Blergh

[lizbee]

I went to the doctor about mah belleh. She agreed that it was very likely lactose intolerance, but I'm also being tested for coeliac and other allergies, and vitamin deficiencies, and some other stuff.

In the meantime, she prescribed an OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE prescription antacid ($35!!!), so it was nice knowing my budget while it lasted (also expensive - cleaners for the old flat).

"This stuff is great," said the pharmacist as I handed over an absurd and unreasonable sum. "There are no side effects."

Later, I opened the packet and read the little information booklet inside. "Possible side effects include nausea, headache, tiredness, etc." So, nothing I'd actually notice as being out of the ordinary.

Later, on an increasingly desperate search for a vegan veggie roast to serve guests tonight, I discovered vegan cat food. Which is possibly the single worst thing I've seen all day, since a good percentage of it had been manufactured in a laboratory, and it seems rather unfair to take an animal with no choice in the matter, and force it to eat unnatural food. I did google around when I got home, in case my initial reaction was merely the result of prejudice, but everything I found was either vegan petfood sites, or forum posts that basically went, "I fed my cat on a vegan diet, but it got sick, so now we're back on meat until it recovers enough for further experimentation."

Granted, Harvey likes to dine on human flesh, so attempting to introduce him to veganism would essentially be a suicide attempt on our parts, and possibly my self-preservation instinct is what drives my instinctual revulsion. But, um, no.

Comments

[rivendellrose]

Yeeeeeahhhhhh. FWIW, I'm with you on the "wtf no" reaction to vegan cat food. Cats, unlike dogs, are not omnivores - their bodies aren't built to cope with veggie-based food. If you find one that's super-high protein, it's possible it could work out, but... eh, I just wouldn't trust it. Especially not with a cat given to nibbling on people. ;)

[lizbee]

That's exactly how I feel. Cats have very, very complex dietary needs, and (judging by some of the forum posts I read) even the top brand of vegan cat food can send the poor animal to the vet.

Harvey loves some vegetables almost as much as he loves my fleshy bits, but they're just stomach-filling for him, with no nutrient value.

[violetisblue]

Dear magical-thinking cat owners: What part of OBLIGATE carnivore do you not understand?

[geek_anachronism]

Where I used to live there was a woman who had put her giant rottweiler/staffy cross on a vegetarian diet. He had killed and eaten three small dogs before people finally got local Council involved.

(for vegan stuff, 1/4 cup of applesauce can replace an egg)

[j00j]

The most hardcore vegans I *know* feed their cats meat. You know why? Because cats are carnivorous! Rly, for srs.

[purple_smurf]

My family's usual response to a roast involving myself and my brother (me: no red meat, H: NO MEAT EVER) is to just give us LOTS of roast veggies. Which I don't mind at all.

But vegan cat food: yeah, just no. (Harvey actually sounds remarkably like our cat Sooty, who was a farm cat killing machine and would eat full-grown rabbits on our doorstep, no matter how much food we'd give him. There's a reason Jasper is strictly indoors-only.)

[fannishnonsense]

Vegan cat food is just a really terrible idea. If you're not comfortable giving your pet/companion animal meat then you should GET A DIFFERENT ANIMAL! Seriously, how hard is it to have a rabbit (or whatever) instead?

[cyprinella]

I think vegan catfood is f'ing cruelty to animals and if people can't deal with the fact that their pet is an obligate carnivore, they should get a bunny or something. I can even recommend some very interesting and/or pretty fish that are primarily herbivores.

[lilacsigil]

$33-35 is pretty standard for prescription antacids, sadly! They're good for protecting your oesophagus, though. Everyone likes a healthy oesophagus!

[rivendellrose]

they're just stomach-filling for him, with no nutrient value.

Yup. We mix plain canned pumpkin with our cats' wet food since... well, frankly, the boys are a bit tubby and always hungry, and wet food gets expensive, and pumpkin does them no ill, fills out their food a bit, and (so I hear) can help with hairballs and such, to boot. Seems to work.

[krazykitkat]

What antacid?

Agree with vegan catfood is cruel.

[onomatopoetry]

Seriously. Our vet even advised us against try food, as it apparently contains more carbs than a kitty tummy can handle (which means she'll be angry with us next time we go, because Littlest Cat gets those carbs by stealing bread, bagels and cookies instead.)

[isilya]

Surfing in from friends-friends. If the antacid is actually a proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole aka Losec, Nexium, Somac) you can ask to take generic omeprazole instead -- it's $18 for 30 x 20mg and does exactly the same thing.

[isilya]

That's because the PBS caps the price of drugs at $33.30 (despite some drugs costing much more to the government, such as Nexium at over $50 per script).

[lilacsigil]

Not all PBS drugs are capped at $33.30, though - there's brand premiums and therapeutic premiums, too, which might have taken it up to $35 instead of $33.30. (Some antidepressants have truly ridiculous brand premiums, considering that's one of the few drugs when more than the occasional person is affected by a brand change.)

[selvage]

erk, I hope your belleh improves with the outrageously expensive antacids. D:

[lizbee]

No, I did pay $33.30, I just rounded it up to save remembering all those extra digits. IT STILL SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY TO ME, even though now I feel like a chump for bitching when it was as cheap as it could go.

I am, however, pissed off that the pharmacist didn't offer a generic, but that particular pharmacy never does.

[lilacsigil]

Depending what it is, and whether it's off patent yet, there might not be a generic, and depending on your pharmacy it might not be as cheap as $18!

[yiduiqie]

was there vegan roast success? i can swing out and pick one up before i go to yours if you need.

[indeed]

There was! Radical Grocery answered our vegan payers, though in a slightly expensive manner. The IGA and the Woolies in Brunswick were both out of it :(

I have never tried this brand before, so I hope it's tasty!

[lizbee]

We got TWO! But thank you.

[yiduiqie]

ok cools

i am going to be late, i am frying potatoes still

[marymac]

A family friend tried feeding her stable cat a vegetarian diet.
Cat took to mugging the students and helpers' lunches for sandwiches, Monster Munch and Pot Noodles to the point where she gave up entirely and started feeding her raw meat.

And then one of the horses took to theiving sandwiches instead.

[onomatopoetry]

Obviously I meant "dry food".

[fyrdrakken]

Hope the antacids work well enough to justify the price! And I too am appalled by vegan cat food.

[fallingtowers]

I hear you on the outrageously expensive meds. My health insurance covers most of them, fortunately, but unfortunately not the strong pain-killers I take during my period. Anyway, these are worth every cent, so I hope that your antacids' price is justified as well.

[onomatopoetry]

Ok, so I just read an article the other day (and confirmed with my science editor s/o) that generally, nausea, light fatigue and headaches are listed as side effects on all or most medications? Why? Because people have them randomly all the time, and because of that, the test groups are going to have them, and because the test groups have them, it can't be ruled out, so they have to list them.) http://www.slate.com/id/2257348