1. An animal that requires meat, or other animal products, in its diet in order to obtain the nutrients that are found in sufficient quantities.
2. An obligate, or true carnivore, is an animal that subsists on a diet consisting almost exclusively of meat.

They may consume other products presented to them, especially animal products like cheese and bone marrow or sweet sugary substances like honey and syrup; but, as these items are not essential they do not consume them on a regular basis.

True carnivores lack the physiology required for efficient digestion of vegetable matter; in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation matter specifically just as an emetic (for vomiting).

3. An animal that by its genetic makeup must eat the tissue of other animals in order to thrive.

Obligate carnivores may eat other foods; such as, vegetables, grains, or fruit, but they must eat meat as the main source for their nutrients.