Can Cats Eat Dog Food?

Cats and dogs can coexist. Sometimes, someone has a dog and a cat in the same house. When cats and dogs live side by side, cats will likely be attracted to dog food or vice versa. Maybe you have caught the cat trying to eat your dog's food. And then a question, can cats eat dog food might arise in your mind.

Cats are animals that have very cute and obedient behavior. This is of course as the owner has to take full and proper responsibility for the cat at home as well as possible so that the health of the cat is maintained properly.

Can Cats Eat Dog Food? Especially with Royal Canin?

Choosing cat food is an important aspect of raising a cat. The right cat food will keep cats healthy, full of energy, and at a good weight. Do not worry, Royal Canin has passed the quality control, so it will help to fulfill the nutrition need of your pet. In addition, the food chosen must also appeal to the cat's appetite. There are many types and products of cat food on the market, and it can be very difficult to know which cat food is good for your cat. Choosing Royal Canin as your pet food can be one of the best decisions. Especially when a cat and a dog are in the same house, maybe the question of whether can cats eat dog food crosses into mind.

When reading the information label, make sure the first three to five ingredients listed are the most important. Because these ingredients have the largest percentage in cat food. Since cats are carnivorous animals, cat food must contain real meat, for example, chicken, fish, beef, goat, or turkey as the first or second listed ingredient.

Here are some important ingredients in cat food that are good for your cat:

Real meat as the first or second ingredient.
Foods that do not contain by-products.
Rice or rice eggs natural sources of fat, such as fish oil or sunflower oil.
Probiotics fiber from vegetable sources.
Vitamins and minerals such as taurine, vitamins, and linoleic acid.
Vegetables and fruits such as sweet potatoes, cranberries, carrots, and apples tocopherol, namely vitamin E which is used as a natural preservative.

Once you get home, make sure to place and store the cat food properly. Here are some tips that you can do to do so:

On every cat food package, there must be an expiration date or "best used before". Make sure to always check the expiration date when buying cat food for the safety of pet cats. If the food supply is expired, throw it away immediately as this is too risky for the cat's health.
Cat food that has been opened should be sealed and stored in a dry, airtight place. Storing in a dry place can maintain the quality of food so that cats stay healthy when consuming it. Do not store food in damp places. This is because humid air can lead to the development of mold and bacterial contamination such as salmonella.
It's best to avoid mixing food stocks as it makes it more difficult to control expiration. In addition, separating new and old food stocks will also avoid the transfer of bacteria that may have multiplied.

Having cats and dogs at the same time? Here are some tips that you might want to do to keep them in a proper way.

Store in Containers in the Kitchen

Since smaller pets such as small dogs and cats consume less food, their food packages can be stored separately in flour tins or cookie jars. Whether it's wet food or dry food, store it in an airtight container to prevent the smell from escaping.

Always use Odor Resistant Material

If the pet food has been stored in the cupboard, of course it is mandatory to remove all the contents in it first. Then, seal the cupboard with baking soda, coffee grounds, cotton pads, or with silica gel. Then dip in vanilla essential oil.

Put Newspaper Around It

Newspaper can be a powerful deodorizer. So the smell of pet food can be maintained properly. And of course it will stay dry. The way to close it is to crumple the newspaper and it can last for the next few days.

Cat food is usually added with various nutrients that the cat's body cannot produce itself. For example, taurine is generally rarely found in dog food. If there is a deficiency of taurine, the cat's heart can be weak, eyesight becomes poor, and digestion can be disturbed. After reading this part, you might want to make sure regarding the question of whether can cats eat dog food. Here is the explanation

Protein Requirements for Dogs and Cats

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AFFCO) provides specific protein requirements for dogs and cats based on dry matter that will help to provide evidence for the question of whether can cats eat dog food. Food requirements for cats are different from dogs.

Adult dogs: at least 18 percent.
Adult cats: at least 26 percent.

It is probably safe if a healthy cat eats small amounts of dog food occasionally, but not often. Commercial dog food and cat food appear to be similar but they are different.

Do not give dog food to cats as a daily menu. Long-term feeding of dog food to cats can cause health problems and possibly even death. Dog food has different formulations than cat food because their nutritional needs are different. So the answer to the question of whether can cats eat dog food is no.

Additional Information about Cat Food to Help Answering Question Can Cats Eat Dog Food

Taurine is an amino acid that is only found in animal protein. Dogs on the other hand are capable of producing their taurine.

Vitamin A also cannot be produced by the cat's body. The vitamin A content in dog food is usually not high enough for a cat's needs. Vitamin A is important for cats for healthy eyes, coats and muscles. The question can cats eat dog foods is now clear because it is already explained above.