Can pets be vegetarian?

I’ve been vegetarian for 7. 5 years—from right around the same time as when I started this web site, then a magazine, first known as Yoga in the Rockies.

I adopted a mutt a few years back, and had a brief moment when I first rescued him when I contemplated the oddness of buying meat for the first time in forever. “Oh, well, I’m not gonna impose my diet and health and morality on my pooch. Dogs loooove meat,” I thought to myself. And so while there are great veggie and vegan dog foods out there that I buy from time to time, I feed him a little wet food every night. Buffalo, chicken, duck, salmon. And bones from the Farmers’ Market, left over from the “production” of beef.

And yes, he looooves it all.

But Red also loves the veggie wet food, and the vegan treats. And so I think, from time to time—could he go veggie? Would it be bad for his health in some way? I’d love to know.

As for cats, I’ve heard tell that they must eat meat, so that would seem to be a simpler question, if true.

PS: what are your favorite veggie and vegan pet foods and treats?

Just thought to look to youtube: