Can I make my cat a vegetarian?

• Position: THE ETHICIST - Brief article

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I believe in having compassion for all living things, so I don't eat meat. If it won't harm my cat's health, is it ethical to feed him only vegetarian food, depriving him of the meat he'd probably choose for himself?

Annalisa Lazzaro, New York

FISH HAVE TO SWIM, birds have to fly, and you have to provide your cat with a healthy diet, even if that means letting a carnivore be a carnivore.

If your cat's needs can be met with vegetarian food, however, go for it: A veterinarian can fill you in on feline-nutrition options. Your cat, as you point out, won't have a say in the matter (except by refusing to eat the Soy Chow), but neither does he have a choice about many other things, like whether or not he'll be vaccinated.

As to what he would do...