• infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net
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      2 days ago

      They need an appropriate array of vitamins, nutrients, and calories to stay alive. The way they do this naturally is to eat meat, but it’s not the meat specifically that they need.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        They require meat proteins to live, plain and simple.

        It’s even law in some countries that classifies feeding cats a purely vegan diet is animal cruelty.

        • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net
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          2 days ago

          meat proteins

          Proteins are chains of amino acids. There are probably proteins specific to animal muscle, but misguided legislation notwithstanding it’s the amino acids that are nutritionally required, not any specific protein configuration of those animos, and you can get those from a massive array of non-animal sources.

          • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net
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            2 days ago

            Taurine and arginine are amino acids, building blocks for proteins, not proteins themselves. Animo acids are quite ubiquitous across life, not specific to any one type of life. eg Plants contain both taurine and arginine.

            • merde alors
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              1 day ago

              thanks for the additional information

              i remember reading that plants can’t supply enough taurin. Luckily it seems easy to synthesize (that’s how we have redbull &c