Cat and Dog Food Issue? Any suggestions?

Question

I recently and a proud owner of a 2month old Siberian Husky and 3 month old Tabby. They are getting along nicely and have no agression towards eachother and love to play. But, me and my fiance have noticed that when both fed they both eat eachothers food. My cat will eat the dog food and my dog sometimes eats the cat food if there is some left. Both currenlty share the same water bowl as well. Is it just fair to just buy Dog food only? My kitten can not jump to high places for him just to eat his own food and he still goes to the dogs food as well. IS it ok for them to this or do i need to seperate them? Is it ok to just buy one type of food and let them both eat that ?

Answer 1

its okay for them to eat the others food occasionally, but it would be alot better for them to eat the right food, becuase of the ingredience.

Answer 2

Congratulations on your new additions!  

You should continue to offer dog food to the dog and cat food to the cat.  If they get into each others food, it will not hurt either one.  However, cat food is higher in protein and fat that dog food as well as contains a very important nutrient called Taurine.  Without this added protein, fat, and taurine that is in cat food, your cat could end up very ill over a period of time.  Therefore, it is important that your cat have cat food available.  

What works best at my house to keep the dogs out of the kitty food is a baby gate.  I put up a baby gate with bars into my laundry room. The cats can walk right through the bars to eat their cat food and the dog can't fit through.  This way, the cats has the right food available to her and the dog is not eating the more pricey cat food.  

Good luck with your new little ones--I hope they grow to be great friends!

Answer 3

Unfortunately you can't let your cat eat the dog's food more than on small occasions. The reason being is that cat food is designed specifically for cats. This means that there is added agents such as taurine in cat food that will not be found in your dog's food. Also there is a lot more protein found in cat food than dog food. This is because while a dog will sometimes eat a variety of foods in the wild (even vegies in odd circumstances), cats are completely meat eaters. If a cat doesn't get the vitamins and minerals it needs it can result in a shortened lifespan or poor health.  

Answer 4

sorry you DO have to feed them seperately

cats are true carnivours - dogs are not

cat food is supposed to have much higher meat content than dog food.

as a result - dog food is bad for cats.. and cat food is bad for dogs.

you will have to find a way to feed the kitten seperately - make a way for it to jump up onto something - like a washing machine or someplace.. where it can have its food all the time...

of course dogs are supposed to have any uneaten food removed 1/2 hour after feeding times so the cat wont find his food anyhow