Cats eating dog food

jeanor

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 15, 2005
Messages
1,687
Purraise
3
Location
According to my husband... the zoo
Since we got our new dog, I can't keep Boogs and Gracie out of his dog food. Usually in the past, we've never been able to keep our dogs out of the cat food, but this is a switch - the dog could care less about their food.

Anyway, I'm trying to discourage this when I see it happening, and there isn't really any other place I can feed the dog that the cats can't get to. Is this harmful to them?
 

katzai

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jan 15, 2006
Messages
10
Purraise
1
a growing number of md's and vets are recommending
vegetarian food for cats, including Andrew Knight, DVM
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by katzai

a growing number of md's and vets are recommending
vegetarian food for cats, including Andrew Knight, DVM
this is so outa of what should be allowed or evan suggested cats are obligate carnivores... aka they have to eat meat....



Back to topic... are you feed ing the same brand of cat and dog food?? cats shouldnt eat dog food unless allowed/ adviced by the vet for a medical issue... I have found that flavors are issues in species eating another s food
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
Originally Posted by jeanor

Since we got our new dog, I can't keep Boogs and Gracie out of his dog food. Usually in the past, we've never been able to keep our dogs out of the cat food, but this is a switch - the dog could care less about their food.

Anyway, I'm trying to discourage this when I see it happening, and there isn't really any other place I can feed the dog that the cats can't get to. Is this harmful to them?
Besides concerns that it isn't properly supplemented for a cat, my concern would be if it contains garlic, which is in the same family as onions (and chives etc.) and can be very harmful to cats. I'd read over the label, and run this by your vet.

And as already posted, cats, unlike dogs, are obligate carnivores, they need protein that is not plant based.

Here are some good links on the topic:
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/tipsforchoosing.htm
and http://www.catinfo.org/
 

scamperfarms

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 23, 2004
Messages
7,299
Purraise
2
Location
Minnesota
try setting your dog on a set meal schedule, and taking up any uneaten food so the kitties can not get to it. thats what we do
 

sunnicat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
2,788
Purraise
1
Location
Central Illinois
I have the opposite problem here, the dog eats the cats' canned food every chance she gets.
Looks like you got some good advice here so far, though.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

jeanor

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 15, 2005
Messages
1,687
Purraise
3
Location
According to my husband... the zoo
The dog is eating Nutro Lamb and Rice

The cats are currently eating Science Diet kitten, but I'm currently considering changing that.

The problem with picking up the dog food is - our (new) dog has some eating issues. He won't run over to the dish and just eat (or inhale like our lab did), I don't know his history, but there are definitely some issues there, so I really feel I need to leave his dish down - but then again,
maybe if don't leave it down all day - he just might get a bit more hungrier when I put it down.

Today they haven't been so eager to eat it as they have the last couple of days, so maybe the newness has worn off already.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by jeanor

The dog is eating Nutro Lamb and Rice

The cats are currently eating Science Diet kitten, but I'm currently considering changing that.

The problem with picking up the dog food is - our (new) dog has some eating issues. He won't run over to the dish and just eat (or inhale like our lab did), I don't know his history, but there are definitely some issues there, so I really feel I need to leave his dish down - but then again,
maybe if don't leave it down all day - he just might get a bit more hungrier when I put it down.

Today they haven't been so eager to eat it as they have the last couple of days, so maybe the newness has worn off already.
I do recommend leaving it down for an hour or so and picking it up and giving a "second" meal later
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
While is won't hurt for the dog/cat to eat each other's food on occasion, a regular diet of the opposite will be harmful to both.

Dog's require less protein then cats and can do better on a veggie type of diet. Cats require much higher protein and really are not suited to be vegetarians; despite what us humans would like to make them.

Cats are meat eaters - not veggie eaters.

If your dogs are not eating their food and its sitting around, you need to either find one they will eat or give them set meals and if they don't eat; take it up and try later. IMO I hate "picky" dogs - our lab will eat all of what we put down at set times - in fact, she growls if Ling trys to take her food from the bowl.
 

bengalboy

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
Messages
22
Purraise
1
My cat always try to get my dog's food. I feed my dog in the bathroom, so Mogley (my cat) cant get to it.
 

erinandseamus

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Messages
348
Purraise
1
Location
Tampa, FL
my cat's love to eat the dogs Nutro Lamb and Rice too. I asked my vet and he said it wasn't harmful if it was just a little bit once and a while.
 
Top