Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Cat (Like the animal), Cat Limket. I am an actress, filmmaker, writer, and activist living in Los Angeles. I can be seen currently on Netflix in Spike Lee’s latest thriller, Tales from the Hood 2. I also am an owner and producer of the production company, Caliam and Co. Productions, and I write for the popular vegan online publication and magazine, VegOut Los Angeles! I also am a full-time streetcreepin’ dog hugger and petter, but for free.
What lead you to veganism? How long ago?
I’ve been officially vegan for 3 ½ years. I was pesca-vegan (ate ALL plant-based except for sushi once a month) for 5 years. Honestly, it was a loooong time coming. I struggled growing up in Texas a lot with eating meat and always felt a twinge of guilt. I’ve always been a huge animal lover (I watched a LOT of animal planet and was the weird girl that saved strays in the neighborhood). It was an inevitable path for me as I’ve always felt a connection to animals, and after battling health problems (thyroid issues, gut issues) and doing a bunch of research and watching documentaries (Cowspiracy, What The Health) I made the full switch and never looked back!
When you first went vegan how did you phase out your non-vegan food, clothing and other items?
Phasing out vegan food was easy peasy in my mind (or so I thought haha). I never realized how many random things were animal based (hello, gelatin? Ew!) , but, living in LA we are in the mecca of vegan foods, so once I became familiar with what was vegan and what wasn’t, it was a sinch! I didn’t start becoming serious about clothing and sustainability till about 6 months after becoming vegan, and it was a no brainer. I sold a bunch of my leather items, and committed to being sustainable by shopping vintage or only purchasing sustainable brands. I also committed to learning more about how to limit plastic use, what certain random products aren’t vegan (old school film for example! What!?) etc.
Do you make any exceptions for yourself or if you are married with kids – your family, when it comes to veganism?
So, in my household it’s just my boyfriend and I, we ain’t got no babies yet. We don’t have any exceptions. But I will say, he was vegetarian for the first year we were together. Honestly, there some moments that were hard, like he would eat cheese every once in a while when we were out, but I only tried to keep it in my head that his journey was his journey and he was VERY supportive of my vegan writing, involvement in the community and activism, and I knew he would eventually make it over 100%. And he watched The Game Changers, and did (thanks, Arnold!).
Do you believe we should show children the process of how animals are turned into meats?
When I do have kids, I will absolutely teach them exactly where meat comes from. Children are incredible beings who are empathetic, intelligent, and little sponges. Not to mention, the future, so the more they know, the better. I think they should be taught (within graphic reason, of course) and told. It is our job to help them make the connection from a young age. If at the age of 10, when I was at a petting zoo petting a cow that I was pretty sure my soulmate, someone had been like “hey, you know that that cow gets ripped away from it’s family, isolated, and lives their entire life in suffering before it lands on your plate via a horrific painful death,” I would have been like NO THANKS JAN I WILL STICK TO THESE FRENCH FRIES AND SIDE SALAD MY MOM IS MAKING ME FINISH.
What does being vegan mean to you?
Okay, so I am kind of a wimp when it comes to bugs. Like, I don’t LOVE them crawling on me or in my home. I used to be cool with killing them but now I trap them in jars and throw them outside LOL. And bees, I am very allergic, but avoid them like the plague. Insects are a different beast in my opinion, and I don’t judge any vegans that swat a fly. As far as vegan companies owned by non-vegans, I say, you know what the more people are opened up to veganism the better. I don’t care who you are, you want to push compassion and eating delicious plant-based meats, let’s do it! I believe those people may get there eventually. It’s like Impossible Foods, right? They always say they made their product for meat eaters, not vegans. And I say, HELL YEAH, whatever support we can get from whoever the hell, I don’t care. I just want to save animals, the earth, and my fellow humans. I try VERY HARD to not segregate or make others who aren’t vegan feel some type of way. They just aren’t there yet. I wasn’t at some point, and neither are you. Everyone has their own journey. It is OUR job to educate and show others there is another way. That is the most effective way. No one ever stayed vegan after being guilt tripped.
Is it every vegan’s duty to become an activist?
No. Just like it isn’t every American’s duty to serve in the army, every vegan (and person!) has their own purpose. I believe strongly that activism isn’t just people who march out in the streets with signs or dress as slaughtered pigs (although these people are important, and I do these things too)! Vegans can be activists just by introducing someone to a good vegan meal, or explaining why they don’t eat meat, or showing someone a documentary. There are so many levels of activism, and everyone is doing the best they can.
