Can Cats Eat Dog Food?

"Marina" wrote in message
...

"JHBennett" wrote
"Marina" wrote

"JHBennett" wrote
I'll spare you all the long story of what's behind the question, but
I
called my Vet's office and got a less than satisfactory answer to
the
question. The person who tried to answer went on about cats needing
a
higher protien diet than dogs, since they were carnivors

This is true.

(and what,
praytell, are dogs?)

Dogs are omnivorous.

Hmmmmm........ Without the human animal to provide *foods* other than
meat,
I'd argue not.

I admit, I know next to nothing about dog nutrition, but have been told
and
read in several places that dog food is not nutritionally sufficient for
cats, because dog food contains much more vegetables than cat food.

Oh, I think I can claim equal knowledge--surly less--regarding dog and cat
nutrition. We just had a close call with little Rattler, our 15 year old...
whatever he is. The arthritis medication we were giving him induced
internal bleeding and he came back from the Vet's with a voracious appetite
for a special diet food @ $1.70/can versus the Pedigree @ 48 cents/can.
Part of what's behind my question is my suspicion that our 3 feral kittens
may have been coming into the house and stealing his leftover Pedigree DF.
The food he's getting now isn't a player since he doesn't leave any behind,
at the moment. However, it seems to be mostly cereal and, from what I'm
hearing, would do them less good than the Pedigree, perhaps even harming
them. What I'm trying to do is understand their various needs so I can
have a better chance of managing the situation. --JB



Dry cat food is not nutritionally sound (don't believe the
commercials!),
and often causes kidney damage.

YIKES! So, if we're letting them have an abundance of dry food, which
they
can dine on at their convenience, and giving them a can of Friskies
every
day (sometimes 2 cans, depending on whether they show up for roll call),
they doing alright, or should I/we be concerned about feeding dry food?

I would decrease the dry food. If they get 1-2 cans of cat food (for three
cats, right?) they don't really need anything else. I give my cats 50-50
canned food and fresh meat, but you may not want to go to the expense for
ferals.

It's not a matter of expense, Marina, so much as doing what you can do. We
had 4 adult ferals who managed to avoid being poisoned by my neighbor. Two
are now safely ensconsed on a hog farm, in the country, some 80 miles away.
Bootsie and White Stocking, our Tom, come when I whistle and I can give them
canned food. Under present weather conditions, it doesn't stay fit to eat
for very long, you see--but that may change as we're starting to get cooler
temperatures. The problem is mostly with 3 kittens who, as far as I can
tell, come up to the house only at night and take the Meow Mix and seem to
have been venturing into the house to raid any dog food Rattler left behind.
After Rattler came back home, I put out half a can of Pedigree for the
cats, to see if they would eat it. WS turned up his nose at it, although
I've seen him eating the dry food, and, when I returned about an hour later
(around 8 PM) the kittens had put in a rare evening appearance, and were
finishing off the DF. Since they seemed to go for it in a big way, I
thought I'd ask about it, don't you see. --JB


Our ferals scarfed up Pedigree dog food, to the last trace in the
bowel. Regarding the need for more protien, if such is the case,
why
not
eat more of it?

Probably their tummies were full from all the veggies in there, which
are
completely useless to cats. They need more meat.

Not sure we communicated here, Marina. My point was they ate all of the
Pedigree I put out for them, as a trial run.

Well, if they emptied the bowls, how do you know they wouldn't have eaten
more?

Granted, it contains cereal,
but it also contains some meat protien as well. So, to get as much meat
protien as they might from some richer meat diet, they might have to
consume
a larger quantity of the canned dog food. I've got about 1/2 case of
the
dog food, which Rattler can't eat anymore. I'm wondering if offering it
to
our otherwise well fed cats will do any harm. Not talking about a
steady
diet of it, just in combination with Meow Mix (with the seafood centers)
and
the Friskies.

Yes, it would have been good to know some context. ) If it's regularly
supplemented with canned food and it's only for a short time, yes, go
ahead,
feed them the dog food.

