Cat refuses meat for veggie diet

TASBURGH, England, April 13 (UPI) -- A British woman said a cat she rescued from an alleyway two years ago may be the world's first vegetarian cat.

Becky Page, 21, of Tasburgh, England, said the cat, Dante, refused the bowls of chicken and fish that she put out after bringing him home but he was enticed to eat by a plate of leftover vegetables, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

Page said the cat has continued to refuse tinned cat food and has subsided on a diet of fruits and vegetables that she grows herself.

"Since he had that first plate of veg, he won't go near anything fatty and prefers the things I grow in the garden," she said.

Multiple cat experts said they had never heard of a feline refusing meat for a vegetarian diet.

"This is extremely rare, I have never before heard of a cat that will not eat meat," said Maggie Roberts, director of veterinary services for the Cats Protection charity. "We advise that cats be fed a complete cat food, which provides all of the necessary nutrients in the right balance."