If you have dogs and cats at home, you’ve probably been overwhelmed several times by the question of whether your cat can eat dog food and vice versa.You might even be tempted to buy just one type of food for everyone, after all, they’re similar and the smell is almost the same, right?
However, the truth is that each food is specially formulated for a specific species, so in this article we will analyze the positive or negative aspects of this practice Keep reading and discover directly about Animal Expert what happens when your cat eats dog food!
- Like cat food.
- Dog food is cut in different forms.
- Has different flavors depending on the ingredients it contains and sold in different sizes.
- Depending on the age.
- Breed and size (small.
- Medium or large) to which it is addressed.
- Similarities.
- The two types of food are formulated differently.
In this sense, dog food contains high concentrations of beta-carotene that the dog needs to convert into vitamin A, crucial for its proper development.This food is also characterized by its richness in vitamins and fiber and lower in protein and fat than cat food., as dogs tend to gain weight easily when these components become tall, which happens, they regularly eat cat food.
For this reason, the best thing for your puppy is to eat foods based on their species, race and age.Now, what does the cat need for its nutrition?We’ll tell you below!
Unlike the canine diet, cats need a food rich in protein and fat, with less fiber, yet a diet containing vitamin A is essential for dogs and cats, since their body cannot metabolize it on its own.The same goes for taurine,, an amino acid that feral cats get from meat (especially offal such as the liver or heart), but that the cat cannot produce, so it must be provided in food. Taurine is of paramount importance to the health of cats, as a diet deficient in this substance will cause several health problems in your pet, including heart disease.See the article “Foods rich in taurine for cats” to complete this information.
Likewise, when thinking about feeding your cat, you should keep in mind that it is a carnivorous animal by definition, hence the importance that your food contains a lot of protein, this is necessary for your cat to have the energy to perform physical activities.Although cats look like vague animals, the truth is that during their games, jumps and climbs, they burn large amounts of energy and the consumption of proteins provides them a lot, a cat with a deficiency in this group of foods will end up getting sick.
Another mandatory element of the cat’s diet is arachidonic acid, an important fatty component for feline health; dogs do not need it in food, because their body already produces, while cats need to include it in the diet.
With that in mind, you’re probably worried about your pets stealing food while you’re not looking and wondering: can the cat eat dog food?What are the consequences?
Imagine the scene: you fill the bowls for your dog and your cat, you are distracted for a moment and the cat has already laid its head on the dog’s food, which it eagerly devours. Are you going crazy, is it toxic?
The truth is that when this happens once, the normal thing is for your cat to eat dog food so that you can rest easy, the problem arises when it becomes a habitual practice, either because you have decided to buy the same food for both of you, or because he can’t figure out how to make everyone eat their own food.
As we have already said, food is specially formulated for each species, so if your cat is used to eating dog food instead of yours, their nutritional needs will not be covered.Consequence of that? Your cat will get sick, with signs that are mistaken for any other discomfort, such as vomiting, diarrhoea or excretion, but in the long run this can lead to malnutrition, as well as kidney and liver diseases that, in many cases, are fatal for cats.
If you’re in a situation where you don’t have cat food at any given time and can’t buy it, check out the item below to find out what to give away without damaging your health: Home-cooked cat food.
Now, if your cat eats dog food or vice versa and you don’t know how to stop it, here are some tips for getting it.
As you can see, these simple tips are all you need to know what to do if your cat eats dog food and thus prevent future illnesses.
If you want to read articles similar to Cat Can you eat dog food ?, we recommend that you visit our Food Problems section.