I'm sorry if I seemed curt at first, but I just have no patience with
people
who think cats are some sort of quirky dogs, which was the feeling I got
from this thread and some earlier remarks of yours.

Hmmmmm...... Something has mislead you ;-) --JB

Cats are a completely
different species than dogs, with completely different habits and needs.
There are also some people, and I'm not saying you are one of them, who
try
to save money by giving cats dog food. Dog food is cheaper because it
contains less meat and more vegetables. But if they want to take good care
of their cats, they should feed them with cat food, not dog food, or they
will run up some huge vet bills later on in the cat's life.

I think cats are really neat creatures, Marina, I'm just terribly allergic
to them. Ergo, I can have dogs for pets, but must stear clear of cats. I
must observe a sanatizing ritual immediately after I pet these critters. or
suffer some ugly consequences.
Cost, you say? Well, it's costing about $1 per day for the bird seed,
the cats run about the same, and now Rattler is on track for $1.70 per day.
Let's see, $3.70 times 365 comes to around $1,350.50 per year. Thanks for
bringing it up, Marina ;-)
Cheers,
Jack
PS--The idea that I might be able to reduce the cost of both bird seed and
cat food comes to mind, if I were to mount the bird feeders a bit closer to
the ground. I offered a similar idea, regarding cost reductions for
Hollywood extras in war movies by using live ammunition, but it was
rejected.

JHBennett wrote:

I'll spare you all the long story of what's behind the question, but I
called my Vet's office and got a less than satisfactory answer to the
question. The person who tried to answer went on about cats needing a
higher protien diet than dogs, since they were carnivors (and what,
praytell, are dogs?) etc., etc. I was told something about needing more
meat, and wondered to myself *whence commeth dry cat food, such as Meow
Mix?* Our ferals scarfed up Pedigree dog food, to the last trace in the
bowel. Regarding the need for more protien, if such is the case, why not
eat more of it?

Short answer: Cats' disgestive tracts are much shorter than dogs.
Hence more efficient at digesting protein, but cannot handle as much
fiber content, and require a more nutritionally "dense" diet. (A dog,
on the other hand, can get fat very quickly, if you feed it cat food.)
Dog food also does not contain some of the nutrients - like taurine -
that cats require more of, and cannot manufacture for themselves.

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
JHBennett wrote:
Hmmmmm........ Without the human animal to provide *foods* other than
meat,
I'd argue not. Not picking a fight, but I see much the same parallel
with

Dogs will eat anything they can put in their mouths. Furthermore, they can
survive just fine on a vegetarian diet. Cats are obligate carnivores,
which
means they MUST eat meat to survive, since they don't naturally produce
all
the necessary aminoacids/proteins they need.

consistent or which makes sense. I suppose it isn't essential that I
know
THE definitive answer, but I am curious. --JB

A great resource for cat nutrition is in Max's page:
http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Ah, many thanks for the web site. I'll check it out soonest. --JB

day (sometimes 2 cans, depending on whether they show up for roll call),
they doing alright, or should I/we be concerned about feeding dry food?

It is better to feed wet food. The worse canned food is better than the
best
dry food.

On a somewhat tangient matter, considering dry cat food, I sense
there
is an argument to be made that cats are no more carnivors than dogs. My

Nope. Cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet, dogs can.

system, particularly with older dogs. He illustrated his point by
relating
how someone had given their pet a chunk of fat from a steak, about a 1/2"
cube, which induced a pancreas attack, leading to the dogs death in less
than an hour, despite his every effort to save it. --JB

How exactly does fat produce a "pancreas attack" (is that like a heart
attack? sounds bogus to me)????

