Dog Food

melissa4321

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
52
Purraise
1
Location
Wisconsin
My baby is a little over a month pregnant and is ALWAYS trying to eat my dog's food. I catch her when I can and persuade her to eat her own food, which she always does. But as soon as I turn my back, she is trying to eat the dog food again. She drinks out of his water dish too, but I really don't see any harm in that.

I am worried about the health of my queen and her kits, but exactly how worried should I be about this?

Should I just continue to try and reverse the behavior when I see it, or should I attempt to discipline her more when she eats the dog food?
Also, do you guys have any tips on how to get her to stop eating the dog food?
 

ninacaliente

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jun 5, 2007
Messages
1,028
Purraise
1
You could feed your dog in meals twice a day instead of leaving food out to free feed. Then the cat wouldn't have dog food available to choose.
 

cc12

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
3,370
Purraise
4
Location
Pacific Northwest
I would not leave it down.
I think she should be eating food appropriate for her because she needs the nutrients for a healthy pregnancy. Dogs can eat some stuff that cats can't and the nutritional balance is different so I would discourage it.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
A diet of too much dog food is not healthy as its too low in protein. We have a lab and she takes 5 mins to eat what is in her bowl. Not sure what kind of dog you have or why your dog doesn't eat the food within a few mins, but I'd look into training your dog to eat when food is given and not "free fed".

If the dog doesn't eat all the food in 10 mins, then remove the food and offer it later - shouldn't take long to retrain the dog. Then the cat won't have time to sample the dog's food all the time.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

melissa4321

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
52
Purraise
1
Location
Wisconsin
Well, the reason we let the dog eat freely is because usually people are gone for most of the day.
My mom's in charge of feeding Brady puppy though, so I'll run it past her that we shouldn't let his food lay around.

The alternative is locking Adagio in the laundry room all day, but that would break my heart.
 

kat89447

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
131
Purraise
1
Location
Nevada
chalk it up to pregnancy cravings lol. As long as she is eating good cat food, then a nibble of dog food isn't going to do any harm. You might try giving her extra cat food to see if she is just getting hungry, but more than likely she is bored or going through a phase. My cats free feed all day (no one is prego) but they still race to the dog's bowl and eat when he does. They only eat one or two bites, I think it is a game they all play personally. Good luck with your mama kitty
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Whether or not people are home, our dogs have always been fed twice a day and no more - same with the cats. Everyone eats at the same time and there is no left over food sitting around
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

melissa4321

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
52
Purraise
1
Location
Wisconsin
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Whether or not people are home, our dogs have always been fed twice a day and no more - same with the cats. Everyone eats at the same time and there is no left over food sitting around
That seems like a very good idea. It probably is easier to keep pets at a healthy weight if you control their feeding times like that, right?
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Sure is, the only time I recommend any free feeding is kittens up to about 4 months old - after that if you control their food intake, you usually don't have to worry about overweight cats.
 
Top