Can stray cats eat dog food and it not hurt them?

Question

we have kittens and a pregnant momma cat outside of our home and their really skinny, we have a dog so i was wondering can they eat dog food? please no smart answers

Just short term till my mom buys some cat food, I feel bad cause theyre really skinny, and theyre very nice cats, but our apl or animal control w/e they are wont take any more animals in cause they are overloaded, but I also dont want them put down or to die so I try and help them

Answer 1

Actually dog food can hurt Cats, butmore in a developmental fashion.
Processed animal foods are formulated justfor that specific animal, so if you provide a different formula then what's needed to an animal it will hurt them regardless if whether or notthey have a home.
I'd go out and buy some cat food formulated for new mothers, they require different nutrients than a female not lactating just like humans. I'd also look into some suppliments for the whole family geared toward kittens for the babies and lactating mothers for the mom.
Get the mother's trust, invite her to make a home with you, and have her spayed as soon as your vet recommends- homeless pets are not only sad little things but disease carriers to indoor pets they happen to cross pathes with.
If you really can't see spending that kind of cash on strays put out some small chunks of RAW chicken with all the skin and fatty stuff still on it. Putting out a regular dish of fresh cool water and the occasional saucer of milk (I highly recommend buying some canned kitten formula- you canfind it at any vet office or supermarket for less than $3 bucks a can) can help the mother emmensly, she's probably very dehydrated from the strain of caring for her babies.
Don't forget the value of a cool shady place. Strays are funny about being closed in but a real simple shelter that's open on all sides (and with some fresh hay and rags inside) can be alluring.
Feed them there always to get them used to the feel of it, and don't touch it again after settingit up- strays can be pretty sensitive to people smells.
If you don't plan on taking them into your home yourself (something you probably can't do because of your dog) please call animal services. They can and will do all the proper procedures to get that little family healthy enough to be adopted (kittens go fast because they are cute)
If you're worried about a shelter's thoughts on killing animals they have after a certain amount of time call around and find one that doesn't do that. You might have tofib about living near to that shelter but if you're really worried then that's a possibility.
There's also a wealth of independant animal rescues inall cities. Stop by the county animal shelter for a list or google/ dogpile the heck out of it for your area till you find something (dogpile is google, yahoo search, msn search, ask jeeves, and a few other engines all in one- www.dogpile.com)
You can also find them homes when they're all healthy and friendly enough through Craigslist. (www.craigslist.com I think.) Its a free classified ad page that has a base in every city nationwide, not to mention a few out of our own country/continent too.
Good Luck and thanks for the pts.

Answer 2

The dog food is surely better than tuna and milk. The best thing to do though is take the family in to a shelter or rescue, as they're just going to breed and continue to make more cats and kittens. When we feed strays we become responsible for them, and this includes providing them with proper care - including spaying. Before I get thumbs down - no, dog food is not really a suitable food for cats. Cats and dogs have different nutritional needs. Cats have a much higher protein and fat requirement than dogs do, and they also need taurine, which isn't present in dog food. The best thing is of course to get some proper cat food to feed them.

Answer 3

A Stray cat can eat anything if it's hungry enough but dog food isn't good for any cat. theres not certain nutrition that a cat nedds in dog food

Answer 4

Cat food has a lot of turine in it, which is very important for a cats diet, they can eat dog food which has some turine in it but not as much as a cat needs, and it is better than nothing but if you want to really feed the cats get some cat food.

Answer 5

I would buy some cat food but you really should have animal control pick them up. You also might be able to get a cat rescue there to do a neuter and release deal. The dog food is not good for them but its probably not going to kill them either. Cat food is really better.

Answer 6

NO! after a few days of eating dog food cats will go blind dog food doesn't have all the nutrients that a cat needs

Answer 7

They can eat dog food, but it isn't recommended for long term nutrition. Stray cats eat a lot of things, but it is not always best. Please get some cat food, and since she is pregnant and going to nurse, she needs extra nutrition. When she has her babies, please have her trapped and fixed and the kittens adopted out.

Answer 8

WELL,,, If it does then they will not be strays anymore and will not bother you again.
But dog food will not hurt a cat. RELAX

Answer 9

Yes they can, I feed dog food to my 4 cats all the time, my neighbor gets free samples for her dogs at pet smart and gives me the food cause she dosen't want to change what she feeds her labs. Yea it don't hurt a thing

Answer 10

call animal control, and have them set out a cat trap for her...is she the mother to the kittens? If she is, be sure to keep an eye on the trap...if you want to keep her around, once she is trapped, take her to the vet and get her shots...and get her fixed ASAP! An old neighbor of ours brought in a single unspayed cat, in 1 yr, we were overrun with cats! If you don't want her, take her to the local SPCA...a city animal control (if they remove her) will more than likely, put her down after the babies r weaned, or will send her to a non-no kill shelter.

Good luck