More and more Americans seem to have been embracing, or at least trying, a vegan diet, and it seems some folks are even interested in forcing their pets to do the same.

A new survey finds that 35% of dog and cat owners would consider adopting a vegan diet for their pets, with 27% of vegan owners already putting their animals on a vegan diet. Some folks are interested in having their pets go vegan, but are wary at the moment, with 55% saying they would need certain assurances first, like approval from their vet, or guarantees their animals will be getting the nutrition they need.

So, is it okay for animals to go vegan? Well, the author of the study suggests more research on the nutritional benefits and consequences of a vegan diet on animals needs to be done before we can know whether it’s okay to stop feeding pets meat products.

They note that dogs don’t have a problem eating a variety of foods so there’s no reason to think they won’t be okay going vegan, as long as their diets are well-balanced. Cats are another story though, since hey rely on specific nutrients found mostly in meat. The author notes that while there are vegan cat foods that say they contain these nutrients, since they are relatively new, there’s no way of knowing how they will affect a cat in the long term.

Source: The Insider