{"id":265573,"date":"2025-11-06T13:06:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T13:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/265573\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T13:06:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T13:06:37","slug":"tips-to-minimize-pets-climate-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/265573\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to minimize pets’ climate impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

The whole \u201cpets are family members\u201d idea isn\u2019t just a sweet sentiment. Data<\/a> shows that pet owners are increasingly buying food that resembles their own diets.<\/p>\n

The trend toward refrigerated, \u201cfresh\u201d or even \u201chuman-grade\u201d pet food can come with a price beyond the pet food budget.<\/p>\n

One of the most climate intensive decisions<\/a> we make is whether to own a pet. It\u2019s for the same reason that humans have a big impact: They eat every day<\/a>. And most of them eat meat. The environmental impact of meat includes the land the animal lived on, the food it ate, the waste it generated and other factors.<\/p>\n

Pets have a pretty sizable climate impact. But not all carbon…pawprints…are created equal. So if you\u2019re looking to get a pet, which ones emit the least? And if you\u2019ve already got one, how do you make sure it has the smallest foot (or paw) print? There are some options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else do pets do? We have to feed them. I think that that\u2019s why it\u2019s number one,\u201d said Allison Reser, director of sustainability and innovation at the Pet Sustainability Coalition.<\/p>\n

But just like people, a pet\u2019s impact on the planet can vary greatly depending on their diet.<\/p>\n

Does human-grade mean better?<\/p>\n

The marketing of higher-quality pet food suggests that it\u2019s healthier.<\/p>\n

But there isn\u2019t much evidence to suggest refrigerated, fresh or human-grade food leads to better pet health outcomes, according to Alison Manchester, assistant clinical sciences professor at Cornell University\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of it is playing on marketing and treating pets as members of the family,\u201d said Manchester.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Dog<\/p>\n

Dog food sits on shelves in a pet store in Westfield, Ind., July 19, 2022. (AP Photo\/Michael Conroy, File)<\/p>\n

Dog food sits on shelves in a pet store in Westfield, Ind., July 19, 2022. (AP Photo\/Michael Conroy, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

She said traditional kibble and wet food can also provide a perfectly balanced pet diet, and it often makes use of animal parts that aren\u2019t palatable to humans and otherwise might have been wasted.<\/p>\n

Billy Nicholles, pet food researcher with Bryant Research, said the trend of using human-grade meat in pet food increases its climate impact because pets aren\u2019t just eating animal parts that would have otherwise gone unused.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely can\u2019t dismiss these impacts altogether by just saying these are the offcuts, these are environmentally negligible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reducing your pet\u2019s climate pawprint<\/p>\n

In the U.S., feeding dogs and cats accounts for more than a quarter of the environmental impact from meat consumption. The pollution created from the meat that dogs and cats consume in the U.S. is equivalent to the pollution created from driving 13.6 million cars for a year, according to a UCLA study<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One common and easily-solved problem is giving less food to overweight pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only does (overfeeding) mean that the dog\u2019s going to have a poorer quality of health,\u201d Nicholles said. \u201cIt also means that we\u2019re increasing to those environmental impacts as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Kennel Club said diet makes up the majority of a dog\u2019s weight problem, so fixing it relies mostly on making sure it\u2019s eating the right number of calories (treats included).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Zeus<\/p>\n

Zeus looks out of the car window as his owner picks up pet food at a Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department Drive-Thru Pet Food Bank, June 4, 2020, at Lake Stevens Park in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo\/Wilfredo Lee, File)<\/p>\n

Zeus looks out of the car window as his owner picks up pet food at a Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department Drive-Thru Pet Food Bank, June 4, 2020, at Lake Stevens Park in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo\/Wilfredo Lee, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Protein should make up roughly 18% of an adult dog\u2019s diet and roughly 26% of an adult cat\u2019s diet, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials.<\/p>\n

Manchester said it\u2019s possible for dogs to be healthy on a vegan diet.<\/p>\n

\u201cDogs can get plenty of protein and the right balance of protein without actually ingesting any meat,\u201d Manchester said.<\/p>\n

Cats rely more on animal products. Manchester said she doesn\u2019t know of a balanced, commercially available vegan cat food. That means minimizing their impact comes from choosing less pollutive meat options when possible. Beef is the most pollutive protein. Chicken and fish are lower-impact, and plant-based options pollute the least.<\/p>\n

Manchester also recommends buying pet food instead of making it at home or feeding pets table scraps. She said that there\u2019s \u201ca lot of room for error\u201d with balancing the nutrients in homemade pet food that can lead to nutrient deficiencies, bone or heart problems and other health issues.<\/p>\n

Picking the right brands<\/p>\n

For those looking to avoid human-grade dog food, Reser said to check the label and avoid ingredients that sound appetizing to humans, such as high-quality chicken breast meat. Ingredients such as organ meats or crickets indicate that the protein is coming from byproducts or more sustainable sources. These steps can be done when shopping at grocery stores or large pet supply stores.<\/p>\n

But for those who want to go further, some of the most sustainable brands might cost more, or require more research because they aren\u2019t available in physical stores or on major websites. Some may require a vet\u2019s prescription.<\/p>\n

The brands that focus on sustainability might have labels that show<\/a> they are climate neutral certified, that they\u2019re regenerative organic certified or that they\u2019re a certified B Corp.<\/p>\n

Other things to consider<\/p>\n

Diet isn\u2019t the only factor to consider. The type of pet, its breed and where it came from all affect its impact.<\/p>\n

For example, buying a dog from a breeder creates demand for that breeder to make more dogs. Nicholles said a dog in a shelter already has a \u201cpriced-in\u201d carbon impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are dogs in the world that already exist that need homes, that seems to be a more responsible decision for the planet than going through a breeder,\u201d said Reser.<\/p>\n

Nicholles says, generally, the smaller the pet, the smaller the carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Kashmiri family eats dinner with their pet cats sitting beside them inside in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Feb. 12, 2025 (AP Photo\/Mukhtar Khan, File)<\/p>\n

A Kashmiri family eats dinner with their pet cats sitting beside them inside in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Feb. 12, 2025 (AP Photo\/Mukhtar Khan, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

For some pets, size just doesn\u2019t change much. Most cat breeds fall into a narrow size range. But dogs can vary greatly in size, and thus climate impact. Smaller dogs not only eat less, but create less waste and use crates and other accessories that require less material to make.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt matters a lot, for the slightly obvious reason that a larger dog is going to be eating many, many more calories,\u201d said Nicholles.<\/p>\n

Reser said accessories that come from regenerative, durable or recyclable materials can often have a lower impact and need less frequent replacement.<\/p>\n

Or, for a cat like Reser\u2019s that gets bored of toys quickly, try a completely different tact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make her toys out of trash, honestly,\u201d she said. \u201cLike a piece of newspaper or a receipt, she loves.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The Associated Press\u2019 climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards<\/a> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The whole \u201cpets are family members\u201d idea isn\u2019t just a sweet sentiment. Data shows that pet owners are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[122513,2837,122512,45,49,48,2848,2847,26143,295,133,46111,890,9299,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-265573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-allison-reser","9":"tag-animals","10":"tag-billy-nicholles","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-ca","13":"tag-canada","14":"tag-climate","15":"tag-climate-and-environment","16":"tag-climate-choices","17":"tag-environment","18":"tag-finance","19":"tag-finance-business","20":"tag-lifestyle","21":"tag-pets","22":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}