Dog won't stop eating cat food

[schmitz]

Is it true that cat food is bad for the dog? I have a really weird situation in my house. We just got a kitty and the two get along really well, but both like each other's food. The cat won't stop eating dog food and the dog won't stop eating cat food. In fact they won't eat their own food! Any suggestions?

[dukedogsmom]

My dog loves the kitty's food. He wouldn't stay out of it, either. We've got the cat's food up on a cabinet in our office where the dog can't get to it. Now, I don't know what to tell you about keeping the cat out of the dog's food. Maybe you should go to the cat area and ask them?

[Genny]

it's ok; my dogs actually prefer catfood instead of dogfood too.

[Elf Shadow]

lots of dogs like to eat cat food.i dont think its very bad for them but it does have a higher protein content than dog food cos cats need it more.

[crow_noir]

The only major problems come from when cats eat nothing but dog food. Taurine levels in dog food are too low for cats.

That and if a low energy dog eats too much cat food it can get overweight rather quickly.

[Jessika]

Cat food contains taurine which is necessary for felines, so if a cat eats nothing but dog food then you will run into some problems.

I suggest putting your cat's food out of the dog's reach, and don't leave food out for your pets to eat whenever they feel like it. My dogs are fed twice a day, and they have their bowl empty in about two minutes after I give them the OK to eat. The dog kibble is also probably too large to be appetizing for our cat, but on rare occasions he has eaten some.

Our cat is a free-feeder now but we have his food up and out of the dog's reach so they can't get into it. Problem solved :)

[emc]

My dog is a really picky eater and sometimes I've fed her cat food (even though I don't have a cat). She seems to like it better than the dog food. Go figure.

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[moosmom]

My friend had that problem. She put the cat food and litterboxes in a large room and put babygates up in the doorway. The bottom babygate has a hole in in large enough for the cats to get through, but too small for the dogs to make it in.

[schmitz]

Cat food contains taurine which is necessary for felines, so if a cat eats nothing but dog food then you will run into some problems.

I suggest putting your cat's food out of the dog's reach, and don't leave food out for your pets to eat whenever they feel like it. My dogs are fed twice a day, and they have their bowl empty in about two minutes after I give them the OK to eat. The dog kibble is also probably too large to be appetizing for our cat, but on rare occasions he has eaten some.

Our cat is a free-feeder now but we have his food up and out of the dog's reach so they can't get into it. Problem solved :)

Thanks for your suggestions. Even if my dog had nothing to eat the whole day and we just poured in his food to his bowl, he wouldn't eat it. I try feeding them about the same time, so he'll follow me and the kitty to the other room to eat the kitty's food instead... I tell him no and he'll listen, but I often feed them before I leave for work and after I get home, so when I'm gone I'm sure he's eating all the kitty's food.

[schmitz]

My friend had that problem. She put the cat food and litterboxes in a large room and put babygates up in the doorway. The bottom babygate has a hole in in large enough for the cats to get through, but too small for the dogs to make it in.


I might try that! :)

[Carol Bulger]

I have a poddle that loves cat food but it makes her fat as a pig which is not good for such a small dog, she's a toy poodle. The vet told me to definately keep her away from it. Animals are like people, not healthy to be over weight.

[Canis-Lupess]

Cat food is high protein which generally does not do dogs any favours...anything from weight gain, hyperactivity, skin problems, even to liver and kidney problems and these are all things I've heard of dogs suffering from when on higher protien diets so allowing a dog to eat too much cat food isn't a great idea. Even active working dogs can end up skittish and not perform properly on a high protien diet. I was reading where one guy who has a farm with dozens of working BCs and he trials them etc..mentioning how one dog was too pushy and forward and difficult to control until somebody mentioned his protein intake and when it was reduced, he improved loads and won his first trial the season after....and he was an active working Border collie. You don't get any more energy demanding than that in a dog.

The others have mentioned the Taurine issue anyway.

[Freedom]

I was going to add what Canis Lupess just said.

Cat food is high in protein. THAT is why dogs love the taste. However, their body can't use all that protein, so the kidneys work overtime getting it all out of the blood stream, and out of the system. This means the kidneys will fail over time. They can't keep up that high work load.

Dog food is . . . dunno. My cats eat it, too. Don't know why they like it, they aren't supposed to!

I feed everyone in different rooms. Food goes down, doors get closed. With this many pets, I am using 3 bedrooms, one bath and one hall. By the time I get the last one down, the first ones have had their time limit so I just keep going around opening doors and lifting up dishes again. No one is on free feeding, except Ruffles overnight. She sleeps in a bedroom by herself with a full dish. Sometimes she eats half, sometimes 3/4. During the daytime, she gets fed anytime she asks, in a room by herself.

It is musical doors around here. Everyone has different food, as well. Light cat, regular cat, senior cat, kitten kibble, and z/d low allergen. Two dogs are on soft food which has to be made up specially (2 different types, naturally :rolleyes: ) and 2 dogs are on dry kibble.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Cats are finicky, so mftrs entice with a ton of flavor. My prob has always been keeping the dogs out of the litter box, because cat food tastes better than dog food even the 2nd time 'round. One thingyou do not want is your dog eating scoopable litter. It can form a solid block in the stomach, necessitating blockage surgery. Blockage can be lethal.
You'll need to keep the foods out of reach of each.
My cat will eat dog chow. It isn't as good for her as cat food. Each is designed for the animal needs.
Cat food is too rich for dogs,and you'll see digestive upsets often (read: runs).
When one of my dogs is on a hunger strike, I mix canned cat food in with his kibble to get him to eat.

[Canis-Lupess]

HAHA, so it isn't just our Jess then. phew!!!

Our cats don't have a litter tray and are just trained to go outdoors but Jess does like to go rummaging after cat poos in the garden when she gets chance.