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Is It Okay To Let My Dog and Cat Eat Each Other's Food?

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Is It Okay To Let My Dog and Cat Eat Each Other's Food?

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Do your pets try to eat each other’s food? If so, it’s not a good idea to let your cat eat the dog’s food or your dog eat the cat’s food.

A little dog food now and then probably won’t hurt your feline friend. But a steady diet of dog food could make a cat ill. Cats are strictly carnivores – meat eaters – so they need more protein than they’ll find in kibble that’s meant for omnivorous dogs. Cats also need specific B-complex vitamins and amino acids that aren’t found in dog food.

On the other hand, a dog’s occasional nibble out of a cat’s bowl probably won’t hurt him. But cat foods are high in calories, so a dog that heartily eats cat food could become obese. And obesity is a serious health risk.

So if your pets try to snatch food from one another, keep them separate while they eat.

– Dr. Andrea Looney, DVM for the “Purina® Animal Instincts” Podcast Series

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