Dog Food Vs Cat Food

gravekandi · Oct 7, 2013

Is it okay too feed dog food to cats? I've been feeding my kitten some dog treats since they have one ingredient. But what about other things? What ingredients should you avoid in dog food/treats for cats? I just buy treats if it has one ingredient. But my friends cat loves too eat the dogs food and prefers dog food over his cat food

What ingredients should be avoided at all costs? I've been comparing a couple of items by the same company for both cat and dog and usually the cat item costs more for the same amount of product or for even less of the product! X_X
Cat

http://www.petco.com/product/9955/S...s-for-Cats.aspx?CoreCat=MM_CatSupplies_Treats

Dog

http://www.petco.com/product/9954/S...gs.aspx?CoreCat=MM_DogSupplies_BiscuitsTreats

Both have the same one ingredient, (Salmon) and both have the same nutritional value. What gives?

And thats just one example. Is it alright to do this? I Make the dog size treats smaller for my cat btw.

vball91 · Oct 7, 2013

There are some foods that are the same formulations for both dogs and cats. The one ingredient meat and organ treats are the same. I believe the Nature's Variety Instinct formula is the same for both cats and dogs. There are other examples. Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried raw dog formulas can be fed to cats. However, there are dog formulas that should not be fed to cats. Most dog only formulas do not have enough taurine. Dog formulas will also have a too high a carb content for cats. Which dog food is your friend's cat eating? I would be concerned about that to be honest.

As a general rule, almost all cat food formulas are fine for dogs, but most dog food formulas are not fine for cats.

ritz · Oct 7, 2013

I agree with vBall91. When I was researching commercial raw for Ritz, I saw some for dogs. The sales person (who had no reason to lie) said the ones for dogs have extra taurine in them so I could feed it to Ritz.
But I also knew that cats need no carbohydrates, and the ones for dog have more carbs than I want to give Ritz. So I chose one specifically for cats (RadCat).
Dogs like/love cat food because most cat foods have more protein and fat than you find in dog food.

sevenwonders · Oct 11, 2013

Since Merrick stopped making the Before Grain 96% canned cat food,

I recently started giving them a few of the Merrick 96% varieties for Dogs (Chicken, Pork, and Beef/Lamb/Buffalo)

just for some variety. I only give them about one can of Dog Food per week, mixed half & half with Evo 95% Chicken.

One of my Kitties (Boo - on the left in my Av pic) has FLUTD,

so he can't have any kibble, carbs or fish, so aside from the 4 Evo 95% varieties,

I am aware of no other excellent quality, low carb canned foods that I can afford.

I do still mix in some Natural Balance (Chicken & Liver, Turkey & Giblets, or Ultra Formula)

into the other Kitties' food once per day, but they are too high in carbs for Boo.

Ok, my point is...

unless a Dog Food has some objectionable ingredients,

I don't see any harm in giving it to the Kitties occasionally.

If I were feeding it more often, I would definitely add more Taurine.

sivyaleah · Oct 12, 2013

Instinct's Natures Variety dog food has taurine in it. I never would have known this until the owner of the pet store mentioned it to me when I was trying to find a way to cut costs. Unfortunately, my cats aren't big on leftovers but, if yours are or you have more than 2 cats this is a great way to save money and feed them really good quality food. The large can of dog food by ounce was substantially cheaper than the cat food and, you were getting another ounce of food out of it too (taking into consideration if you feed about 3 oz. per cat, per meal).

lilin · Oct 12, 2013

As others have said, it will depend on the food. But most dog foods are not complete for a cat's needs.

My elder kitty loved dog treats. I would give her one from the jar when I took her to the vet, just because she liked it. But don't make it a substantial part of their diet unless you're sure the food is complete for cats.

gravekandi · Oct 14, 2013

SevenWonders said:
Since Merrick stopped making the Before Grain 96% canned cat food,

I recently started giving them a few of the Merrick 96% varieties for Dogs (Chicken, Pork, and Beef/Lamb/Buffalo)

just for some variety. I only give them about one can of Dog Food per week, mixed half & half with Evo 95% Chicken.

One of my Kitties (Boo - on the left in my Av pic) has FLUTD,

so he can't have any kibble, carbs or fish, so aside from the 4 Evo 95% varieties,

I am aware of no other excellent quality, low carb canned foods that I can afford.

I do still mix in some Natural Balance (Chicken & Liver, Turkey & Giblets, or Ultra Formula)

into the other Kitties' food once per day, but they are too high in carbs for Boo.

Ok, my point is...

unless a Dog Food has some objectionable ingredients,

I don't see any harm in giving it to the Kitties occasionally.

If I were feeding it more often, I would definitely add more Taurine.

What would be considered objectionable ingredients?

I was just curious seeing as my friends main coon perfers dog food to the point where my friend has to feed his dog outside and his cat downstairs. And seeing how I have recently started buying my kitten dog treats.

