Guardians of the dog-cat herd often wonder what would happen if the four-legged team were fed the same karma … Or is it something wrong when from time to time they mistake the contents of their pupils’ bowls. After all, domestic animals often look at each other with curiosity, and treat the uneaten remains of the second fur coat as a real treasure. Is such snacking harmful to them? Can a dog eat cat food and a cat can steal dog crisps?
What is the difference between cat and dog food?
For the untrained eye, the composition of dog and cat food is not very different. Especially if you compare high-quality food – a high meat content and a limited amount of carbohydrates are qualities that every good product created for home pets should have. However, there are a few differences between dry granules for dogs and cats!
Size of crisps
This basic difference will be noticed by any cat guardian who has a medium or larger pooch at the same time. Compared to dog food, the cat’s crisps are tiny – adapted to the little mouths of domestic murmurings. On the other hand, granules for dogs are a real challenge for most cats, which will most likely not encourage furry to eat leftovers from the dog’s bowl.
Protein and fat content
Looking closely at the packaging, we can also see that cat food has a higher protein and fat content than dog food. However, this difference is not too great, especially for high-end feeds. Typical grain-free dog food has around 30-35% protein and around 12-15% fat. Cat food can contain up to 45% protein and 20% fat. This is due to the higher demand for these ingredients in the diet of the average purse.
Taurine and additives content
Taurine is an amino acid that must be found in every cat’s feed – the lack of such an additive means that the growl will not grow properly, and even get seriously ill. In contrast, dog food does not have to be enriched with taurine – the canine body copes with its production by itself. The situation is similar with the supplementation of vitamin A and some fatty acids, which absolutely must be found in cat food, but are not necessary in dog food. On the other hand, dog food contains slightly more fiber than murmurs require.
Can a dog eat cat food?
Occasional feeding of cat food to the dog does not pose a great threat to pets. Admittedly, too small crisps can lead to choking, but the body of most healthy dogs can handle a larger dose of protein or fat rather easily. Also, an additional portion of taurine will not hurt your pet in any way. However, constantly feeding your dog with cat food can lead to obesity and overload the pet’s pancreas due to excess fat in the diet. Sensitive dogs fed in this way may also vomit and suffer from diarrhea. To give your dog the best diet, we should give him high-quality dog food tailored to his individual needs!
Can a cat eat dog food?
Even if prolonged feeding of a dog with cat food does not hurt him enormously, feeding cats products for dogs poses a serious threat to him! Dog food does not contain the right amount of protein, fat, vitamins and fatty acids necessary for the proper functioning of the kitten’s body. Instead, it has far more carbohydrates that can cause obesity. In contrast, the lack of taurine in the food will quickly lead the purr to serious illness. Therefore, the basis of the diet of every domestic cat should be high-quality food intended just for this species. However, occasional eating a few dog crisps is not dangerous for the cat.