Feeding cat food to dogs.

Archeron

I'm just wondering if this is a common thing, or even something that could jeopardise the health of the dogs.
A guy I know has a few dogs, and on more than one occasion, I have noticed that he feeds them cat food. When I ask about that, he normally says the store was out of dog food, and he had no time to go elsewhere
What I'm wondering is if it is any harm to feed cat food to a dog or vice versa? I remember reading a while ago about the differences in dietary requirements between cats and dogs (the article was based on each animals need for meat, apparently dogs can live without it, but cats cant!!), but would it make a difference to the dogs overall well being?
They certainly seem to enjoy eating it anyway, so they aren't starving.

Honey-ec

I don't know a whole lot about the technicalities of cat nutrition, so I don't know what the protein content etc. is like compared to dog food, but I do know that cats tend to be far more finicky eaters, and I've heard of vets recommending cat food to dog owners whose dogs are refusing to eat.

meathstevie

Used to have a dog that would always try and sneek in to get the catfood. Often succesfull and lived to be 15 which is fairly old for a wirehair pointer.

Dogs will eat just about anything digestable and survive on it ( before you come down like a ton of bricks I didn't say trive ) without any serious consequences.

luckat

I asked the vet this at one stage - it seemed simpler to buy one lot of food - and he said it wasn't a great idea, as cats need more protein and (done over a period) it would mess up the dog's kidneys.

orchidsrpretty

Cat and dog food are very different. Not sure about the exact differences but I was told by my vet that there is a very high content of protein in cat food, and too much protein is bad for dogs. Whenever my dog gets a hold of my cats food, it makes her skin very itchy.

christinadublin

My Granny had a pug a few years ago and only ever fed it cat food. I asked her about this and she said thats the only thing the dog would eat. He would turn his nose up at dog food and would prefere to starve himself than eat it.

Archeron

Cool, thanks for the replies everyone.

dmca77

From my own experience a dog will turn its nose up at most dog food. Cat food is more sweeter.
I would keep the dog food in the bowl and when the dog is hungry he/she will eat.
Remember dogs are very smart creatures and will play you up as much as possible. Just play them at there own game!!

The Sweeper

I believe the ratios are very different - dogs can survive on a 60/40 ratio of protein to carbohydrate, but cats need 95% protein. Hence plenty of people 'back in the day' used to feed their pet dog the leftovers of human food, occasionally supplement it with a tin of pedigree chum and claim their dog was healthy on it. They're opportunists, so a 60/40 diet suits them better.

Cats have got to have a high protein diet. I shamelessly feed my cats better than some people feed their kids - they get a combination of Hills Science Diet Oral Care, and raw (cut, not minced) meat (beef, lamb, kangaroo) that's been supplemented. I give them kelp powder, a little vitamin C and L-Lysine amino acids (because they're rescue-shelter cats and probably have feline herpes because they get opportunistic respiratory tract infections that kick in if they're stressed). They don't get all of that every day, but they went from rescue-shelter six month old moggies with sneezes and flatulence to where they are now - 18 months old, both weighing in around the 5kg mark without being overweight, they can both stand on the floor and reach the kitchen counter top with their front paws at full stretch and they're almost never sickly these days, so their immune systems have improved.

In return, I get round-the-clock entertainment from them. Fair trade as far as I'm concerned!

flynnc

Eating cat food probably won't hurt your dog, though it's best that he doesn't eat it all the time. Cats and dogs require different diets. Cats are pure carnivores, meaning they typically eat nothing but meat, while dogs are omnivorous, meaning that they eat some plant materials along with their meat.

Cat diets are made primarily of meat and meat products, so in the long run they can be too rich for dogs and can cause digestive problems. They are also denser in calories than dog diets, so they can lead to obesity in dogs. Because of the additional fat and calories, cat food often tastes better to dogs than dog food does, so you may have to keep an eye on your dog to make sure he doesn't indulge in the kitty kibbles.

By the way, while cat food is generally okay for dogs, dog diets lack essential nutrients that cats need to stay healthy, so cats can't live on dog food. Overall, it's safest to feed your pets the kind of food formulated to be healthiest for their specific species. (Ferrets may be the exception. They are the only pets other than cats that are entirely carnivorous, which is why ferrets can live on cat food.)

spank_inferno

while it's probably not advisable for every breed of dog, my mate has two toy breeds that cannot keep up their weight on any of the dog food brands, even the ones especially designed for the high metabolism of the mini breeds or ones designed for active breeds. It got to the point where you could clearly see the spine sticking out from her female. Her vet recommended cat food, and they've been in terrific shape since. However, a with larger small / medium / large breed, this diet could do more damage than good. As previous posters said, the high fat and protien diet in cat food could be harmful for the dog. They may need less cat food as they get all the fat they need with a smaller serving, but then they would suffer by not getting the adequate nutrition.