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Is it safe for cats to eat dog food?
Yes, it is – but not on a regular basis. Just like cat food, dog food contains plenty of healthy meat and veggies, so there’s no need to worry if your feline friend sneaks a few pieces of kibble from the dog’s bowl.
However, if you were to feed dog food to your cat as their daily diet, the poor feline would likely become very ill.
Why can’t cats eat dog food?
Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they must eat meat to survive. Dogs, on the other hand, are omnivores, and while they won’t say no to a juicy steak, they can thrive on a much wider variety of foods.
Therefore, dog food usually contains grains and vegetables in quantities that are too high to be optimal for cats.
What’s the difference between cat food and dog food?
Proteins
As cats need meat to survive, a cat’s diet needs to be high in meat-based proteins. Not only do dogs need smaller amounts of proteins, but they can also thrive on plant-based proteins. As a result, dog food typically contains lots of veggies, fruits and grains, where high-quality cat food should be brimming with meat.
Taurine
Taurine is a vital amino acid for cats. Without it, our feline friends simply cannot survive. Most mammals can create taurine inside their body by combining building blocks found in their food, but cats can’t – they need to get taurine from their diet.
As dogs can in fact synthesize their own taurine, dog food doesn’t contain nearly enough of the amino acid to keep a cat healthy. To make matters worse, a taurine deficiency in cats is very dangerous, as symptoms include reproductive problems, permanent vision loss, and heart disease.
Vitamins A & B3
Just like they can’t produce their own taurine, cats also can’t create their own vitamins A and B3. While most dog food does contain these vitamins to some degree, it’s likely not enough to fulfill a cat’s needs. Without these vitamins, cats can get a dull coat, muscle weakness, and even night blindness.
Arachidonic acid
Another nutrient that cats need to get in through their diet is arachidonic acid. This fatty acid is found in meat and eggs, but while dog food often includes these ingredients, it may not hold enough arachidonic acid to meet a cat’s needs.
