So one day, you notice that your supply of cat food is running rather low and you plan to get more as soon as possible. Unfortunately, natures strike all of a sudden which makes it essentially impossible to leave the house for the time being. As your kitty keeps meowing for food, you feel tempted to calm its hunger using some food of your puppy. However, you know that cat food and dog food have a lot of differences between them. Hence, you ask yourself: "Can you feed a cat dog food in an emergency?"
Intend to feed your furball dog food but want to know what could happen beforehand? Is that is the case then this article is going to be useful to you. Down below, you would be provided with everything people must remember the food of the pets and if it's wise to give food of the canines to the felines.
Composition Of Pet Food: Summary
To answer the question of "Can you feed a cat dog food in an emergency", it's essential to grasp the fundamentals of the food.
- Dog Food: Food for dogs usually contains high concentrations of beta-carotene which prove crucial to the proper development of the canines. Aside from enhancing the immune responses of dogs, beta-carotene shall be converted into Vitamin A by enzymes present in the body of the canines. In addition to that, as most dogs gain weight relatively easy, dog food tends to be low on protein, fat and so on.
- Cat Food: Being obligate carnivores, cats need lots and lots of protection to sustain daily physical activities. That is why compared to dog food, cat food packs more protein, fat,... Furthermore, because the felines lack the ability to produce Vitamin A from beta-carotene like dogs, they have to get the real thing from food. The same thing also applies to arachidonic acid, an all-important fatty acid that the canines naturally produce from food while the felines wouldn't.
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What Could Happen To Cats If They Eat Dog Food
Technically, the felines and the canines should be able to eat food of each other for short periods without trouble. In fact, it's pretty common for pet owners to catch dogs gulping down cat food from the feeding bowl of cats and vice versa. So the best answer to the question of "Can you feed a cat dog food in an emergency?" is "Yes but go back to original diets at the earliest opportunity”. If you feed dog food to your fluffy friend on a daily basis, a couple of issues might take place.
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Protein Deficiency
While certain brands offer high-protein dog food, none reach the level required by cats. Without receiving sufficient protein every day, it's only a matter of time before your furball experience protein deficiency and associated troubles: lethargy, dull coat, weak bones, impaired/stunted growth,... All in all, diets consisting solely of dog food should keep the felines going but they would likely be in a poor state of health.
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Vitamin A Deficiency
Considering the constitution of dog, modern-day dog food often features beta-carotene as the primary source for Vitamin A. A few types of dog food also contain real Vitamin A but that tends to prove insufficient for most cats. If left unaddressed, the lack of Vitamin A could lead to muscle weakness, night blindness and so on in cats.
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Arachidonic Acid Deficiency
As it's impossible for cats to produce/synthesize arachidonic acid by themselves, they need to get it from food. Once the felines fail to sure enough arachidonic acid, troublesome issues such as poor productive performance, insufficient platelet aggregation and so on shall show up.
Feeding Pets During Emergencies: Suggestions
Can you feed a cat dog food in an emergency? Sure if it's only temporary. Nonetheless, it's strongly recommended that you implement precautions to ensure that your kitty and puppy have the right food once something unexpected happens.
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Stock Up Now And Then
Many pet owners don't go out to get more pet food unless they realize that they have nothing left. That attitude often put the pets in a vulnerable position when disaster strikes without warning. Because of that, it's widely advised that you consider stocking up on pet food periodically instead of waiting until your supply is nearly depleted. If you have a good supply of pet food around, you should be able to maintain a balanced diet for your pets during unforeseen emergencies.
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Check Out The Expiration Dates
While stocking up food for your pets, it's of utmost importance that you take into account the expiration dates. All in all, canned food could last for up to six months and dry food remains good for three months. Needless to say, you must refrain from feeding your kitty and puppy expired food so make you shopping plan carefully. It's just a waste of money to buy tons of pet food only to let them expire before use.
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Pick A Well-Secured Storage
Generally speaking, the strength of dogs and the resourcefulness of cats require pet owners to be through while selecting a storage place for pet food. You definitely don't want to let your kitty and puppy go through a week's worth of pet food at once and then get sick because of that.
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Different Bowls For Different Pets
Despite the fact that cats and dogs have the ability to recognize shapes and sizes, it's necessary to use different bowls for different pets. That would make sure your kitty and puppy eat the right food during feeding times.
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Plan A Staggered Feeding Schedule
So it seems that after finishing its bowl, your fluffy friend still feels hungry and head over the bowl of your puppy for more food. To prevent that, all you have to do is to come up with a staggered feeding schedule for the pets. It's also a good idea to put some distance between the feeding bowls of the pets just in case.
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