You'll Soon Be Able To Feed Your Cat Insect-Based Food

It's no secret that livestock has a big impact on the environment and that reducing meat consumption is necessary to help address the issue. There's an uncomfortable aspect to these conversations, however, which is that many people have pets who require meat in their diet for proper health — and insects, it seems, may be the ideal solution.

The idea of consuming insects for protein isn't new, but many people remain less than enthusiastic about the possibility. We're likely still years away from any insect-based consumer food products, but pet food products are another matter — your cat will neither know nor care about where the protein in its kibble came from.

UK-based company Lovebug is one of the latest companies gearing up to release a cat food product that uses insects as a protein source rather than cattle, chickens, and similar. The company says its product, which comes in kibble form, is "nutritionally complete" for adult cats while being more sustainable than beef-based alternatives.

Raising traditional livestock like cattle requires substantial space and resources, whereas raising farmed insects can be accomplished in much smaller spaces; likewise, bugs don't require as much food and water, and their cultivation results in less waste product.

Lovebug's insect-based cat food will be sold in recyclable plastic-free packaging, according to the company, which is currently allowing interested consumers to sign up for an alert when the product launches. According to New Atlas, the cat food will be available to purchase this spring in the UK, but it won't come cheap at around $18 USD for a 2.2lb bag. It's unclear whether the company plans to launch the product in other markets.