... Is there a little inconsistency here?
2. To explain why the human and not the cat is responsible for protecting animals, Jed tells how eating meat out of the garbage is not supporting the meat industry because you did not buy the meat. This is absolutely logical. He then goes on to explain how the meat fed to our cats is the non-edible "leavings" of the meat industry, the scraps of sick animals and hooves and beaks that would otherwise be thrown away due to being not fit for human consumption. This is sad, but also completely true. So if it would be thrown away, isn't it just like feeding our cats out of the dumpster, thereby making us not responsible for the animals killed? That said, who wants to feed their cat random and unhealthy body parts out of the dumpster?
So though the admittance that vegan cats may suffer, no matter how slightly, in the chapter explaining why an "aching ass" is not a big price to pay for the lives of cruelty and suffering millions of farm animals face, has turned me off from the otherwise acceptable diet, the book certainly gives reason to not feed cats on the commercial varieties of cat food available today.
I am now convinced to start my own brand of cat food made up of small reptiles and lizards that are healthy and what cats would eat given a choice. Look for it on the market after reading this book.
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