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How Many Plants Can My (obligate) Carnivore Eat?

Updated: 6 days ago

Last updated: July 4, 2025

This is probably going to be our shortest article: none. Well, for full transparency, "none" is equivalent to a parent's response of "because I said so", or "you'll understand when you're older"- it would be a lot easier to just accept obligate carnivores shouldn't eat any vegetables. In fact, after getting the information, you're most likely going to come to the same conclusion as "none", anyway. However, for the curious and rebellious ones out there who thrive for answers (like us), continue reading for a detailed response.

(images from Google)

If obligate carnivores (like cats) derive all nutritional requirements from meat, why are there so many vegetables in pet food? Is it safe, especially when you find some foods who list sweet potato and rice as some of the first ingredients. How can one obligate carnivore, like a betta fish, eat fillers and grain in processed fish flakes, when another, like a ball python, live solely off rodents?

Why Are Vegetables in Pet Food?

First, let's define what "pet food" is. According to the San Diego Humane Society President, Dr. Gary Weitzman (2019), commercial pet food include "dry food, raw food, commercial fresh, semi-moist,... [and] wet food". Each has its own formulation, shelf life, and suitability for carnivorous animals.

The Challenges of Feeding Obligate Carnivores
Dry Food

Dry food is the most common option and has the longest shelf life because it contains high levels of grains, carbohydrates, and other vegetables. Realistically, dry food isn't the best option for obligate carnivores, who have short digestive tracts unsuited for breaking down complex plant carbohydrates efficiently (Weitzman, 2019). In our "What are Grains and What Does that Mean for my Dog?" article, we discuss how dogs can digest grains because they can process amylase. By comparison, obligate carnivores can't; they have shorter digestive tracts- essentially just a small and large intestine- which disallows room to properly break down complex plant sugars.

While obligate carnivores can break down some nutrients from plants (Weitzman, 2019), they cannot do so as efficiently as facultative carnivores. Beyond the dilemma over appropriate ingredients, dry food also doesn't provide variety. The cooking process makes each individual kibble identical to the other, which can discourage picky eaters who prefer varied textures. Take, for example, the ball python mentioned above. A rat offers protein not only with meat, but also via any food being digested in its stomach, including seeds and grain. The rat's fur and bones also aids in digestion by offering fiber and texture, amongst other nutrients.

Tips for making veggies carnivore-safe!
Tips for making veggies carnivore-safe!

While cooked grain may not provide a lot of nutritional value, there are some benefits to it being in carnivorous diet. Like with rat fur, plant matter aids in digestion and can provide laxative effects. Cooked grains can even offer some usable protein. For example, Wysong (2025) describes how they use the taboo ingredient soy, in their formulas. To obtain nutrients from the legume, they carefully control the heat during the cooking process to neutralize anti-nutritional factors while preserving protein integrity (Wysong, 2025). This demonstrates that while carnivores cannot digest raw vegetables well, some plant nutrients become available when processed.

However, that isn't to say that obligate carnivores can live solely off of safely extracted vegetables, because they absolutely cannot. Due to all the plant sugar their bodies aren't designed to digest, a diet full of vegetables and grain can lead to diabetes, especially if you're not working with a nutritionist. They would likely be too malnourished before they reached that disease anyway.

Vegetarianism/Veganism

"Plants simply don't have high enough levels of high-quality, highly digestible protein to meet a cat's dietary requirements" - (ASPCA, 2018)

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, 2018), cats (and all obligate carnivores) cannot be vegan due to their high protein requirement. Furthermore, these animals are physiologically designed to eat meat— from their short GI tracts to their preferences for umami tastes— and many will refuse plant-based foods altogether.

Vegan diets would need to also be supplemented; there are vitamins crucial for carnivores that aren't found in plants, namely taurine, vitamin b12, and creatine (Arnarsan, 2023). This also isn't taking into consideration those animals with specialized diets; how much more supplements would kittens need compared to adults? What about highly active individuals who require more calories to support muscle growth? What about overweight and obese individuals that require calorie deficiencies? How easy is it supplement vegetables in all types of carnivore diets? (Difficult. The answer is, it'd be very difficult.)

Raw Food

Raw diets appeal to pet owners seeking natural, minimally processed meals rich in protein, moisture, and texture. However, while raw food diets are the most "natural" (and this is in quotations because domesticated pets are more adapted to eating prepared food over raw) they're extremely risky. They require precise ratios of muscle, fat, organs, bones, and supplements (Purina, 2025). For example, cats need dietary vitamin A, which they cannot synthesize, but overfeeding liver can lead to toxicity.


Additionally, raw feeding poses infection risks. A 2012 study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that "nearly 25% of sampled raw pet food products tested positive for [life-threatening] pathogens...including Salmonella and Listeria" (Hunter & Downing, 2025).


Even if your pet's stomach acid can kill these bacteria, feeding raw still puts the entire household at risk. Cross contamination occurs whenever raw meat touches a surface that isn't sanitized afterwards. This can happen by handling the meat directly (washing, touching, cutting, etc.), not disposing of the meat wrapping properly, even from your pet eating and then kissing you afterwards; it is very easy for bacteria to spread and infect.

Because of these risks, many veterinarians do not recommend raw diets unless owners work closely with trained animal nutritionists.

Commercial Fresh Foods

Commercial fresh foods are the foods that may look like "fancier" wet food; they're chunkier, have fewer preservatives, and often contain human-grade ingredients (Sprankle, 2020). Generally, they also have higher meat content and lower vegetable fillers, making them appealing to carnivorous pets.


Pictures of common commercial-fresh foods on the market (images from Google)

However, these diets also have drawbacks. Their high moisture content and minimal preservatives make them more prone to mold. Their short shelf lives and sometimes limited availability (for example, subscription models like 'Spot and Tango') can pose logistical challenges, such as not being able to immediately replace it from a store. Additionally, the fresher ingredients often make them more expensive. Even if you had the money and were able to feed a mostly commercial fresh diet, there's not a wide variety of options that aren't catered to dogs, anyway.

Wet Food

For nutrition, cost, availability, and biological appeal, wet food is the best choice (for most cats, at least). It also has the highest moisture content out of dry, raw, and commercial-fresh diets, helping mitigate underhydration (a very common ailment for cats). In fact, many veterinarians emphasize that wet food is preferable for cats because these diets provide necessary water and generally has lower carbohydrate content, helping prevent obesity (Weitzman, 2019).

Conclusion

While obligate carnivores have digestive systems that are better adapted to extracting nutrients from meat, small quantities of properly processed plant matter can offer some benefits. However, owners should exercise caution, especially with raw diets, and consult veterinaries before making significant dietary changes. Wet food often strikes the best balance of nutrition, hydration, safety, and convenience.

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