Many congrats to you, Jenna!  Wonderful suggestion that I'm sure all with appreciate!

congratulations, Jenna! that's a generous suggestion!

A Huge Congrats to Jenna....

Great words AND acts! Keep up the good work, sistah-girl. And, as always, to Alicia for her precious site. I didn't NEED it as I was already VEGAN, but so, so many Do Need this! I love the site & peruse it regularly! Lotta cool kind-lifers out there. And don't let those who Don't Appreciate you getcha down! We are your alternate/parallel Family!

And Again, congrats to us all....day-after-week-after month-after year!

Congrats Jenna! 

That's a great idea to have a 'furkids' tab!!  =)

I always wondered about pets! I have two cats and we feed them organic, healthy food, but I too felt bad about it because I know what goes into their food. Because they are carniverous in the wild though, would this be good for them?

~Shannon at www.whoamanaroundtown.blogspot.com

yes! congratulations to jenna!

this is almost exactly what my submission requested!  i can't wait to read the upcoming posts!  

my dog, gwendolyn, saved my life, so i spend everyday giving her a fabulous one, consisting of love, grand nutrition, and adventure!  :)

- nicole at www.nicoleandgwendolyn.com  

Hi Shannon...I agree with you when asking the question if feeding your animal a vegan diet is wise if in the wild they are carniverous. I hope someone has a great answer to share!

Hi Shannon,  we have 4 rescue veg cats and feed them Evolution Diet cat food.  It is AFCO certified.  The creator of the food, Dr. Eric Weisman, whom I have met (the man's a genius), is convinced that domestic cats will live longer lives on this diet.  His website is petfoodshop.com.  I was concerned at first too, but I have to recommend the book that convinced me to go kitty veg called "Obligate Carnivore" available on Amazon which has a lot about kitty nutition in it and explains how the pet food we feed them in bags is not anywhere near close to a natural diet for them anyway.  It also explains how the taurine is lost when it is heated and so pet food manufacturers have to add in synthetic taurine anyway.  They really like Ami too which is veg from Europe but a little pricier. Our kind kitties have been veg for 4 years (with the occasional natural catch of their own) now and are super healthy and happy  :)

We switched to plant based dog food a few months ago - the fact that animals were being killed to feed my dog fell under the radar - when I realized what I was contributing to, we switched immediately.

Congrats Jenna - good request!

http://elizabethskindcafe.com/blog/item/285-vegan-dog-food

Hi,

My friends, Dave and Linda Middlesworth have a company called V-Dog.  They make vegan dog food.  They feed it to their own two rescued pit bulls, who love it.  You can read about it on their website at http://v-dogfood.com/.

Emily :)

I understand the desire to have a completely "kind" household, but some animals are designed to eat meat. Cats can become ill very, very quickly if deprived the amino acids found in meat.  If their natural health requirements bother you, you should have herbivores for pets rather than impose an ethos on carnivorous ones.  With careful planning, dogs CAN do well on a vegan diet (I feed my dogs an omnivorous diet), but cats are really supposed to eat meat.  Anyone who wants to change their pet's diet, that's fine, but rather than asking people on message boards, do please speak with your veterinarian.  It is our responsibility to do the BEST we can for the animals in our care, regardless of how that gels with our personal desires.

Jaysus! That won!?? Right. I suppose animals are what this thing is all about so well done jenna! I would say if your gonna dedicate a whole section of your site to this....also consider running articles on wildlife and fur farms....just a thought. Our pets are lucky, for the most part, that we can chat about what their vegan diet may consist of next week....but we really must keep an eye on the dangers lurking for our local wildlife and wildlife around the world being destroyed for either food, skin or animal parts. This section might also include what impact changes in the environment can do to these animals also.

Hi Everyone,

I have been a long time follower but this is the first time I have felt that I have an obligation to post a comment!  I am a long time vegan and a veterinarian.  Erin is right when she says cats can become very ill and can die very quickly if they are put on vegetarian or vegan diet.  Often times owners can't even recognize signs before it is too late.  There is some research out there that suggests this is not the case, but if you look closely the research is truley flawed.  It has long been known and proven countless times that cats NEED a carniverous diet.  The best thing to do is to find a diet that is carniverous but with a reputable company that follows humane practices.  I completely understand not wanting to feed your cats meat, I don't want to either, but I love my cats very much and want them to lead long healthy lives.  Please consult a veterinarian with your concerns about diet, this is a topic where you don't want to rely on word of mouth or current trends.  The bottom line is- cats need meat in their diet, so do the best you can to find a humane brand and continue to live the rest of your Kind Life with your pets by your side!  And please talk to your veterinarian!   

I offer this from American Scientific,

"The vegetarian pet debate is a contentious one among vegetarian pet owners and veterinarians and is one not likely to go away anytime soon. The best approach may well be to give some of the non-meat supplements and/or foods a try. If your cat won’t eat them, or does not do well on them—take kitty to a veterinarian for a check-up to see—you can always go back to what you were feeding her before."

I am particualrly interested in the physiology of doemstic cats vs. wild cats.  I had cats growing up, we fed them regular kibble, but some of our cats loved plant foods too, like grapes! I always thought it was funny.

Abby,

Grapes and raisins are toxic to cats and dogs.  We don't understand the mechanism completely, because some animals do not suffer adverse effects but some animals go into kidney failure from eating just 1 grape.  So, we highly discourage feeding grapes and raisins to pets because we don't know if they will suffer horrible consequences.  There is a lot of research online you can look at!