Vampires - Feeding Infodump

Blood keeps us young. Vampires age at a tenth the human rate (for every ten years that pass vampires only age one), but without human blood, we age even quicker than humans, maybe twenty or thirty years within a year or two. As a half-vampire, who aged at a fifth the human rate, I didn’t have to drink as much human blood as Mr. Crepsley — but I would have to drink some to live.

The blood of animals — dogs, cows, sheep — keeps vampires going, but there are some animals they — we — can’t drink from: cats, for instance. If a vampire drinks a cat’s blood, he might as well pour poison down his throat. We also can’t drink from monkeys, frogs, most fish, or snakes.

Mr. Crepsley hadn’t told me the names of all the dangerous animals. There were a whole lot, and it would take time to learn them all. His advice was to always ask before I tried something new.

Vampires have to feed on humans about once a month. Most feast once a week. That way, they don’t have to suck much blood. If you only feed once a month, you have to drink a lot of blood at one time.

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Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Chapter 4