I'm simply the messenger on this one, Victor. Feel free to take it up with
Dr. John Fields @ (618) 242-3136....... Ah, please not to mention my name,
if you call him.
Cheers,
Jack

That seems the consistent answer from the *A* students around these parts.
I have problems with "do such and so" without knowing why, you see. And
thanks for providing the answers.
Cheers,
Jack
"Seanette Blaylock" wrote in
message ...
"JHBennett" had some very interesting things to say
about Can Cats Eat Dog Food?:

I'll spare you all the long story of what's behind the question, but I
called my Vet's office and got a less than satisfactory answer to the
question. The person who tried to answer went on about cats needing a
higher protien diet than dogs, since they were carnivors (and what,
praytell, are dogs?) etc., etc. I was told something about needing more
meat, and wondered to myself *whence commeth dry cat food, such as Meow
Mix?* Our ferals scarfed up Pedigree dog food, to the last trace in the
bowel. Regarding the need for more protien, if such is the case, why not
eat more of it?
So far, I think I've been getting the benefit of well intentioned,
but
unsupported, conjecture. Anybody know the answer?

I do know that cat food contains a nutrient called "taurine" that is
essential to cats [they go blind or worse without it], but that dogs
don't need, so it's not found in dog food in sufficient quantity for a
cat's needs.

--
Seanette Blaylock
"You attribute perfect rationality to the whole of humanity, which has
to be one of the most misguided assumptions ever." - Alan Krueger in NANAE
[make obvious correction to address to send e-mail]

in article , JHBennett at
wrote on 9/5/03 6:19 AM:


"Marina" wrote in message
...

"JHBennett" wrote
I'll spare you all the long story of what's behind the question, but I
called my Vet's office and got a less than satisfactory answer to the
question. The person who tried to answer went on about cats needing a
higher protien diet than dogs, since they were carnivors

This is true.

(and what,
praytell, are dogs?)

Dogs are omnivorous.

Hmmmmm........ Without the human animal to provide *foods* other than meat,
I'd argue not. Not picking a fight, but I see much the same parallel with
cats & dry cat food. Bears are true omnivors, in their natural state.
Domesticated animals, I would argue, might be omnivorous but as a result of
man's influence and, arguably, with both cats and dogs. Academically, I'm
seeking some clear distinction and not having much luck in finding something
consistent or which makes sense. I suppose it isn't essential that I know
THE definitive answer, but I am curious. --JB

etc., etc. I was told something about needing more
meat, and wondered to myself *whence commeth dry cat food, such as Meow
Mix?*

Dry cat food is not nutritionally sound (don't believe the commercials!),
and often causes kidney damage.

YIKES! So, if we're letting them have an abundance of dry food, which they
can dine on at their convenience, and giving them a can of Friskies every
day (sometimes 2 cans, depending on whether they show up for roll call),
they doing alright, or should I/we be concerned about feeding dry food?
On a somewhat tangient matter, considering dry cat food, I sense there
is an argument to be made that cats are no more carnivors than dogs. My
Vet. recently advised that table scraps really tore up a dog's digestive
system, particularly with older dogs. He illustrated his point by relating
how someone had given their pet a chunk of fat from a steak, about a 1/2"
cube, which induced a pancreas attack, leading to the dogs death in less
than an hour, despite his every effort to save it. --JB


Our ferals scarfed up Pedigree dog food, to the last trace in the
bowel. Regarding the need for more protien, if such is the case, why
not
eat more of it?

Probably their tummies were full from all the veggies in there, which are
completely useless to cats. They need more meat.

Not sure we communicated here, Marina. My point was they ate all of the
Pedigree I put out for them, as a trial run. Granted, it contains cereal,
but it also contains some meat protien as well. So, to get as much meat
protien as they might from some richer meat diet, they might have to consume
a larger quantity of the canned dog food. I've got about 1/2 case of the
dog food, which Rattler can't eat anymore. I'm wondering if offering it to
our otherwise well fed cats will do any harm. Not talking about a steady
diet of it, just in combination with Meow Mix (with the seafood centers) and
the Friskies.
Cheers,
Jack


Well, I know that studies have been done on this. We can dig them up if you
insist, but really, it is essential. Now, of course, your cats are outside
and fend for themselves which may help, but if they fill up on dogfood, it
will diminish their hunting. There are certainly cat foods available for the
same price as Pedigree dog food. I don't see the problem you have with the
information.

