Cat food versus dog food - per a veterinarian:
Cat and dog food are fairly different in many ways. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they have to eat meat so their diet should consist of mostly meat and a higher protein level. Dogs are omnivores and their diet should consist of higher fiber than for cats.
If a dog eats a lot of cat food, or exclusively cat food, they will be eating far too much protein which can lead to indigestion and eventually kidney or liver damage.
If a cat eats mostly dog food, they will not be getting the amino acid taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) - which comes from meat and is added in extra amounts to dry cat food. Taurine can be synthesized by dogs and humans from other amino acids, but cats cannot make this themselves and must get it from their diet. Dog foods do not have an adequate level of taurine so a cat on a dog food diet would gradually develop heart failure, blindness and muscle degradation.
In summary, a cat can snack on dog food without real harm as long as they mostly eat their own cat food. Some cats with sensitive stomachs will vomit because of the high fiber content. A dog should not snack on cat food because the high protein and fat levels will upset the digestion of most dogs, and also dogs ten to wolf down cat food rather than nibble a few kibbles (like the cats do with the dog food) so they take in higher amounts. It's best to place the cats' food up somewhere high where the cats can jump up to eat but the dogs can't get to it.
[It's not protein in general but specific types of protein!]
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