Is it safe to feed dog food to cats?
The best cat food and dog food may look similar, but there are key differences in their ingredients. This is because cats and dogs have different nutritional needs, so cats shouldn’t eat dog food, and vice versa.
What’s so different about cat and dog food? Well, cats are ‘obligate carnivores’ — they cannot survive without meat in their diet. That’s because of an amino acid called taurine (opens in new tab) that isn’t found in plants, but is found in meat. Whilst canines (and humans) can make their own taurine from other amino acids like methionine, cats cannot. If they don’t eat enough taurine, they quickly have severe effects. Cat food therefore always has plenty of bioavailable taurine, whilst dog food may have it, or may not, or may have it in only small amounts. There are other differences too – cat food generally has a higher protein content and higher amounts of the amino acid alanine.
Because of these key differences in the nutrient content of cat and dog foods, dog food is not safe for cats. Cats that eat wet or dry dog food won’t be getting the required amount of taurine, alanine, and protein. Taurine deficiency in cats causes blindness and heart disease that is quickly fatal.
Can Cats Safely Eat Dog Food Long-Term?
No, cats cannot be maintained on a dog food diet.
If a cat is only fed dog food for a long period of time, then detrimental, if not deadly, consequences can occur.
This is because dog food and cat food formulas have different nutritional components in order to meet the different nutritional needs of these two species.
If it’s so bad, why do cats eat dog food?
Just like humans, cats don’t always know what’s good for them, and many will happily tuck into a bowl of dog food. Some might simply like the variety – cats seem to be fussier and more easily bored by their food than their canine counterparts. Other cats might prefer the flavour or texture of the dog food.
Lastly, some cats are just greedy. They’ll quite happily finish their bowl of food and scout around for anything else within reach. If it’s unusual for your cat to be greedy, it might be worth talking to your vet. An increased appetite (called ‘polyphagia’) is a symptom of hyperthyroidism and of diabetes, both of which need medical attention before they cause more severe symptoms.