Is It ok to feed a cat dry dog food?

Feeding your cat dog food for one evening won't hurt it aside from maybe giving it a belly ache. Sudden changes in diet will upset their tummies. Also, don't make a habit of feeding your cat dog food as it is missing a few key nutrients like taurine, vitamin A and arachidonic acid. If a cat is fed dog food on a long-term basis, it can cause heart problems, blindness and respiratory problems. Please see the link below for more information! http://vetmed.illinois.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=189

My family has 3 cats and we have changed their food a bunch of times and none of them have gotten sick, so I dont think that that is true. Also our cats sometimes eat the dog's food and the dog sometimes eats the cats' food and they are all perfectly fine. Humans can change their diet quickly and have no problems, so why wouldn't it be the same for pets?

hehe.. I dunno about that, but if a cat is really hungry, it will eat anything that u feed with.. If u are really scare that dog food is not suitable, then maybe u can try feeding your cat homecooked food instead.. hehe ^_^ ANd that's what my fren is feeding her cat with.. ANd when i asked her, she just said that it's more economical for she need not specially buy cat food.. haha

unless they have special needs (my cat can only eat prescription cat food or he will get bladder stones and possibly die) then no but if they are healthy i think you could do it and get away with it till you felt good enough to get their food.. i had to feed my dog pop corn a day or two because i ran out of food once and had no way of getting to the store.. she loved it.. but dogs arent as picky either

Hi cassandralynn, I don't think it will do them any harm for one night, if you have fish in the freezer or other can fish food in the cupboard that will be fine, good luck. and get well soon. Tamara

We once had a stray wander into our yard at a time when we only had a dog and we fed her dog food for a couple of days until we could get some cat food. Granted she was starving and any food is good food at that point but she seemed to do alright. If it's only for one day they should be fine. It's really all the same stuff - chicken, beef, vegetables. As far as not changing their diets too quickly.... I've heard that but never experienced it and I've had a lot of cats in my life. And you're not really changing their diet, just altering it a bit for one meal.

well its advisable no to feed your cat dog food as though they contain the same ingredients most often they are still for different species altogether.... now keeping in mind your condition and that you are too sick to get out of bed its ok right now to feed your cat the dog food but make sure you dont make it into a habit.... remember dog food is always dog food and cat food is for cats....

The short reply would be no - the formulation is wrong for them. But one day would not hurt them I would have thought. I had to chuckle at some of the replies that you have had as well

one day won't hurt them.you just can't do it all the time because dog food doesn't have the taurine cats need for eyesight. changing cat's diet-some cats do have a slight reaction to a quick diet change, some don't react at all.but after having 13 cats in my life,i can tell you most often the reaction is...faaaaaaaaaaaaart.seriously.probably because some foods are richer than others.

It won't hurt them to eat dog food for a day or two. A steady diet of dog food isn't healthy though. Dogs and cats have different nutritional requirements. Dog food doesn't have enough taurine in it for cats.

Yes, it is true. My mother is a vet tech. You should never feed acts dog food either. The chemical make up of the 2 are different. Made specifically for the different animals needs. Dogs and cats need different nutrition.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't feed a cat dog food. Cat's been around long before catfood or dogfood were invented. They're just actually scrap meat labeled as such. Why not try to feed her just a little? If she liked it then I guess you wouldn't have a problem with that. I understand your concern, I have a dog and I love him so much. Sometimes I really spoil him. I sometimes feed him chocolate would you believe? Just don't forget to buy her usual meal when you're feeling better ok?

No i dont think so because dogs and cats need some special and a different things to eat, maybe your cat will eat the food of the dog but maybe he or she will get sick or something like that because they dont will have the nutritions and minerals than they need, but i dont really know it at 100% ask to a veterinary and he will tell you :D have a good night and hope you will have a very very good week ;) see you soon and bye bye :D

Thanks for the info, I thought I was the only one that had a fussy cat. My cat loves Sheba (nice price too) but some store don't carry it. So yesterday I bought the Cesear for little dogs and he devoured it, nothing in the bowl. Usually if his royal highness does not like something we give him, he will splash water from his water dish and makes soup. Just another thing to clean up. So for the 30 cents more, I think I will be changing him from Friskies - to Sheba/Cesaer. Thanks for all the comments this was very helpful. Have a good day everyone!

Yes for sure its ok, its only a once off in an emergency, it wont harm it at all...

I don't think it will do anything to your cat, just don't feed it a bunch at a time. We used to feed our dogs cat food, whenever we ran out of dog food, they seemed to like it alright, it didn't do anything to them.

You did'nt state if your cats were indoor or outdoor prowlers. I'm thinking indoors. I would put the dog food down anyway, unless you do have tuna or salmon in your cupboards, if they are hungry enough they will eat it. If they are indoors, I would get some grass for them, that way if their stomachs do get upset this will help to either calm it down and could possibly make them get sick and spit up what's bothering them. They won't starve and will be just fine for the night. Outdoor cats, may not eat a stitch of it and take care of themselves by hunting outside. All animals are survivors, so they will do what needs to be done to take care of themselves until tomorrow. They, cats, dogs, all animals, took care of themselves long before we took them in as pets. Indoor cats are tougher, and unfortunately we all spoil our pets, that eating something different may not appeal to them but don't worry yourself sick about it. If they don't eat it, they will be alright for one day and obviously not hungry enough for if any living creature would make due if they are hungry enough. Seeming you are not changing their diet for good, just subsituting for one day/night, it's really no telling how they may take to it or not, but I would have the grass available for them. That's their natural stomach ache cure.

As far as I know food is food. I would give you cat whatever you've got in your home. If the cat is willing to eat it, I bet it wouldn't be too harmful. I guess it would be pretty safe to check with your vet, if he or she is on call. However keep in minds vets are always super cautious.

It's not good for cats to eat dog food and vise versa but for some reason, my dogs love cat food and my cat loves puppy chow. I don't make it a habit to let my cat eat dog food but she has ate it several times and she is healthy. So, in my opinion, it wouldn't hurt the cat to do it one time.

I think cat and dog is meat eater, so what dog eat may be cat can eat to. It's fine for me that cat, can eat dog food for a while until you can buy the cat food