Willowy · Oct 14, 2013

Regular meat treats are not dog or cat specific. They're just meat! The only difference there might be is how large the meat is cut. Which obviously can be easily changed. Plain meat isn't a balanced diet so you wouldn't feed that as anything more than treats.

Dogs have a higher tolerance for carbs, so most dogs foods have more veggies/grains/etc. in them. Most dogs foods are not high enough in protein for cats. And most dog foods don't have taurine. I don't know of any dry dog foods that would be suitable for cats, but there are probably some specialty brands that would be OK. But some canned dog foods would be fine for cats, most of them have already been mentioned.

serendipita · Nov 9, 2013

I have two toy dogs about the same size as the cat (Javanese Balinese)

I feed them ...

I just acquired her or rather 'She" adopted me(another story)

I feed the dogs..RAW-Freeze dried lamb from New Zealand made by K9 Naturals

Ingredients are...Lamb meat.(free range)...lamb blood...lamb bone...lamb green tripe...lamb liver...

(broccoli,cauliflower,carrot,spinachcabbage,apple,pear)

lamb hearts...lamb kidneys...eggs...green lipped mussel...and garlic

Guaranteed Analysis(Freeze dried values)

Minimum crude protein ...33.9%

Minimum crude fat.............39.2%

Minimum crude fiber.............5.3%

I just ordered spme lamb "cat food"

It's more expensive..I can't buy it in an 8 lb box like the dog food and save money

I'm currently trying to figure out whether I can give puss the 'dog' food from K9 Naturals

You mentioned a few other dog foods....how about this one?

pinkman · Nov 9, 2013

Spinach is something I would not feed. It can cause calcium oxalate stones in the kidneys... Not something I would risk. Garlic too is I thought toxic for cats?

I did feed the K9 Naturals Feline Naturals Lamb and Chicken before also - I do like the simple ingredients, however, when I contacted K9 Naturals regarding their source of calcium I did not get a response. It's also quite pricey, even compared to say Stella & Chewy's.

As of now I'm waiting for my shipment of Call of the Wild (supplement) to see if my cats like it. I may stick with it, I may bring up K9 Naturals also. However, I will only feed the CAT version for my cats - not the dog version solely because of the spinach and the garlic.

lilin · Nov 9, 2013

Serendipita said:
I have two toy dogs about the same size as the cat (Javanese Balinese)

I feed them ...

I just acquired her or rather 'She" adopted me(another story)

I feed the dogs..RAW-Freeze dried lamb from New Zealand made by K9 Naturals

Ingredients are...Lamb meat.(free range)...lamb blood...lamb bone...lamb green tripe...lamb liver...

(broccoli,cauliflower,carrot,spinachcabbage,apple,pear)

lamb hearts...lamb kidneys...eggs...green lipped mussel...and garlic

Guaranteed Analysis(Freeze dried values)

Minimum crude protein ...33.9%

Minimum crude fat.............39.2%

Minimum crude fiber.............5.3%

I just ordered spme lamb "cat food"

It's more expensive..I can't buy it in an 8 lb box like the dog food and save money

I'm currently trying to figure out whether I can give puss the 'dog' food from K9 Naturals

You mentioned a few other dog foods....how about this one?

Garlic is bad for cats.

But besides that, there's something important that's missing from this list. Taurine.

Cats cannot produce their own taurine. Dogs can. So most dog food will be inadequate in taurine for cats, and unless the package says otherwise, I wouldn't risk it. Taurine is essential for cats.

gravekandi · Nov 11, 2013

I've been told that garlic is okay for cats, all though I believe other wise....Halo for cats has garlic in it

Would supplements that says FOR DOGS be alright for cats? I figured so, but thought I'd double check.

I'm interested in getting this

http://www.petco.com/product/106293/Petco-Salmon-Oil-for-Dogs.aspx

I figured its just like the treats that says FOR DOGS, the ones that are one meat ingredient freeze dried treats yet are alright for BOTH cats and dogs.

pinkman · Nov 11, 2013

Well, it all comes down to the ingredients. Rosemary extract is used as a preservative, but I have also heard being it a trigger for seizures in some animals. Another thing to consider is that Rosemary extract is not something a cat would naturally seek out to consume. For Salmon oil I use: Pure Alaska Omega-3 Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil 1000mg Softgels 180-Count (). I find capsules to be better - no need to worry about oxidation through pumps.

Regarding K9 Naturals - the cat food that they make (Feline Naturals) “Has been tested and exceeds the AAFCO minimum requirements” (http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/) although it does not list added taurine as part of the ingredients. I'm thinking that because it is a freeze-dried raw food with hearts - it's alright. Now, I am not sure where the calcium falls place in this food - hence when I used to feed Feline Naturals I would also give them some necks also (in fact K9 Naturals really recommends that).

Dog Food Vs Cat Food

gravekandi

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vball91

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ritz

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sevenwonders

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sivyaleah

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lilin

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gravekandi

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Willowy

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serendipita

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pinkman

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lilin

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gravekandi

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