my dog eats cat food and my cat eats dog food. will this be bad for them?

Answer 1

Each kind of food is formulated for the species. However, often cat and dog foods you can buy are pretty bad even for the species they are intended for.

There are a number of tricks for keeping the dog out of the cat food- it's not as easy to keep the cat out of the dog food (I know from experience!)

We feed our cats on a wet bar in our family room. They can jump up there easily and their food is out of reach of the dogs.

My cousin put a cat door in the door of a closet and feeds her cats in there. Her dogs are large and cannot get in there. If you have a small door you can make this work by getting one of those cat doors that only opens for the animal wearing the remote control collar that goes with it. Put that collar on the cat and voila!

Many dog owners do not allow free feeding for their dogs- the dogs can eat only for a period of time twice a day, then the bowls are put away. This might be a good solution to prevent cats from eating dog food. (I've resorted to this because one of my cats has severe food allergies and dog food causes her problems.)

Cats are true carnivores- they need primarily meat in their diets, with just a little vegetation- no grain at all. Look at the label on your cat food and you'll be alarmed. Most kinds contain mostly corn- a nutritional substance cats not only do not need, but that is not good for them.

Dogs are omnivores but need more protein than people do. Again, they don't need any grain and most dog foods contain huge amounts of grain.

It's worth spending a little extra on a healthful diet- real food if you can do it.

Answer 2

A little bit does no harm but obviously the foods are prepared for each individual species. Cats are true carnivores, they will not eat (in the wild) any fruit or vegetable - just meat while dogs are omnivores. So cat food has way too much protein for your dog adn dog food has a lot of things a cat doesnt need - it also lacks taurine that cats need and dogs dont.

Answer 3

My vet told me that the Cat food is not good for the dogs becuase it lacks important vitamines that dogs need, and can make a dog, throwup or have the runs.

Answer 4

I wat told it's worse for the dog, but it won't kill them. Make sure your dog gets some dog food to ensure it gets all the right vitamins. It doesn't hurt for the cat to do vice versa either. By the way I'm sorry I think they were the left over of my mad scientist days. Unfortunately the machine I used to switch their brain is broken. My Igor evidently wanted to be a woman and short circuited the machine when he tried it on himself. Thats what I get for hiring from third world nations.

Answer 5

i'm no expert, but i believe so. my aunt works for a veterinarian and i told her once that we were feeding my cats dog food when we ran out of cat food and she told me to stop right away. apparently the foods are formulated for the specific digestive tract of the animal. sometimes dogs can get diarrhea from eating cat food, i know that.

Answer 6

Dogs are omnivores, cats are pure carnivores. Dog food would not provide enough protein for your cat. Cat food would not provide enough essential vitamins and minerals for your dog.

Answer 7

Eventually..yes. Each animal has specific nutritional needs which will not be met by eating food designed for a different species.

Answer 8

I heard that it is bad for them. Has something to do with the vitamins or nutrients.

Answer 9

It won't kill them, but it doesn't provide the right nutrients and they can develop digestive problems later.

Answer 10

no it wont my pets do the same and its normal everone has a taste for something different