Can cats eat dog food?

Many pet owners wonder: can cats eat dog food? The answer lies in the differences between the digestive systems of these two animals.

If you have both a dog and a cat in your household, it may happen that your feline friend tastes the dog’s dinner, or you might think that dog food is suitable for your cat in a pinch. As a responsible pet owner, it’s important to know for sure whether a cat can eat dog food. In this article, we provide a detailed answer to this question.

Can a Cat Eat Dog Food?

In very small amounts, if it’s an emergency or an accident happens, a cat won’t get sick from eating dog food. However, long-term feeding of dog food to cats is not advisable. Although it won’t be fatal, it can have serious consequences. This is due to the very different digestive systems of the two animals. Dog food and cat food contain different ingredients to meet the distinct dietary needs of these species.

Differences Between Cat and Dog Digestive Systems

While cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need a diet based on animal proteins and fats to ensure all their bodily systems function properly, dogs are actually omnivores. Omnivores have a more flexible diet and can easily digest meat, vegetables, and smaller amounts of grains. Dog food, therefore, does not meet the specific nutritional requirements of cats and contains ingredients like grains, which cats have difficulty digesting or cannot digest at all.

Differences Between Dog and Cat Food

Taste

Cats and dogs perceive tastes very differently. This is because cats have only 470 taste buds, while dogs have 1,700 (for comparison, humans have about 9,000). Because of this, cat foods are made to be very palatable to entice even the pickiest of cats.

Protein

Cat food contains more protein, as cats need it to obtain the necessary nutrients. While some dog foods also contain higher amounts of protein, the average dog food has much less protein than what cats require.

Taurine

Like humans, cats cannot produce taurine, so they need to supplement it through their diet. A lack of adequate taurine can lead to issues such as:

• weakened heart;
• vision loss;
• digestive problems.

All commercial cat foods contain taurine, while most dog foods do not.

Vitamin A

Similar to taurine, cats cannot produce vitamin A on their own and need to obtain it from their diet. A deficiency can cause serious issues such as:

• poor coat quality;
• muscle weakness;
• night blindness.

Arachidonic Acid

Arachidonic acid is a fatty acid that cats also cannot produce on their own, so they need to obtain it from their diet. Low levels of arachidonic acid can result in symptoms such as abnormal liver and kidney values, and occasionally increased skin problems.

Dogs can produce this fatty acid themselves, so it is rarely added to dog food.

Niacin

It is important that a cat’s diet includes niacin, as cats cannot produce it on their own. Animal tissue is the most common source of niacin in cat food, and plants have very low levels of it. Foods with lower amounts of animal tissue and higher proportions of plant matter may not provide the necessary levels of niacin for cats.

In conclusion, a cat can eat a small amount of dog food, but if fed dog food in the long term, it can cause serious deficiencies. If you are unsure which food is best for your cat, consult with a veterinarian!