Why do these animals have seperate food categories? Normally, a dog will eat cat food and a cat will eat dog food. However, it could be the case the food is nutrionally balanced for dogs or cats respectively.
Back when I had a dog and a cat, the cat liked to eat the dog food, and the dog liked to eat the cat food. Back then, no one really thought much about what their animals were eating, and I don't think most of us realized that the two had separate nutritional requirements. I have read a bit about this recently, because I've been searching for better food for my cats, and it seems it's not a good idea to stray from feeding your pet food designed specifically for that type of animal.
I agree. I wish I could convince my mom and sister to believe what you wrote, but it's a tough sell. One problem lies in the fact they think cat food comes in smaller amounts than dog food. They also think cat food is more expensive. Both of those statements are false.
I think this link can be helpful for you:Log In I remember feeding my cat dog food before when he gets tired of eating cat food, and I stopped doing that upon learning that cats can become blind if they lack taurine and other stuff on their diet. I don't feed him cat food either nowadays since I learned that the cheap ones can be harmful as well, so now I just feed my cat human food and he has been fine for the longest time.
My Chihuahua-mix loved Fancy Feast Dry cat food. The kibble was small (and probably a little softer since it was for cats)...and he always had problems with his teeth. So I would let him have it every now and then, or he would simply steal it from my cats when they were finished eating...or he'd even push them out of the way so he could finish it up first. That cute little bugger. But then I started reading that cat food can be hard on dogs' kidneys. Also, now I know that it is wayyyy too high in protein for dogs to consume. He didn't care about any of that, he just knew he liked the taste and that it was easy for him to chew. When he got older and the foods he could actually eat were becoming limited, I just started giving him whatever he wanted. He was an old boy already, and I figured it would be better for him to eat something he could actually chew, than nothing at all.
Although dogs and cats have different requirements, if for example, you have run out of dog food and still have a can of cat food in the cupboard, then it wouldn't hurt to give it to them. As long as it is not all the time, but once in a while wouldn't hurt. Years ago, a group of friends and myself would go to a local pub on a Sunday afternoon to watch a band play. We would come back later and all scoff a nice dinner together. Well, they all went off and left me cooking one Sunday so I figured to please them with a speciality. Apart from the roast dinner that I cooked, I also made up a nice curry. Yes, you've guessed it, with cat food! It was 'Whiskers' cat food, so it was a good brand. With a few spices and extras added it looked really appetising. When my friends returned they scoffed up the curry and had seconds. They said it tasted so good that they didn't believe it was made with cat food until I showed them the empty tins!
At times, I try to change the taste by giving some new variety but never have given cat food to my dog. Faline variants mostly like fish based food and my dog never likes that. Once when I made a fish broth for my dog, he just refused. After that, I never have tried to experiment with his food.
I raise rabbits for meat, I eat rabbits because it is the healthiest white meat out there. In the wild dogs and cats eats rabbit that is why dog food and cat food made of rabbit is becoming popular. I kill rabbits on a weekly basis and I feed the offal to the dogs. I do eat rabbit liver but I give most of the offal for my dogs. The rabbit belly is not really a tender meat so I give it to my cats. My pets are healthy and I am also healthy because all of us eats the most organic meat out there.
I am reminded of an issue that came up in the UK. Poor immigrant families were eating dog food. The state decided to raise the price to discourage this type of behavior. All of the sudden, these immigrant communities started getting sick. No one knew what was wrong. Then they found out that they had all switched to eating cat food. Unfortunately, the cat food was not held to the same standard as dog food. Dog food was regulated to be safe for human consumption. Cat food was not. I don't if this is still the case. But if you are looking to make these kinds of trade-offs, it would be something worth checking out.
