Cat food v dog food

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Is there something inherent in the necessary diet of these domestic pets that means that the specially-prepared cans of chunked meat for one, should not be fed to the other? Only ASDA have currently got a low-price special on the tins of rabbit and kangaroo innards (or whatever goes into them) for dogs, whereas the Whiskas versions of what appear to be exactly the same contents are still full price.

Would my cat turn its nose up at "dog" food? They're both basically carnivores, aren't they? Would it make a cat ill, eating "Fido Chunks" instead of "Pussy Puke"?

[Gerontophile]

Cat food v dog food

Dogs eat anything.

Cats only eat the stuff you didnt buy, which is 20p more expensive.

One has a higher degree of horse flavouring than the other.

[Guest]

Cat food v dog food

I think there's a chemical constituent of some kangaroo organs that is missing from dog food, because they use different parts of the kangaroo for dog and cat food. They add said chemical (which I have, obviously, forgotten the name of, if I ever knew it) to cat food.

A more pertinent answer is that any cat would just know it was dog food.

[Gerontophile]

Cat food v dog food

I know a vet who feeds cat food to a dog, but the opposite would rarely, if ever be true (The dog wouldnt be able to hold the vet's mouth open long enough)

[Ginger Yellow]

Cat food v dog food

The internet claims that cat food has added taurine, which they need, whereas dog food usually doesn't. I suppose you could just pour some Red Bull on the dog food.

[WOM]

Cat food v dog food

Gerontophile wrote:

I know a vet who feeds cat food to a dog

That's one of the signs of PTSD.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Cat food v dog food

Let your cat out, it'll feed itself eventually.

[hobbes]

Cat food v dog food

It won't. It'll just pitch up at someone else's house and get fed there.

[erwin]

Cat food v dog food

There are, of course, human tasters* of these foodstuffs. I'm sure they would be able to verbalise the differences.

(* Up there with proctologist as a job that no one in their right mind would actually want to do).

(edit: Please do not misconstrue the term 'human tasters' here.)

[Ginger Yellow]

Cat food v dog food



Mmmm, human taste.

[Guest]

Cat food v dog food

There's lots of stuff you're not meant to give cats, like parts of pig, but there must also be stuff dogs sholdn't have.

[Gerontophile]

Cat food v dog food

erwin wrote:

(* Up there with proctologist as a job that no one in their right mind would actually want to do).

Says who?

[Gerontophile]

Cat food v dog food

ok, that was decidedly tacky for such an early hour. Wherever.

[Andy C]

Cat food v dog food

Up there with proctologist

I'd really rather not be up there, thank you very much.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Cat food v dog food

I believe cat food contains more nutrients than dog food. Our old dog would only eat Whiskas.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Cat food v dog food

It'll just pitch up at someone else's house and get fed there.

Not at my place it won't.

[MsD]

Cat food v dog food

It's a bit of a myth that domestic cats can adapt to being feral. Abandoned pet cats tend to do very poorly and die within a short time.

On the food, yes they need different nutrients, dogs have evolved to eat a wider diet, and cats are almost pure carnivores, as I tell my cat when he's begging for chips, bread, crisps, even nuts and seeds. Loves a chip butty, he does.

[Guest]

Cat food v dog food

My Hobbes loves peas, beans, sweetcorn, salad leaves, tomato sauce, curry, yogurt, raw mushrooms, cheese, and most of all, Quorn.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Cat food v dog food

One of my cats once stole a slice of red pepper off my plate, presumably mistaking it for a prawn, and was violently ill all over the carpet.

It was a while before the Happy Wok let us back in again.