Is it ok for cats to eat dog food?

Question

My cat will only eat dog food and if I dont give it to hime then he will not eat for days. I have tried all types of cat food. So is dog food ok for cat long term?

Answer 1

Dogs are omnivores cats are carnivores

Try canned which is better for your cat anyway

Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat’s health

Contrary to what you may have heard; dry foods are not a great thing to feed a cat.

Please read the label on what you are feeding? What are the ingredients? Do you know what they mean? Is the first ingredient a muscle meat like chicken or is it meal or other things? Learn what meal and other things mean here.

http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_How_To_Rea...

Dry foods are the number 1 cause of diabetes in cats as well as being a huge contributing factor to kidney disease, obesity, crystals, u.t.i’s and a host of other problems. Food allergies are very common when feeding dry foods. Rashes, scabs behind the tail and on the chin are all symptoms of food allergies probably from the grains. Constipation? Dry food, not enough moisture. Blockages? Again not enough moisture in the food and you are risking something serious. People on this board say feed fiber but this is a cat not a dog and cats are obligate carnivores unlike dogs an they don't eat cereal and don't need fiber.

The problems associated with Dry food is that they are loaded with carbohydrates which many cats (carnivores) cannot process. Also, Most of the moisture a cat needs is suppose to be in the food (Cats are not naturally big drinkers) but in

Dry, 95% of it is zapped out of dry foods in the processing. Another thing, most use horrible ingredients and don't use a muscle meat as the primary ingredient and use vegetable based protein versus animal. Not good for an animal that has to eat meat to survive.

You want to pick a canned food w/o gravy (gravy=carbs) that uses a muscle meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have corn at all or grains  at least in the first 3 ingredients if at all. Fancy feast is a middle grade food as it uses a muscle meat as the first ingrediant. 9lives, friskies whiskas are lower grade canned but still better then dry and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods.

Many foods are not mentioned here but if you read the labels you wiull know if it is qualaty. The price offers no guideline.

The optimum food to feed cats has no grains whatsoever, cats have no use for them and many have trouble processing them as well as the carbs. IBD is another disease that is rapidly becoming common amoung cats because of the inappropriate diets being fed.

Also, dry food is not proven to be better for teeth. Does a hard pretzel clean your teeth or do pieces of it get stuck? Why do people constantly repeat this old wives tale and put teeth over the organs like the kidneys?? (I have no clue)   http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bp...

Please read about cat nutrition.

http://www.newdestiny.us/nutritionbasics...

http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.ht...

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.ht...

Answer 2

In essence, no! Cats are pure carnivore and their digestive system and body is designed to eat protein based foods only.

Dogs are omnivores, like us humans, so this means they can eat a wider variety of food types including carbohydrates, that are bad for cats.

Unfortunately, you will find too much carbohydrates in dry cat food and is best if you do have to feed your cat dry food, to get the best quality high protein low carbohydrate makes such as Innova, Wellness and Nature's Variety. Links below explain about dry food and high protein need for a cat in it's diet -

http://cats.about.com/od/dryfood/tp/prem...

http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html

http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/dryfo...

It maybe worth your while trying your cat out with a raw diet. It's much healthier for your cat, and since you say your cat won't eat wet or dry cat food, I definitely think it's worth trying him with minced rabbit to begin with as it's easier on the tummy than beef or chicken.

Here are some wholesome raw food with all the minerals and vitamins already added for a balanced diet -

http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/

http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/about-prize...

and a site with advice on raw feeding -

http://rawfed.com/myths/cats.html

http://www.rawfedcats.org/

http://www.rawlearning.com/

All the best and good luck with sorting her finicky eating habits.

Answer 3

No - cats need the amino acid taurine that dogs can manufacture themselves, so it's not added to dog food but it is added to cat food.  He absolutely needs cat food.

Answer 4

No... it's not ok. Cat food has special added vitamins that cats MUST have or they can suffer heat disease and blindness.

Feed your cat only cat food... even if you have to sit there and feed him one bite at a time out of your hand.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It's completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don't need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol' house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones,  urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall,  wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

I recommend varying the diet with a constant rotation of accepted canned foods that your cat enjoys. If you do this, and allow your cat the same assortment they would have in nature when eating mice, bugs, birds and rabbits, your cats’ digestive system won't be so sensitive and you won't have to run around looking for a specific brand when your store is out. You will have a nice variety to choose from instead.

Canned foods I recommend for your rotation:

Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.la...

Wellness Grain Free Formula’s - http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_welln...

By Nature Organics - http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/productp...

Organix -  http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/store/org...

Evanger's Holistic Pheasant - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/20089...

Evanger's Organic Braised Chicken - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50103...

