Is it safe for dogs to eat cat food?

Answer 1

Cat food is specialised for cats. Cats have specialised nutrition requirements that slightly differ from a dog, so the ingredients and the vitamins, etc. used in cat and dog food will be different.

Cat food is unlikely to be harmful to dogs, although it is not recommended that they eat this. Cat food is very high in protein and fat compared to dog food, so it is likely that dogs would prefer cat food, as it would naturally taste better. Due to the higher fat and protein content, cat food could cause weight gain in a dog if it eats cat food on a regular basis.

A bit more:

Cats require a higher protein amount than dogs do, so cat food is much higher in protein than dog food is. Too much protein can cause kidney damage to dogs, even possibly resulting in kidney failure. So it's best to give dogs only dog food, and give cats only cat food.

Answer 2

No, dog food is not safe for cats. If a cat eats dog food instead of cat food it 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 natually high in taurine. 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 vegatables such as carrots the red-orange colour) 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.

Another Answer

it is ok once in a while but it can not be the cats main staple cats need taurine which is not found in dog food if they do not get it they will suffer disfiguring disease and eventually die