If you’re lucky enough to share your home (and your heart!) with both a canine and a feline friend, chances are there’s been more than a few food mix-ups. Whether by accident on your part or gluttony on their part, dogs and cats who live together are often drawn to one another’s dinner. But can dogs eat cat food and vice versa? Or could mixing and matching be bad for their health?
Let’s find out!
What’s the difference between dog and cat food?
Before we get into whether or not dogs can eat cat food, it’s important to understand the difference between dog food and cat food. After all, they have fundamentally different nutritional needs.
Like us humans, doggos are omnivores, which means they eat a combination of meat, grains, and vegetables. Cats, on the other hand, are carnivores. More specifically, they’re what’s called “obligate” carnivores, which means they literally need to eat meat to survive.
Because our feline friends only eat meat, they have greater protein and fat requirements than pups. Of course, they can still have the occasional carbohydrate, but it’s not nutritionally necessary. Additionally, cats need taurine, which is an amino acid (basically, a protein building block) found in meat and fish. With all this in mind, technically speaking, all commercial dog food is considered insufficient for cats. That’s because it lacks the taurine, protein, and fat they need.
On the other hand, because dogs can eat a wider variety of food, it’s not uncommon for them to be tempted by the smelly, fatty, protein-filled goodness that is cat food. Which is what may lead you to the following question…
Can dogs eat cat food?
Now that we know about the different nutritional needs of dogs and cats, it’s time to answer the big question: Can dogs eat cat food?
Well, while cat food isn’t necessarily bad for dogs, it’s not recommended for our pupper pals to partake of Felix’s dinner too often. Why? For the simple reason that it’s not designed for them.
A standard doggy diet with a combination of healthy, lightly cooked food and high-quality dog kibble will meet all their nutritional requirements. The occasional treat (including even some human foods) is perfectly fine. Likewise, it’s not the end of the world if your mixed-species furry friends accidentally share food. But as a rule, your pup shouldn’t really eat cat food.
Because cat food typically has a high fat content, too much can lead to obesity, pancreatitis, and other negative health outcomes. For that reason, pups with already compromised health (those with sensitive digestive systems and kidney or liver disease) should avoid cat food as much as possible.
That said, there are a few instances in which it may actually be good for your dog to eat cat food. For example, pooches needing to gain fat or muscle mass may find it a beneficial tool. For dogs with low appetites, the occasional serving of cat food can be more palatable than their regular dog food. Still, it’s worth consulting with your vet before making any major changes to your pup’s diet.
Can cats eat dog food?
Now we know the answer to the question of “can dogs eat cat food?” isn’t quite a “yes” and isn’t quite a “no”, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s a similar story for cats eating dog food.
Dog food generally contains a mix of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Protein and fat is fine for cats (obviously), but carbs can complicate things a little. The occasional small bit of rice or corn isn’t going to harm your kitty at all. However, it’s simply not necessary for their diet. And, unlike dogs eating cat food, there isn’t any instance in which dog food could be beneficial to cats.
Even though eating dog food won’t put your cat in any danger, they can’t live off it on a regular basis. Commercial cat food is designed to have a higher fat and protein content than dog food to cater to their obligate carnivorous diet. Without enough fat and protein, your cat could become lethargic and weak. Also, dog food doesn’t contain taurine, which is essential for a cat’s vision, digestion, heart health, and immunity.
How to stop dogs eating cat food and vice versa
We’ve figured out that dogs and cats eating each other’s food isn’t dangerous, but at the same time, it’s not recommended, either. Of course, this may make mealtimes in multi-pet families a little more difficult – particularly if your pets like to share!
Here are some tips to help prevent your dog eating cat food and your cat eating dog food.
- Make sure their bowls are easy to differentiate. Neither dogs nor cats can see the full range of colours that humans can, so that blue bowl for Fido and green bowl for Felix might not be the best choice. Instead, choose bowls that are different sizes, shapes, or vastly different colours (like black and white) so they can tell the difference
- Feed them in separate areas. If you’ve got enough room in your home to do so, try to feed your dog and cat in separate areas. Cats, in particular, prefer to eat alone anyway, so it’s a good habit to get into
- Feed them at separate times. Can’t space their meal areas out physically? Try separating them by time. If your pets eat one big meal a day, try feeding one in the morning and one at night. If they eat a couple of smaller meals per day, space them out by a couple of hours if possible
Supervise. If all else fails, supervision is always the best option. That way, you can intervene if it looks like any meal-swapping is going on
