I have to say that I am the proud human companion of nine dogs, six cats and three horses! I don't say owner because actually they own me. Their wish is my command on most days. I often say that my house is nothing more then a $300,000 dog/cat house and I'm just the caretaker who lives there. I used to allow my horses to roam freely in the yard until they figured out how to open the door and come in! For real! Hooves are hard on hardwood floors, ya know? But as far as the meat issue with the dogs and cats, I've heard that dogs can be healthy on a vegetarian diet. They eat dry food which is made from cereals and grains. But cats have to have meat in their diets, at least a little, so they get some canned meat food along with their dry food. Some of the cats don't care for the canned and that's OK. But the one that doesn't seems to like to kill birds/rodents and consume them so that is probably where he gets his animal protein. If any of you have ever had a cat that "kills", you know that it is very difficult to stop them from this, and I've tried, but since the majority of my guys are rescues and strays, some of their "habits" are long set in place. I've tried the bell on the collar thing and he just rips it off! LOL! So I try to keep the three "outdoor" cats inside until at least ten in the morning. The other cats are all indoor and never request to go out. Just like people, every one is different. So meat to the cats and veggies to the dogs! Now, if I could just get my horses off of their daily sugar fix! Cheers, L