Cats need meat, but dogs don’t

As you probably know, cats are carnivore animals, which means that they need to eat meat to improve their metabolism. Dogs are omnivores, so they can live as vegetarians their whole life, without developing certain health problems. Cats need an amino acid that can’t be produced by their body, so it must be supplemented with meat.

“A few of those essential amino acids are only available in meat proteins—the two most necessary are taurine and arginine,” says Dr. Jeff Werber, a Los Angeles-based veterinarian and contributor to CBS’ “The Early Show” and “Sunday Morning.” “Taurine is necessary for eye health and healthy skin, and very important for heart health.”

“Without it, ammonia build up can’t be neutralized, so it will become toxic to the cat,” says Werber. “Cats need a meat/fish diet to get their protein from animal sources [and] get these essential amino acids.”