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/Ta...d_how.html#can

http://www.talktothevet.com/ARTICLES...edadultcat.HTM

http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB...00/PR00523.htm

FCRD


"Feline Central Retinal Degeneration, or taurine deficiency, is a disease
unique to cats. Cats have a nutritional requirement for taurine. At the
present time, all commercial cat foods have an adequate concentration of
taurine for the vast majority of cats, making this disease rare among cats
that are fed a proper diet. It is still sporadically seen in cats that are
on home-made diets, or cats fed dog food. In addition, it is occasionally
seen in cats on an appropriate diet, suggesting that the requirement for
taurine may be even higher for selected cats. Taurine deficiency affects the
cones in the retina, which are most prominent in the area centralis which is
located dorsotemporal to the optic disc. Deficiency will results in a
cigar-shaped hyperreflective lesion in the area centralis. As the disease
progresses, a similar appearing lesion will appear dorsomedial to the optic
disc. Gradually, the two areas will connect and a hyperreflective band will
form dorsal to the optic nerve. If left untreated, slow progression
throughout the entire retina may result in blindness. Correction of the
taurine deficiency will stop progression of the disease, but will not result
in correction of lesions that are already there."


I can find more if you like.

Karen

In article , JHBennett wrote:

I'll spare you all the long story of what's behind the question, but I
called my Vet's office and got a less than satisfactory answer to the
question. The person who tried to answer went on about cats needing a
higher protien diet than dogs, since they were carnivors (and what,
praytell, are dogs?) etc., etc.

Cats need more of some amino acids, like taurine, than dogs. For example,
taurine deficiency can cause blindness. Dog kibble doesn't have the
right balance.

JHBennett wrote:
I'll spare you all the long story of what's behind the question, but I
called my Vet's office and got a less than satisfactory answer to the
question. The person who tried to answer went on about cats needing a
higher protien diet than dogs, since they were carnivors (and what,
praytell, are dogs?) etc., etc. I was told something about needing
more meat, and wondered to myself *whence commeth dry cat food, such
as Meow Mix?* Our ferals scarfed up Pedigree dog food, to the last
trace in the bowel. Regarding the need for more protien, if such is
the case, why not eat more of it?
So far, I think I've been getting the benefit of well
intentioned, but unsupported, conjecture. Anybody know the answer?
Cheers,
Jack
I'll spare you all the arguments for and against dry and wet food and leave
it at this: Dog food does NOT have Taurine which is an essential amino acid
for cats. Without this, they get severe nutritional deficiency and can go
blind.
'
Kristy
--
The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight,
because by then your body and your fat are really good friends.

William Hamblen wrote:
How exactly does fat produce a "pancreas attack" (is that like a heart
attack? sounds bogus to me)????

Look up pancreatitis.

Already have. Didn't see any links between eating fat and getting pancreatitis
(not quite the same as "pancreas attack", is it?) ...


--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

whayface News group please wrote:
If you are feeding strays I would say the the dog food is probably
better then none at all or even possibly what they are eating now. At

Not necessarily.

least they are getting fed. I know that a lot of persons disagree but
I feel that dog food is better for a stray then nothing. At least you
are feeding them. I do not see where it would hurt them.

If by feeding them dog food they stop hunting and reduce their intake of
meat, that can really hurt them.

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
William Hamblen wrote:
How exactly does fat produce a "pancreas attack" (is that like a heart
attack? sounds bogus to me)????

Look up pancreatitis.

Already have. Didn't see any links between eating fat and getting
pancreatitis
(not quite the same as "pancreas attack", is it?) ...


Your gall bladder, where bile is produced which is necessary to
digest fat, is located in your pancreas.

Trust me, if you have gallstones, or an irritable gall bladder,
eat fatty foods and suffer the effects of pancreatitis.


--
Jette
"Work for Peace and remain Fiercely Loving" - Jim Byrnes

http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/