Dog Food V Cat Food

chocolatelover93

So is there a difference really, between dog food and cat food. Cat food is smaller but then if cat's can go out and catch mice and things and eat them then why can't they eat dog food? I'm not talking about the massive ones!!

Dog mixer is cheaper than cat food and my cats seem to waste the cat food because they get it all on the floor and won't eat it off the floor. (They are werid) but they will eat most human food (caught one of them eating broccoli after Sunday dinner once!!).

I was just wondering if it is ok to give cat's dog food? When I lived at home we had a dog and a cat and they would eat each other's food so in the end gave up on giving them separate food we just got what was on offer at the time.

And just to clarify I'm talking about dried food, my cat's only eat dried food because wet food gives them the poo's (it's not nice to clean up if they go in the tray) and is much more expensive than dry food.

GwylimT

They are completely different species with different nutritional needs.

Dry food is the biggest cause of diabetes, kidney disease, UTI and urinary blockage in cats, the worst wet is better than the best dry.

chocolatelover93

GwylimT wrote: »

They are completely different species with different nutritional needs.

Dry food is the biggest cause of diabetes, kidney disease, UTI and urinary blockage in cats, the worst wet is better than the best dry.

Really?! I didn't know that I don't want to hurt my cats what do you feed yours?

GwylimT

chocolatelover93 wrote: »

Really?! I didn't know that I don't want to hurt my cats what do you feed yours?

Mainly raw, although I tend to cheat and buy it ready made, an 80p pack lasts two days when only eating raw. She also does have some wet food (happykittycompany) she also has some zooplus brands (bozita, grau, catzfinefood).

Take a look at the ingredients on your food! I recently went to buy some dry for a rescue as they request wet and dry food, where ingredients were concerned I was uncomfortable feeding any to a cat so I just bought a double amount of wet.

Cats have a very low thirst drive and those who are dry fed are dehydrated, the high carb content is what increases the chances of diabetes. Unfortunately many vets receive so called nutrition training from royal canin, one of the worst quality foods available.

chocolatelover93

GwylimT wrote: »

Mainly raw, although I tend to cheat and buy it ready made, an 80p pack lasts two days when only eating raw. She also does have some wet food (happykittycompany) she also has some zooplus brands (bozita, grau, catzfinefood).

Take a look at the ingredients on your food! I recently went to buy some dry for a rescue as they request wet and dry food, where ingredients were concerned I was uncomfortable feeding any to a cat so I just bought a double amount of wet.

Cats have a very low thirst drive and those who are dry fed are dehydrated, the high carb content is what increases the chances of diabetes. Unfortunately many vets receive so called nutrition training from royal canin, one of the worst quality foods available.

Will have a look when I next go to the supermarket, I don't want them to get infections and things My two do seem to drink a lot could that be because of the dry food I've been giving them?

GwylimT

chocolatelover93 wrote: »

Will have a look when I next go to the supermarket, I don't want them to get infections and things My two do seem to drink a lot could that be because of the dry food I've been giving them?

Yes, if they eat wet they shouldn't need to drink at all. The issue with cats is that they simply wont drink enough to counteract dry food, dogs however will.

Our cat was dry fed when we got her, when we changed her food when she was settles in her urine output increased a lot. They were small pingpong ball clums of litter that changed to tennis ball size and were more frequent. I'm sure you wanted the detail

Decent wet supermarket foods are butchers orange tins meat flavours (not fish) encore pate, lilys and natures menu. Things like felix have grains that cats can't digest and raise their blood sugar, thats why it is like kitty crack! The hilife chicken selection in boxes is fairly good as well.

You can get fantastic food advice from petforums.co.uk

KarlF

Cats need taurine to prevent blindness and heart disease, which isn't present in dog food. It is present in live prey, but is destroyed from the animal in the process of turning it into commercial pet food, which is why the manufacturers add it in as a supplement.

teddysmum

I seem to remember a problem, many years ago,with the original Frolic, which had a dog and cat version. The latter had to be discontinues as it was too similar to dog food and caused health problems in cats.

meritaten

I have to agree that dry food diet is not the best food for animals - its the equivalent of McDs every meal!
I have dry food for my cat to 'graze on' but his two main meals of lunch and supper are Wet foods. He will NOT eat raw meat or poached/roast chicken or lovingly prepared prawns/fish/lamb........he LIKES Sheba or Gourmet Pouches so that's what he gets! oh, he likes the occasional can of Applaws chicken. and Aldi cat food in Pouches is also acceptable.

krlyr

KarlF wrote: »

Cats need taurine to prevent blindness and heart disease, which isn't present in dog food. It is present in live prey, but is destroyed from the animal in the process of turning it into commercial pet food, which is why the manufacturers add it in as a supplement.

Yes. Cats are obligate carnivores, i.e. they must eat meat (they cannot produce their own taurine). Dogs are carnivores, some may argue omnivores infact, so taurine is not such an essential part in their food.

Many of the commercial cat foods on the market are full of fillers to bring costs down though, and the taurine is just an added supplement. You can raw-feed a cat (meats like heart will be naturally high in taurine) and this can work out cheaper than commercial foods if you get the sources right. Not every cat will take to it, though, unfortunately.

If you do feed a commercial cat food, it's a good idea to make a large portion of this a (good quality) wet food, which will put less strain on the kidneys and increase the moisture the cat gets in its diet.

pinkteapot

chocolatelover93 wrote: »

Will have a look when I next go to the supermarket, I don't want them to get infections and things My two do seem to drink a lot could that be because of the dry food I've been giving them?

That's perfectly normal.

The wet vs. dry debate is not as cut-and-dried as suggested on this thread. The scientific evidence is not conclusive yet.

Everyone (including vets) agree that in cats with a history of kidney and urinary problems, wet food is definitely better. However, there isn't conclusive evidence that wet is better for normal, healthy cats.

A cat will naturally drink more when being fed dry. Wet food is 80% water, so they simply don't need to drink much water. However, not all cats on dry food are dehydrated, because most will up their water intake if they need it. You should see your cats drink more on a dry diet - that's normal.

There's a lot of debate around this, so do your own research and decide for yourself, but introduce a major change in diet gradually.