Evanger's Turkey & Butternut Squash - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50111...

Answer 5

Try mixing the dog food your cat likes with what it should be eating.

Answer 6

No way!

There are some who believe that it is all right to feed dog food to cats. There are others who feel that it is all right to feed cat food to dogs. It is time to set the record straight on the nutritional habits of our favorite furry family friends. "Cats are very peculiar in their dietary requirements," says Dr. Allan Paul, small animal Extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at

Urbana. "They are not small dogs."

The first major difference between cats and dogs, explains Dr. Paul, is that cats are true carnivores, requiring a diet mainly of meat and meat products. Dogs are omnivores, having the ability to exist on a diet of meat and plant products.

"There are certain nutrients that cats need that can only be found in animal sources," claims Dr. Paul. "Dog foods are higher in grain products and lack some of these essential nutrients."

Taurine is an essential amino acid that is crucial for a cats health and is only found in animal tissues. Without taurine in the diet, cats can experience heart problems, blindness, and respiratory problems. Dr. Paul remarked that the blindness caused by a lack of taurine in the diet was first seen in cats that were fed strictly dog food.

The next nutrient Dr. Paul mentioned was vitamin A. Dogs have the ability to convert beta-kerotene to vitamin A. Cats on the other hand need pre-formed vitamin A in their diet, which can only be found in animal tissues.

Arachidonic acid, a necessary fatty acid, can be synthesized by a dog using linoleic acid. The cat is unable to do this and needs to ingest arachidonic acid in their diet. This, too, can only be found in animal tissues.

Finally, Dr. Paul stated that cats have a much higher protein requirement than dogs because they use protein as an energy source. "Because of all of these differences, you should not feed dog food to your cat," states Dr. Paul. "Because cat food is not formulated for dogs, you should not feed cat food to your dog. If you would like further information on this topic, contact your local veterinarian.

Answer 7

Yes and no.

With ONE exception that I know of, commercial dog food isn't designed to meet a cat's nutritional requirements.  Cats eating a long-term diet of ONLY dog food would eventually sicken and die.

There are some foods out there that can be fed to both cats and dogs, but I believe most of them require additional supplementation.  So I guess it's somewhat fair to say that if you feed your cat dog food, it's probably ok so long as you supplement properly.

However, my other concern would be that there are ingredients in it that are ok for dogs that aren't for cats.  Grains are one example but there are other things that might be hazardous as well.  

I would suggest you let us know which food it is and we can perhaps advise you as to the suitability of the ingredients.

The one exception that I mentioned is Nature's Variety Instincts canned food (only the canned).  In my blog about it I mentioned that I wouldn't hesitate to buy the dog food if they were out of the cat food.  Ironically, this happened last night!  So I stand by what I said.  http://runeamok.multiply.com/journal/ite...

If I were you, I'd try very hard to get your cat to eat cat food.  Try more varieties and try bribes.  There's bound to be something he will eat.

From my blog:

1. Buy the best. See http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedf... for suggestions, and also see my blog on identifying good foods http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-ytgWjlI5e... Although you don't want to feed fishy foods more than 2-3 times per week (http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac... ), you might want to get a few. The stronger smell may be more appealing, and perhaps you could use it as a topping on other foods as well.

2. Buy as many varieties as you can. Get different brands and different flavors. Also try different textures - some prefer mushy food, others prefer ones that are chunkier.  You just never know what's going to appeal to a cat.

3. Offer a teaspoonful or so of the new food in a separate bowl at feeding time. Do this at every meal. The idea is that kitty will finally realize it's food and will give it a shot. By offering just a small amount, you'll avoid digestive upsets should he or she be willing to give it a try.

4. If he tries any, note which brand/flavor it was. You may then want to focus on that brand or that flavor in other brands. But don't be fooled. The cat may eat it all up but then never want to eat it again. So before buying a case of a food that he seems to like, make sure he's going to continue going for it.

5. You can try putting a smear of food on his nose or mouth. That'll cause him to l**k it. If he likes it, he may try more.

6. Bribes. Crush some kibble and sprinkle it over the top. Try fish or liver flakes, parmesan cheese, a drop of soy sauce, meaty baby food (with no added onion or garlic), whatever it takes.

7. You can run the food (in a container of course) under hot or warm water or even nuke it for a few seconds to bring it to "mouse body temperature." This may also release the scent and that may draw the cat in.

Answer 8

Nooooooooooooo! Simply put, dog food does not provide the nutrients required by cats. Eating a little bit of dog food won't kill a cat. But a cat fed exclusively on dog food can not only go blind, but can develop a heart condition, called feline dilated cardiomyopathy. They can die so don't do it!