Read This Before Feeding Cat Food To Your Dog!

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Are you wondering if there’s anything wrong with canines occasionally eating cat food?

You aren’t the only one! Lots of folks who own both a cat and a dog are curious about this topic.

Can I Give My Dog Cat Food?There are those insist the only difference between these pet foods are how they are marketed (i.e. package labeling and branding).

That is simply not true!

The ingredients are different in some very important ways. In fact, cat and dog foods are rarely even produced in the same facility.

Rest assured that pet foods are formulated for the specific type of animal. They are designed to meet the needs of each pet, respectively.

However, feeding cat food would not be a total disaster.

Your Dog Should Not Regularly Eat Cat Food

But a one-time event is not cause for concern.

It’s actually cat owners that should be aware of the dangers of feeding dog food!

The reason?

Felines cannot produce various vitamins internally. Canine chow is lacking in many of those key essentials.

In any case, as a dog owner, it’s still best to avoid substituting with cat food because you want to ensure that your buddy gets the proper nutrition.

Cats And Dogs Differences

Felines and canines don’t have as much in common as you may think.

Having evolved over thousands of years, cats and dogs each have their own requirements when it comes to vitamins and minerals.

Dogs need a balance of proteins and carbohydrates. Cats, by contrast, are really big meat eaters.

Further, cats require taurine in their diet. Your dog, on the other hand, does not need to be supplemented with this amino sulfonic acid.

Last but not least, most cat foods contain too much fat!

Diet Differences Cats vs Dogs

The big picture is that dogs are not omnivores, but they also aren’t as carnivorous as cats.

Sure, canines have a natural calling for meat. And they do require lots of protein, but not as much as what’s found in cat food.

While it may seem like cat food can work for them, dogs need a smartly formulated food regiment tailored to their evolutionary makeup.

Simply put, cat food is for a cat.

No Cat Food And Less Filler

It cannot be stressed enough:

Dogs need a good amount of protein — though not at the levels that cats do.

Still, a meat source should be the most plentiful ingredient!

What some companies do, and what you’ll notice with cheaper varieties, is put lots of cheap fillers and other questionable ingredients in the product.

Skip brands that list things like corn and other grains as major dog food ingredients.

The Bottom Line

As a last resort, you can give your dog some cat food.

It will hold them over though you should not make it a habit!

And, if eaten accidentally, this type of meal will not harm your dog. That said, it is irresponsible to feed cat food on the regular.

What Do You Think? Have Your Say Below…

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10 thoughts on “Read This Before Feeding Cat Food To Your Dog!”

  1. My little 8 pound Maltipoo will only eat human food or canned cat food. She will starve rather than eat dog food. I have tried everything, including the fresh kind in the refrigerated section.

    I think cat food is better than starving. She doesn’t know what to do with a treat. She licks it. She does chew Bully sticks. She is otherwise very healthy.

  2. Is it okay to give my 7 month old Shih Tzu cat food. She won’t eat dog food.

    1. No, you should never let her have cat food. At her age she needs puppy food which is richer than regular dog food. If she won’t eat dry try canned puppy food, preferably grain-free and no corn. If she won’t eat that let her go hungry a few days and she’ll come around. It’s for her own good.

  3. I have Westie and she won’t eat dog food at all. I have had her since 4 weeks. She was from a puppy farm and my vet did not think she would survive.

    She is 13 months and fussy. She will eat dried food out of my hand but not her bowl. So be it, and she will be staying on this cat food till she changes her mind yet again.

  4. My 9 year old Maltipoo loves little Friskies cat food. That is what her diet is, mostly the fish kind. I worry but if that is what she wants at this age then so be it!

  5. Cat kibble is higher in protein than most dog kibble, but usually not by that much. If you compare the ingredients, you wouldn’t be able to tell one from the other.

    Taurine is essential to cats, it’s naturally occurring and won’t hurt dogs. If I see a bag of good quality cat/kitten food on sale, I’ll buy it for my Lab. It’s a protein boost. I use it as a snack or mixed in with her regular kibble.

  6. My Chihuahua has been eating Dad’s original cat food for 11 years now and has never been sick to my knowledge. He refused to eat dog food since he was a pup! The vet told me it was okay for him to eat the cat food, even though many disagree.

    1. My dog is kind of similar. He’s a Border Collie and when potty training him, he never took to dog treats. But one day he broke into the pantry when I wasn’t home and he ate all of his sister’s treats (Biscuit the cat).

      Ever since, he’s been so hooked on them. We give him one a day by chopping them up to tiny little pieces. He’s doing okay for a dog who eats cat food!

  7. My dad feeds his dog anything but dog food (pizza, cake, noodles, hotdogs, eggs, really anything). The dog is very old. He is the 3rd owner so I would put her at over 100 in dog years.

    She is a little black Poodle. She won’t eat dog food. I just tried to give her dry cat food. Should I keep feeding her this or let my dad give her everything under the sun? Honestly I’m just waiting for her to go to dog heaven. I see she is in bad shape, but my dad won’t put her down.

    1. I had a 14 year old Cockapoo that I gave Walmart cat food to for 6 months until she died. I couldn’t keep her out of it and had no place to separate their food bowls. They ate together, loved each other and played together all those years.

      She out-survived over 5 cats in those 14 years and ended up with cataracts and had a seizure from a brain tumor (both of which had nothing to do with the cat food, my vet told me).

      At age 14, the vet said her teeth were the best she had ever seen in a dog that age, so I’m not so sure that cat food isn’t good for dogs. It’s just my experience.

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