Wild Earth Launches Nutritionally Complete Vegan Wet Cat Food

Plant-based “pet” food brand Wild Earth recently announced “Unicorn Pate,” its first nutritionally complete vegan wet cat food.

Unicorn Pate combines lentils, potatoes, peas, carrots, marine microalgae, and cranberries, and is fortified with all of the vitamins and minerals that cats need. It exceeds the nutritional standards dictated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

While cats are obligate carnivores, Wild Earth’s vegan cat food notably includes the essential amino acid taurine, which is vital for feline health and historically only found in animal-derived proteins. Even meat-based cat food is fortified with additional taurine.

“Our team is incredibly proud to launch a new category leader that we hope will catalyze change in the entire Pet Food industry,” said Wild Earth CEO Ryan Bethencourt. “Nutritionally complete Vegan Cat food has been a long time coming and we’re very thankful to be able to launch a whole new category of products.”

Wild Earth has been making plant-based food for companion animals since 2017, and appeared on SharkTank in 2019 where the company secured investment from Mark Cuban. In 2021, the company closed a significant USD $23 million funding round.

Nutritionally sound vegan food ‘may be healthier overall’ for cats

Photo shows a computer generated image including a cat with a tin of Wild Earth's "Unicorn Pate" above its head against a space backdrop of planets — Wild Earth Studies indicate that a nutritionally complete vegan food may be beneficial for cats

In a blog post, Wild Earth described the existing pet food category as “outdated,” and said that its new vegan cat food product marks another step towards cruelty-free and sustainable food “for all.” The brand also noted that a growing body of data supports plant-based diets for cats, with several particularly notable positive health outcomes.

For example, a study published in the journal Plos One last year found a 14.9 percent medication reduction, a 54.7 percent reduction in progression onto therapeutic diets, a 22.8 percent reduction in severe illness, and a 7.3 reduction in veterinary visits in plant-based cats who were fed appropriate nutrients.

Emphasizing the importance of nutritional completeness in any companion animal’s diet, lead study author Andrew Knight wrote: “The pooled evidence to date from our study, and from others in this field, indicate that cats fed nutritionally sound vegan diets may be healthier overall, than those fed meat-based diets.”