A question for pet owners (dogs and cats living together)

snapppyd

God is Great, Beer is Good and People are Crazy!
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
9,586
My sister told me yesterday that her young dog keeps eating the cat's food. I told her that I thought the PH was wrong and could make her sick. Now the dog is constipated.

Is cat food harmful to dogs?
 
My 13 year old collie will only eat cat food, the vet says let her eat it at her.
 
Depends on the dog. When we had a grey hound rescue the vet told us cat food could kill the grey as the veracity with which it would eat it could cause bloat. Deep chested dogs are very susceptible to it.
 
My Lab Retriever eats the cat food, and it's not really caused any issues except that some of the cat food has soy and the soy makes my dog itch.

I try to feed them in different rooms and shut the door when the cats are eating, and don't put a lot of cat food out at once.
 

Our older dog sneaks in and eats the cat food when no one is nearby to stop him, and he's never been sick. It's just more annoying because a) he's being sneaky and b) the cat comes whining for more food and won't stop until he gets some
 
Thanks, I feel a little better now!
 
Our cat eats the dog food, our dogs eat the cat food. We haven't had any problem, except our bullmastiff gets smelly gas when she eats too much cat food.

Our foster animals all eat each other's food too, and nobody's had any problems except the wolfhound a few months ago who had a really sensitive stomach.

I wouldn't worry unless you actually see it causing problems.
 
I don't think it is best to feed them that diet but they are not going to come to harm from gobbling down the cat food either. In some situations if that is all a dog will eat then it might not be that big of a deal. It is not harmful unless they have a sensitive stomach and react to the food negatively.

All of the dogs I have ever had have always always wanted to eat the cat food. I have always fed my cats in a place the dogs couldn't get to..on top of a desk or dresser or under/behind a bed..etc. Partially because it would give the dogs horrible gas and partially because..well..the cat got no food because the dog(s) would immediately eat it as soon as it went down.

It would probably be easier for the cat if she finds a location where the dogs can't get it..it will keep the cat from being territorial over their food as well because they won't have to feel like they have to protect it as well.
 
I don't think it is best to feed them that diet but they are not going to come to harm from gobbling down the cat food either. In some situations if that is all a dog will eat then it might not be that big of a deal. It is not harmful unless they have a sensitive stomach and react to the food negatively.

All of the dogs I have ever had have always always wanted to eat the cat food. I have always fed my cats in a place the dogs couldn't get to..on top of a desk or dresser or under/behind a bed..etc. Partially because it would give the dogs horrible gas and partially because..well..the cat got no food because the dog(s) would immediately eat it as soon as it went down.

It would probably be easier for the cat if she finds a location where the dogs can't get it..it will keep the cat from being territorial over their food as well because they won't have to feel like they have to protect it as well.


I tried telling my sister to put the food up high. Her answer? "The dog is tall" :lmao: I'll talk to her tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond :thumbsup2
 
I tried telling my sister to put the food up high. Her answer? "The dog is tall" :lmao: I'll talk to her tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond :thumbsup2

:rotfl: Odds are if it is up somewhere the dog will not go for it because it is more work..when it is right there it is easy pickings. We had a gigantic german shepard and putting it on my desk (the top of it was a bit below hip level to me..my dogs head hit that level on all 4s) but he didn't bother with it..out of sight, out of mind to some extent ;)
 
Cat food has a higher fat content than dog food. It is really better for them to eat their own food. I have a baby gate I put up when my cat is eating. I am sure Lucy could jump over it if she tried, but she never does. She just stands at the gate and watches Katy eat.....with longing. The cat never even tries to eat the dog food (not tasty enough I guess!)
 
Cat food isn't formulated properly for dogs. We have always had both and have always put the cat food up high or behind a door the dog can't access.
 
My dogs don't eat the cat food because they don't have access to it. we have a baby gate with a small door on the "cat room" the cats know how to open the door and the big dogs don't fit through the small door. I also feed the cats on their tree far enough were our pomeranian can't get to it. It depends on the dog it depends on the food but they should not be eating each others food. My cats have never tried to eat dog food.
 
I keep the cat food in the office room (technically a bedroom) with a gate that the dog can't access but the cat can.
 
I have a 9 year old westie that will only eat cat food. He won't eat it if I am standing watching him and he will sulk to his dog food dish and eat the dog food. Cat won't eat the dog food. In his 9 years it hasn't caused him to have any problems. Though maybe that's why sometimes I think he thinks he is a cat.
 
My mom had this problem when she got her first dog. Her solution was to take a big rubbermaid container, turn it upside down so that the lid was the floor, and cut a hole in the side big enough for the cat to fit through but small enough that the dog could not get in. I think the cat loved that she could go in there and the dog could see her happily eating her food but couldn't do anything about it!
 
Cat food has a higher fat content than dog food. It is really better for them to eat their own food. I have a baby gate I put up when my cat is eating. I am sure Lucy could jump over it if she tried, but she never does. She just stands at the gate and watches Katy eat.....with longing. The cat never even tries to eat the dog food (not tasty enough I guess!)
Yep, cat food has a much higher fat count. If a dog eats only cat food, he is going to be in danger of getting way too fat.
We keep our two cats food in the dining room, gated off from the other rooms. Yes, that means two gates, and we do have to step over them, but it's exercise I guess.
And the cat box??? Down in the basement, up on a bureau. It's one of the covered ones.....otherwise our dog would be in it all the time!!!! He loves the kitty box!!

It is a bit more work to keep the foods apart but it's worth it.
 










Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE














DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top