How compassionate or empathetic are you towards non-vegans?
Honestly, it depends. I don’t like when people just attack vegans for no reason. I get a lot of very aggressive and hateful DM’s on the daily- people will send me pictures of them eating meat, talking shit to me about being vegan, and telling me that meat is actually healthy. I understand that this is all fear and guilt based like any prejudice so I try very hard to keep that in mind. My tactic is usually to send them wholesome videos of cute cows playing. HOWEVER, while I have a lot of compassion for people who are just MISLED and MIDEDUCATED, I don’t have a lot of compassion for people who are cruel.
Any recommended Vegan books?
Does VegOut Magazine count as a book? ☺
Any recommended social sites, blogs or pages?
OBVS VegOut Los Angeles (shameless plug), but I also LOVE VegNews, LiveKindly, and food blogs like ElaVegan and The Foodie Takes Flight!
Do you have a favorite movie or videos or your own media that you want to share?
YOOO THE GAME CHANGERS it is a (shudder) GAMECHANGER.
What’s your favorite Vegan restaurant?
Damn it, don’t make me choose. I live in LA the land of amazing vegan restaurants. BUT, if I had to choose, I would say my TOP 3 are: Pura Vita (Chef Tara is a magical vegan being), Crossroads (honestly, a classic), and Blue Bird Sushi (their vegan sushi will have you questioning life).
Please share your favorite vegan recipe?
Okay, this is how you make vegan eggs that taste like LEGIT EGGS. My boyfriend and I are burrito people. Like, we love them and they are our preferred food choice always. We are fans of a breakfast burrito, and the star of our breakfast burrito is the perfected VEGAN EGG.
VEGAN EGG:
JUST Egg (it’s made from chickpeas, say what!?)
Black Salt
Garlic Salt
Maldon Salt
Black Pepper.
Throw the JUST egg in a skillet, sprinkle all the seasonings on it especially the black salt on top as if you were salt bae. Scramble like an egg.
Add the vegan egg witch craft to a beautifully warm tortilla along with Beyond crumbles, baby potatoes, vegan cheese (we love Violife), tomato, avocado, Vegenese, and greens.
Wrap it all up. Munch, be happy, live your life, conquer the world.
Some encouraging words for new Vegans?
It’s okay if you aren’t perfect from the get go. You made the switch. The hard part is over. You are trying. Welcome to the liggggght!
What is the vegan scene like in your city?
Agave boo boo, I live in Los Angeles. The scene is POPPING.
What personal recommendations can you make for people to meet other vegans?
Facebook groups! There are so many. Also, search for vegan blogs in your city. At VegOut, we have other cities we cover, DM us and we can suggest!
What does living cruelty-free mean to you?
I try to be as cruelty-free as possible. In addition to what goes in my tummy obviously, I am very conscious of the clothes I put on, the daily items I use, the things I clean with, the way I recycle, the beauty products I put on my skin etc. As far as humans, we are all animals, so yes, I try to show compassion to everyone. Unless you are a human that abuses animals, then YOU ARE GOING DOWN.
What are you favorite Vegan non-food products or companies?
Oh man, SO MANY. For beauty, I love Lolli Beauty, they do all vegan and food grade face stuff that they package in biodegradable sustainable packaging, Mad Hippie, Versed, and Youth to the People. I love vegan clothing brands like Vegan Shirts, Sassy Spud, and Green Box Shop. I am obsessed with all the shoes from Will’s Vegan Shoes! There are a lot, like, a lot. I’m super into sustainable fashion and beauty so DM me if you want a full list.
What is the toughest Vegan item to find that you need?
Honestly, every single thing I missed when I wasn’t vegan, I’ve found a swap for. Nuggets- they got ‘em, cheese- they got ‘em, fish sticks- they got ‘em! SUSHI!? Sushi was the hardest and last thing for me to give up, and there are some LEGIT places doing some crazy witchcraft, turning tomato into tasting like tuna, are you KIDDING ME!?
Talk about a time when you struggled with your Veganism?
I was on location in Louisiana shooting a film for two months and although they had tons of vegan options on set, any time I wasn’t on set, the only option I had to eat was subway. And I remember going in the first time and saying I just wanted a sandwich with only veggies and I was vegan and they kept asking me if I wanted cheese and I said, no thank you, I’m vegan. And the lady looked at me sideways and goes, cheese ain’t vegan? Haha! I had to school her. But by the end of the two months, we were quite acquainted, and she even vowed to eat one less meal with meat in it a week!
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