Is it bad for cats to eat dog food?

Answer 1

If the cat eats dog food instead of cat food, then yes, dog food can seriously malnourish the cat after a period of time. Cats have far more nutritional needs than a dog and dog food doesn't contain these essential nutrients such as taurine. A small amount of dog food will not harm the cat, but this must NEVER consist as part of cat's daily diet.

Cats need a diet consisting of a high meat content - probably more so than dogs. Meat is mostly made out of proteins and fats, and cats use these as their primary energy source. Here are a few things that are present in cat food that are not in dog food:

Taurine: Cats cannot synthesize this compound (unlike dogs and most other mammals), so they must get it straight from meat. Animal tissues such as poultry and fish are naturally high in taurine. If there is not enough taruine in the cat's diet can lead to heart problems and blindness.

Vitamin A is another component cats cannot produce. Dogs can use a compound called "beta carotene" (its what gives fruits and vegetables such as carrots the red-orange color) and turn that into Vitamin A. Cats cannot. They need to get Vitamin A from meat.

There are also number of fatty acids cats cannot synthesize in their bodies but dogs can, so feeding a cat food specially made for them is the safest option as all the nutrients are included in the food.

Answer 2

Dogs eating cat food is less than ideal - the nutrient blend is different so you may end up with a rather chunky dog. The reverse - cats eating dog food - is a serious problem. Cat food is enriched with additional taurine (an essential amino acid) because cats cannot synthesize taurine on their own. If your cat is eating strictly dog food, it may develop a chronic taurine deficiency which can cause heart and nerve problems and is potentially lethal if left untreated long enough.