Households that have cats and dogs together

[heidiiiii]

Do you catch Rover eating Meow Mix? Or Kitty eating Mighty Dog?

It happens in my house. Perla is not a hoover with her food. Chis like to eat lil bits during the day so I keep her food dish down with a small amount for her for the day.

I have always kept the cat bowl out since forever. Cats are healthy and not obese either.

But I catch them....eating the wrong food. LOL

Chingy is about 16 yrs old (we really arent sure) and he is a mouthy siamese. He had been losing weight and the girls started calling him Bones (like the tv show). Then in the past few months he has been adding some heft to himself. Shinier coat, more spring in his old step....I caught him! He has been nibbling on Perla`s dry dog food! I do see them eating their correct food all the time but every once in awhile they decide to walk on the wild side.

Do you have the same smorgasbord going on in your home?

[Esther]

Before our dog died, we used to feed the cat on the bathroom counter. The dog couldn't reach it. The cat didn't care for dog food, but the dog would eat the cat's food like it was steak!

[AmyD]

My husband once bought home cat food instead of dog food (the bags look exactly the same) his dog only picked at it but my dog ate it right up. My dog also samples the cat food at my father's house, but doesn't care for the kind my father buys. She usually walks away after a taste or two.

[New Day]

We used to free feed our oldest cat, Kiki, when she was an only, but once we started adding new pets, we had to stop. They all get 2 meals a day, and eat separately. Lola on a leash in the kitchen since she is a piggy and will take everyone's food, Blossom in the den, Sushi in the living room, Hope on the stairs (her choice), Grace at the top of the stairs (also her choice of spots), and Kiki in the bedroom with the door shut, since she will bully the kittens to take their food as she likes theirs better. We have to do it that way since 2 are on prescription food. When I first started it that way, I gave Kiki 4 meals a day, then 3, then down to 2. She does fine with it now. The cats usually don't finish their meals, the dogs always do.

BTW, when I was growing up we had a dog and a cat who loved each other's food. The vet told us to feed them both the cat food because it was more nutritious. Don't know what the experts would say nowadays.

HTH and Good luck!

[Wolfie]

Princess doesn't like the cat food, but the cats Tigger and Poe think hers is gourmet fare..... I catch them licking her bowl clean - like they don't get enough?! Princess never touches their bowls or water probably thinking that that would be beneith her dignity, but the cats don't care. they drink from her bowl of water too. Creatures of opportunity I calls them!

[chesterfieldzoo]

My dogs will eat anything. I put up baby gates everywhere. I fed the cats in the bird room. The dogs dishes are usually spread all over the house. My other dogs just ate from a large plastic tote on the floor, but I still had to lock up the cats dishes.

[Missymew]

My next door neighbour has the dog's food and water dish at the bottom of the staircase (basement) in the hallway. They keep the cat's food, water and litterbox in their laundry room just off of that hallway. They keep the laundry room door closed at all times. The cat enters the laundry room through a cat door.

This way the dog is kept out of the cat's food, water and litterbox.

-Susanne

[Esther]

This way the dog is kept out of the cat's food, water and litterbox.

That's pretty smart. Our dog used to "police" the litterbox occasionally. Ewwww!

[havanaholly]

Because cats' & dogs' nutritional needs differ somewhat I wouldn't want them eating each other's food. I don't care that the occasional feral cat or 'possum cleans up Mellie's leftovers (they'd starve to death if they deppended on them!), but I only put food out for the feral cats when The Beautiful Melody goes off to board.

[heidiiiii]

Oh gosh Esther! Our dog Pokie used to do that! EWWW! Like it was chicken mcnuggets!

We had put some stuff in her food that would make the taste of THAT worse to her. Didnt work. I NEVER let that dog lick my face again. LOL

[nechee]

We had tp out the cats dishes on our chest freezer in the basement. The dog was afraid of going down the basement stairs and just whined at the top of them. The cats never cared for the dog food and never even touched his water dish. But when the cat food was upstairs the dog thought it was all for him. Then again the dog even thought that the people food in the cupboard was all for him too. I can't count the number of times he ate an entire loaf of bread or got open all the packages of spaghetti. I swear if he could have opened cans he would have gotton the canned goods too.

[christinee]

Our dogs would eat anything and everything that's edible so in our old house, the cats were fed on a counter in the laundry room with a baby gate to keep the dogs out (we had the litter boxes there too and the dogs LOVE the litter boxes (eeewwwww). In our new house, the cats have their own room which is a spare bedroom converted into a "catch all" room. There they have their litter boxes, food, toys, and a sunny window with a shelf to look out over the yard and watch the wildlife.

[Shakyshaky]

Chester runs out the door if he thinks kitty has left something in his dish. Kitty does not come inside so he can't eat Chester's food, but it is my understanding that he used to eat out of the food dishes of the dogs of the people who lived here before us. My vet said that one of the foods has more fat and if the other animal eats it too much it will cause them to gain weight. ( Can't remember which is which though. )

[honey]

I have 2 dogs and 1 cat. The cat eats on top of the dryer and the dogs eat one at a time on the floor. I can't feed both dogs at the same time because the chow will eat the cocker, then eat the dinner. lol

[sweetpeas]

We have to feed ours seperately, our older shih tzu will barge the cat out of the way to steal his dinner and he also does that with the puppy (he lives to eat!!!).

[KathieB]

From the ASPCA Blog: Link

I have a seven-pound Yorkie/min-pin mix who regularly eats dog food, but whenever I go to my father's house, she eats our cat's food. Is this bad for her?

―Megan

It sounds funny, Megan, but many dogs prefer to eat cat food. Since it's higher in protein, fat and calories, it's more tasty. However, most dogs will still eat their own dog food if they aren't offered another choice. Remember that the nutritional needs of cats and dogs are different, and their foods are formulated to meet those specific needs. Although it is not usually harmful if a small amount of the wrong food is eaten, nutritional imbalances affecting your dog's health could occur if this continues long term. Dietary changes can also cause gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea. If at all possible, when visiting your dad, I would recommend that you take your dog's food with you and that you do not allow her to go near the cat's food.