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Okay, stupid question time... I was planning to ask my vet this last week (at my dog's appt.), but totally forgot! So before I bother him with a phone call, I thought I'd ask you all for input.
My 10 year-old cat has developed a taste for wet dog food, and now rushes his bowl at feeding time. He respects her as dominant (but meanwhile, won't let my roommate's 95 lb. lab near his food - LOL), so he'll just back up and whine until she's done... usually she just licks some of the juice, and maybe takes a bite of the meaty parts. I did a quick search on cats & dog food, but they all said it can't be their diet - duh. She still eats plenty of cat food, both wet and dry, and checked out 100% healthy at her last vet visit. In fact, in her 10 years, she's never had more than a cold or two.
So, does anyone know if this could be unhealthy even in tiny doses (and with a healthy cat diet too)? I feed my dog Merrick and Pro-Plan, both of which are free of byproducts & didn't ever get recalled. Anyway, just wondering if I should cut her off or not! It makes her so happy, and this cat is a tough one to please - if you know what I mean.
Taking in consideration of the feed you use, there's certainly no problem with your cat have the dog's food as a snack. You have serious issues when the dog(s) eat the cat food as that is much higher in protein and over the course of time can harm a dogs kidneys.
My neighbor's cat usually greets me at the end of the work day for a handful of my dogs' Canidae
Okay, stupid question time... I was planning to ask my vet this last week (at my dog's appt.), but totally forgot! So before I bother him with a phone call, I thought I'd ask you all for input.
My 10 year-old cat has developed a taste for wet dog food, and now rushes his bowl at feeding time. He respects her as dominant (but meanwhile, won't let my roommate's 95 lb. lab near his food - LOL), so he'll just back up and whine until she's done... usually she just licks some of the juice, and maybe takes a bite of the meaty parts. I did a quick search on cats & dog food, but they all said it can't be their diet - duh. She still eats plenty of cat food, both wet and dry, and checked out 100% healthy at her last vet visit. In fact, in her 10 years, she's never had more than a cold or two.
So, does anyone know if this could be unhealthy even in tiny doses (and with a healthy cat diet too)? I feed my dog Merrick and Pro-Plan, both of which are free of byproducts & didn't ever get recalled. Anyway, just wondering if I should cut her off or not! It makes her so happy, and this cat is a tough one to please - if you know what I mean.
Make sure the ingredients in the dog's food are not poisonious or harmful to your cat. I don't have cats so I can't help you with whether or not it's safe but if it turns out to be okay have you thought about putting a tiny bit in a bowl for your cat when the dog's food gets put down on the floor?
Cat requires certian ingredients. One of them is Taurine
What Is Taurine? Cat Nutrition Facts from Feline Future (http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/taurine.php - broken link)
which is essential to cat's nutritional needs. I don't really know much about cat or dog food, all my animals eat RAW.
I don't know of anything in any dog food that would harm a cat (my cat eats it on occasion) You only need to make sure the majority of the cat's food is "cat" food for the reasons in the above article. I have asked my vet about my cat eating dog food (he does it at my moms) and he said as long as it was only 10% or less of his diet.
That reminds me of our cats eating our dog's food. They would sit in the bowl and crunch away on the giant dog-sized kibble. A few times they narrowly escaped becoming kibble when the dog came around the corner and discovered them sitting in her bowl.
Make sure the ingredients in the dog's food are not poisonious or harmful to your cat. I don't have cats so I can't help you with whether or not it's safe but if it turns out to be okay have you thought about putting a tiny bit in a bowl for your cat when the dog's food gets put down on the floor?
Yes, actually that's what I try to do now. But when I do put out a separate kitty plate, he'll usually lurk & whine at that one too - so really, he'll be annoyed either way! Guess that's because he never sees them eat cat food, since it's in a baby-gated bathroom... so to him, it's just frustrating for them to have anything in his presence. Dog food, cat food, human food, it's all meant for doggies - right??
Thanks for all the replies, fellow pet people... Kona-Kitty still eats plenty of cat food (Royal Canin dry, Fancy Feast wet), and I'd estimate the dog food is less than 5% of her overall diet. So based on what you've all said, I don't think it should be a problem. Especially since, as mentioned, he gets only Merrick and Pro-Plan - which are very "clean" foods, with mostly natural/raw ingredients. But she is due for a check-up this month, so I'll of course ask the vet when I see him. Thanks again!
Okay, stupid question time... I was planning to ask my vet this last week (at my dog's appt.), but totally forgot! So before I bother him with a phone call, I thought I'd ask you all for input.
My 10 year-old cat has developed a taste for wet dog food, and now rushes his bowl at feeding time. He respects her as dominant (but meanwhile, won't let my roommate's 95 lb. lab near his food - LOL), so he'll just back up and whine until she's done... usually she just licks some of the juice, and maybe takes a bite of the meaty parts. I did a quick search on cats & dog food, but they all said it can't be their diet - duh. She still eats plenty of cat food, both wet and dry, and checked out 100% healthy at her last vet visit. In fact, in her 10 years, she's never had more than a cold or two.
So, does anyone know if this could be unhealthy even in tiny doses (and with a healthy cat diet too)? I feed my dog Merrick and Pro-Plan, both of which are free of byproducts & didn't ever get recalled. Anyway, just wondering if I should cut her off or not! It makes her so happy, and this cat is a tough one to please - if you know what I mean.
Cat's have different nutritional requirements than dogs, so don't let your cat make a meal out of the dog food. Also, keep in mind that cats are obligate carnivores -- they are used to eating strictly meat and getting most of their moisture from food. Cats normally drink very little water. Cats that eat a diet of strictly dry food drink more water, but not enough to keep them from getting dehydrated and putting a strain on their kidneys. I feel my cat a homemade all-meat diet. When I'm lazy I feed a high quality canned food such as Wellness and I always mix in water with the canned food to make sure he is getting plenty of water going through his kidneys. Dry food is a cause of obesity, kidney failure, crystals in male cats, and rotten teeth. In short, it's really terrible for cats.
Cat requires certian ingredients. One of them is Taurine
What Is Taurine? Cat Nutrition Facts from Feline Future (http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/taurine.php - broken link)
which is essential to cat's nutritional needs. I don't really know much about cat or dog food, all my animals eat RAW.
This is correct. Dogs produce their own taurine, but cats need to get it from their food.
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