Cat Kibble As Dog Treats?

[brody_smom]

Has anyone thought of this, or done it? My dog loves the cat's food. I know cats shouldn't eat dog food because of the high purine content, but is there any reason why dogs shouldn't eat cat food? The pieces are small already and price-wise it's a whole lot cheaper than most other treats.

 

[sara]

Cats shouldn't eat dog food because its not higj enough in protein and lacks taurine. I have never heard about what you said... however, yes, I use cat food all thw time for treats. I also feed it to my dogs sometimes lol

 

[brody_smom]

Cats shouldn't eat dog food because its not higj enough in protein and lacks taurine. I have never heard about what you said... however, yes, I use cat food all thw time for treats. I also feed it to my dogs sometimes lol

You're correct, Sara, I was mistaken. It is the absence of taurine, not the presence of purines that make dog food unhealthy for cats, in addition to the low protein content.

Glad to hear that it is a suitable choice for dog treats. Brody finds it fairly high value, so it will be very handy to use for training, rather than his own kibble, which is a little large. However, I found that putting some kibble in a baggie with cut up cheese and hot dogs, and leaving it in the fridge overnight softens the kibble considerably, making easier to use for training rewards as I don't have to wait so long for him to chew it!

 

[Pawbla]

Hmm, it's not good for them. I just heard my aunt (vet) talking about something similar with my grandma a couple of days ago. If I remember correctly it's too fatty (and some other stuff I don't remember, sorry!) and can cause damage in pancreas and/or liver? Sorry, I forgot! But it's bad for them. I don't think a piece or two would hurt, but I wouldn't use a big amount of it, nor use it daily.
My dog loves cat kibble and steals it whenever my cat leaves some, but I try to make sure that he doesn't eat any.

 

[sara]

Sorry. That's not exactly true... though it's been considered a rule for a long time. Cats and dogs are both carnivores and while dogs no longer need taurine, high fat and protein isn't bad for them as long as the fat and protein is digestible ans bio available ... not corn gluten meal. Dogs that already have pancreas problems obviously have to be on a low fat diet... but healthy dogs are perfectly fine having a high protein/fat meal now and then... besides. My dogs' food and cat's food are pretty equal in fat and protein content.

 

[648117]

Someone at agility used to bring cat food to use as treats.
She would have cat food and cheese and when she ran it would fall out of the bait bag she had around her waist, lol.

 

[Linda A]

I use kitty kibble from time to time just to have something different.

 

[brody_smom]

Hmm, it's not good for them. I just heard my aunt (vet) talking about something similar with my grandma a couple of days ago. If I remember correctly it's too fatty (and some other stuff I don't remember, sorry!) and can cause damage in pancreas and/or liver? Sorry, I forgot! But it's bad for them. I don't think a piece or two would hurt, but I wouldn't use a big amount of it, nor use it daily.
My dog loves cat kibble and steals it whenever my cat leaves some, but I try to make sure that he doesn't eat any.

My vet's assistant said the same thing about using hot dogs and cheese as training treats, that it could cause pancreatitis. She recommended using the big Rollover log cut into small pieces. I was concerned about using this as it has wheat in it and I try to avoid wheat. My previous dog had systemic yeast infection which was likely caused by overuse of antibiotics in combinations with wheat in her diet. Our cat's food is grain free, but I should check the fat content as compared to cheese and hot dogs. It is definitely lower in sodium, though.

 

[sara]

Just remember that vets get their nutrition training in courses sponsored by dog food companies such as Hills... no thanks. I'd rather do my own research than trust a vet who'll tell me to feed prescription diet or science diet....

 

[sara]

And feeding hot dogs and cheese as training treats will not give your dog pancreatitis... that's stupid of them to say. Dogs hat have the disease need to be careful... it's not going to cause it.

 

[Pawbla]

I guess it depends how much cheese and how much hot dogs and how much cat food. My aunt never said anything about the first two, and she knows I use them as training treats. However she advised my grandma against leaving the cat food bowl unattended.