Is it healthy for a puppy to eat catfood?

Question

I have had a puppy for about 2wk( for my son), I also have an indoor cat. I bought puppy food when I got her. The cat and dog have their own bowls, but the puppy will only eat cat food. Both kinds are dry food, just different shapes. I have just been feeding all cat food, because my cat likes her own undisturbed bowl. And it is cheaper that way. But I want to know if it is safe for my puppy. I am not sure why she refuses to eat puppy food.

Answer 1

It won't HURT him, but he really needs the nutrition from the dogfood moreso than catfood. Kind of like if a human were to eat bird food or something; it wouldn't hurt us, but wouldn't neccessarily fulfill our individual human dietary needs either. Try different varities of dogfood. Different brands, different flavors, different sizes, etc... Dogs can be really picky about food too even though cats are most known for it. Try moving the catfood away from him (onto a counter or something) and encourage him to eat his own. Try adding just a little bit of milk or something to help him get interested in his own. You can also sprinkle a little bit of the catfood that he likes on top of his own dog food then slowly wean him into just eating his own food. That's what we had to do with my dog.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You should NOT be feeding such a young puppy cat food. Cat food has a significantly higher protein content then dog food which is going to negatively affect the puppy's health.

Dogs do not require as much protein as cats so their digestive systems do not normally tolerate it very well. Most dogs will have runny stole, smelly flatuence, or vomit due to the high protein.

Even more significant is the fact that the high protein will force the puppy to grow at an unnatural rate which means that its muscles and bones will not develop properly. Later in its life it experience bone and muscle problems like hip dysplasia and arthritis.

The odd nibble here and there wouldn't hurt a dog but it would be cruel to feed them a continuous diet of cat food. Not to mention the fact that you will be making a lot of visits to the vet with a sick dog. Stick to feeding a high quality dog food like Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Fromm, Evolve and away from the low grade foods like Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Pedigre and so on.

We care so much about our pets, it's time people started realizing that pet nutrition is just as important to animal health as it is to human health.

good luck.

Answer 3

Cat food is really bad for dogs it has heaps of salt in it so if i was u i would move the cat bowl out of reach for the puppy .If you find the puppy wont eat his food then put a tiny bit into the puppy food and train him to eat it that way, I hope that helps

Answer 4

I was told that cat food contained to much protein for dogs and was bad for them. However my dog gets the cat food all the time and shes 6 years old and very healthy. Can you maybe feed the cat somewhere the dog can't reach and only give the dog his own food he will eat it when hes hungry enough. They always do :)

Answer 5

I think the puppy likes the cat food more than his. My dog used to be real funny about dog food and then I bought her some beneful with the red on it.. She loves it and it is the only dog food she will eat. It costs more than the other dog foods but it is very nutritious with plenty of vitamins. Buy a small bag and try it. If the dog eats it, then that is the dog food for your dog.

Answer 6

Cats and dogs have diffrent nutritional needs but my cat eats my dogs food all the time and he's fine so just try mixing the cat food with the dogs food so he gets some of what he needs.

Answer 7

i raised dogs for a number of years and often started my puppies on cat food because it is easiy for them to chew. you might try mixing a little dog food with the cat food and gradually making it more dog food than catfood. also, put the catfood up higher where the puppy cant reach it. right now i have a cat that likes dogfood, and a dog that likes catfood !

Answer 8

It's fine, dog and cats each other food all the time. But maybe try putting the cat food up higher so the dog can't get to it.

Answer 9

It isn't safe and the dog for some reason will always choose cat food over dog food. I had to place our cat food on a window sill to keep our Pomeranian out of it. It has the wrong PH balance for their digestive system, eventually will cause them to throw up more often , causes them to gain to much wait and has the wrong nutritional value. Once I put the cat food out of reach she went back to her puppy chow lost 1.5 pds and her bowel movements returned to normal.

Answer 10

Try a premium brand of puppy kibble, such as Canidae, Innova, Solid Gold, Wellness, Wysong, etc.
He likes the cat food because it has more meaty flavor, but those kibbles I listed will be even more tasty.
No, kitten kibble is not good for him as a diet, as canine and feline requirements are different.
However, a little kitty food will do no harm.
I feed my pups 1 tablespoon of kitten kibble in their puppy food, as a source of Tuarine, which is beneficial to their cardio/pulmonary developement, and is lacking in puppy kibble.