Cat eating dog food & visa versa

I'm not too terribly worried at this point, because i try to supervise their feedings during the day, but ive noticed that our dog will eat about 7/8 of her food, and the kitten will do the same (they are fed on opposite sides of the room) and then they will both, at the same time, go over to the others bowl and finish off what the other left...

My question is: Is there any health reasons why i should stop this? I realize that cat food is higher in fat than dog food, but has more protein in it... so would such a miniscule (Tbsp/few tsp, of wet food 2x a day) hurt either one? They are both eating the majority of their own food... just... well, like to share LOL.

Any advice is welcome,
~*Kate*~

this is what my vet said ... dog food now has taurine so the cat can eat it ... not all the time ... cat food is high in protein and fat so it is to high for dogs

And just be aware that some dog foods have garlic which I would not want to give to my cat (not all folks agree on this, but it is my advice).

Good point Pat ... I double check before providing kitty with dog fare

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

And just be aware that some dog foods have garlic which I would not want to give to my cat (not all folks agree on this, but it is my advice).

Click to expand...

Oh wow, that i didnt know... I'll have to look at the ingredients... She (dog) eats Mighty Dog canned & Beneful (1/2 can mixed with 1/3c dry food) and He (cat) eats 1/2 pouch (1.5oz) of Iams Select Bites mixed with 1oz (1 Tbsp approx) of Kit & Kaboodle Kitten Formula (He refuses to eat anything else lol)

My dog gets really bad gas from cat food, so the cats are fed where he can't get to it.

Personally, I would try to stop them. You said one is a kitten, so I would consider this a training period for them both. You could probably just start picking up both bowls when the start to walk away before they are empty. Within a few days, I'll bet they will be finishing their own food.

Thanks hon. Today was actually the first day they ate all of their food. Piper is easier to scold than the cat (virtually impossible) But i've been snapping my fingers or clapping my hands and saying "NO" for the past year when Piper does something wrong, and Cosmo has picked up on that, so today when they did it, I simply looked at the dog and Clapped really loud... they both went back to their own dishes...

So hopefully as long as I can supervise their feedings (I'll be able to for at least the next 2 weeks before classes start up again) they will get the hang of it. They've both been SO good together today, its great.

*fingers crossed*

When my dog was sick and had heartworms, then hookworms (Which he got from the vet), we gave him cat food 2 times a day for added protein. The rest of the day he was fed things like ham and junk food for dogs. He was old, had arthritis, and wouldn't eat... he was weak, and we had to get him to eat something, so we would buy cheap whole hams. Anyway... WAY off subject. :