Feeding Animals or Feeding Beliefs? The Dangerous Divide Between Biology and Ideology in Pet Nutrition

By Tristan Harris, Animal Nutritionist, MADRA

In today’s world, the conversation around animal wellness, especially nutrition, has become deeply confused. What used to be a matter of biological fact has now been hijacked by emotional rhetoric, commercial marketing, and human ideological projection. I’ve had enough conversations, read enough comments, and witnessed enough misguided advice to say with confidence: We have lost touch with what it means to truly care for the animals in our homes.

There’s a growing movement of people pushing veganism onto dogs and even cats. They claim pets can “live long lives” on vegan kibble, that synthetic nutrients are “just as good,” and that feeding animals meat is somehow unethical or even “murder.” And worst of all, they package this as compassionate, modern, and scientific.

Let’s be very clear: This is not science. It is ideology. It is not compassion. It is control. It is not evolution. It is marketing.

Biology Is Not a Belief System

Let’s start at the root of the issue: dogs and cats are carnivores. Not because I say so. Not because it’s tradition. But because that is what millions of years of evolution have shaped them to be.

Dogs, while more flexible than cats, are still scavenger carnivores. Their bodies are designed to thrive on whole prey: meat, organs, connective tissue, and bone. Cats, on the other hand, are true obligate carnivores. Every part of their digestive system, nutrient metabolism, and natural feeding behaviour is built around the exclusive use of animal tissue. They do not produce salivary amylase, and they cannot convert plant precursors into the active forms of nutrients like retinol and arachidonic acid. They also cannot synthesise taurine at all, meaning all three nutrients must come directly from animal sources.

And yet, today in the name of "ethics," we have people proudly feeding cats vegan kibble, and justifying it with the claim that they’ve “lived long lives.”

Survival is not a benchmark for wellness. I can survive on McDonald’s. I can metabolise ethanol. That doesn’t mean I’m thriving. A dog can survive eating feces. That doesn’t mean we should call it a balanced diet.

The Rise of Ideology Over Biology

There is an uncomfortable truth we must face: the growing vegan-for-pets movement is not rooted in biology, but in human moral ideology. People take their ethical beliefs and project them onto animals, forcing carnivores into herbivorous feeding systems that require total synthetic reinforcement just to be “complete.”

Let me say that again: If your pet’s diet only “works” because you’re adding a long list of lab-made supplements, then it doesn’t work.

People will say, “Well, commercial kibble is full of synthetic nutrients too.” Yes, and that’s not a defense of vegan kibble. That’s proof that processing already strips real food of value, and even meat-based kibble needs help to try and replace what’s lost. But the foundation of that food still begins with animal protein and fat.

With vegan kibble, the entire foundation is wrong. You are building a diet for a carnivore out of plants and additives, then calling it "ethical." But what is ethical about feeding an animal in a way that contradicts its biology?

Domestication Doesn’t Erase Design

Another popular myth is that domestication has fundamentally changed our pets’ dietary needs.

Take cats. Some people claim they aren’t obligate carnivores anymore because they’re domesticated. This is false, and dangerously so. Domestic cats are nearly genetically identical to their wild ancestors. The reason they thrive in feral populations around the world, including in places like Australia, is precisely because their biology has not changed. They are still hunters. Still obligate carnivores. Still finely tuned to chase, kill, and consume animal prey.

Domestication didn’t rewrite their DNA. It didn’t gift them the ability to synthesize taurine or produce amylase. It didn’t change their stomach acid, their dentition, or their need to rip and tear. It simply made them comfortable living near us. Their digestive needs, metabolic pathways, and natural instincts remain intact.

And the same goes for dogs. While dogs are more adaptable than cats, domestication hasn’t turned them into herbivores. They remain scavenger carnivores, built to eat meat, organs, fat, and bone. Their teeth, jaws, digestive systems, and metabolism are all the product of millions of years of evolution as hunters and scavengers. Domestication didn’t erase their biological blueprint—it just made them willing to live alongside us.

The False Authority of Influencers and Industry

I’ve seen it so many times. A content creator with a slick voice, a degree, and a product to sell. They speak with confidence, positioning themselves as experts. But their authority only points in one direction: the one that benefits their brand.

It’s no different from the pet food industry’s playbook. Manufacture confusion, twist science, and sell the solution. If they can make you question your instincts and biology itself, they’ve already won.

It drives me mad watching this ideology flood people’s feeds, presented as enlightened, progressive care. But when you strip it all back, it’s just another business selling a belief system.

What True Animal Wellness Looks Like

Animal wellness is not about how long we can keep them alive while feeding them food they were never designed to eat. It’s about how fully and naturally we can support their biology while they live.

True nutrition means: Feeding animals in a way that honours their species-specific needs Offering bones not just for minerals, but for exercise, mental enrichment, and dental health Understanding that digestion, immunity, and behaviour are all deeply connected to diet. Recognising that nutrition is more than a list of nutrients. It’s the whole context of how the body receives, processes, and thrives on food.

Bones are not “extras” for dogs and cats. They are essential. So are organs, muscle meat, and the act of eating in a natural, unprocessed way. This is what we should be striving for, not replacing biology with ideology and calling it ethical.

Think Long and Hard Before You Hand Over Your Animal’s Health to a Trend

If someone tells you that your carnivorous animal doesn’t need meat anymore If someone tries to convince you that synthetic additives are just as good as whole prey If someone claims that your pet's biology is wrong because it doesn’t align with their beliefs.

Stop. Think long and hard. Ask yourself: Who benefits from this message? And who suffers if I follow it?

Because it won’t be the influencer. It won’t be the kibble company. It will be your pet.

Final Thoughts: This Is About Respect

This isn’t about bashing vegans. This isn’t about politics. This is about respecting the animals in our care.

Cats and dogs are not blank slates. They are not humans in fur coats. They are not spiritual extensions of our moral beliefs.

They are animals with instincts, physiology, and evolutionary blueprints that deserve to be honoured, not overwritten.

Feed them the way nature intended. From head to tail. With real food, real bones, and real understanding.

Anything else is not compassion. It’s convenience wrapped in ideology.

And our animals deserve better than that.