Of cause not, it's absolutely unacceptable. If a cat not to be given meat, it will fall ill and utterly will die in sufferings. Cats are carnivorous, so if you have got a cat, then don't try to fight nature and refuse meat food to your cat.
This statement will bring some vegetarians very angry but they should pay attention to the facts of biology. Both cats and humans are carnivorous by nature that is they are predators. Till biochemists didn't obtain synthetic meat out of a magic mixture of aminoacids, both species had been oppressed by their evolution. This fact doesn't deny sympathy towards ethical basis of vegetarianism. By no means! Some people go into ecstasies of the thought that the time is coming and soon they will share the same food with their cats. Whilst this long-expected moment hasn't come, one may console oneself with the thought that the death of those animals we eat was quick and painless. If you still unable to reconcile yourself to the fact that cats must be fed meat, you'd better get a canary.
For those who need cogent arguments, the facts are as follows. First, cats need aminoacid called Taurin that prevents blindness. The lack of it leads to a soon destruction of retina. Some animals are able to assimilate Taurin out of some other substances - cats can't. They need animal protein solely. So that without meat a cat will lose vision.
Second, cats' diet must include animal fats, for without them they are unable to synthesize fat acids. Some other animal can turn plant oils into these fat acids, but cats are disabled to do this. If their diet lacks animal fats then, besides some other serious difficulties, cats will face problems with blood coagulability and cell reproduction.
Third, cats are unable to get Vitamin A out of vegetable sources (for example, a carrot) and have to consume liver, kidney and cod-liver oil to get such an essential substance.
These facts alone show all the stupidity and uselessness of attempts to turn cats into vegetarians.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).