The fact that there are different cans and dry food for dogs and cats is not a marketing stunt. Both beasts have their specific nutrition needs which vary in certain aspects and if you give them the wrong food, they will start suffering quite soon.
Cat and dog food are not different only by the picture on the package. There are differences in the contents as well. It’s not wrong to say that a cat is no dog. And their nutrition needs are no exception. They are different in certain aspects. If you give dog food to cats or vice versa, you could observe your pet is not doing well after some time, it starts to suffer and even some more serious health issues occur.
Cats will do worse. They lack some enzymes thanks to which they are able to get some important stuff and they need to be given those directly in the food. One of them is vitamin A. While a dog’s body is able to transform it from beta-carotene, cats can’t do that. That’s why vitamin A is added to their food, most commonly in the form of livers which have plenty of it. And why is it important for cats to have enough of this vitamin? Besides other things, it maintains eyes and skin healthy.
Also, cats are not able to synthesize amino sulfonic acid Taurine which works as prevention of heart diseases. Therefore, quality cat food contains it while it doesn’t have to be in dog food. We can find it in lower concentrations in almost all animal tissues.
On the contrary to cats, dogs can create arachidonic fatty acid. It is very important for the quality of skin, blood clotting or proper functioning of reproductive system. It is contained in animal fats in cat food and these contain more animal fats than dog food.
Another difference between cat and dog dry food is the content of proteins. Cats need more proteins. For cats as exclusive carnivores, the proteins are vital. This is the main reason why you shouldn’t give cat dry food to your dog. They are much more calorie-dense than dog dry food because of proteins and fats.
Dog eating cat food (even though it has good quality) would start gaining weight very soon, suffer from diarrhoea or vomit. Also, inflammation of pancreas might occur. On the other hand, cat eating dog dry food would be malnourished and would start to compensate the lack of proteins in food by using its own muscle tissue.
Try to have a look at dog and cat dry food, from one producer in a perfect case, and compare their contents of nutrients. You will soon see the differences. Cat food will contain significantly more proteins, less saccharides and you will find taurine in them on the contrary to dog dry food.
Besides the contents, these two pets also differ in the frequency of eating. While dogs, as the offsprings of wolfs – occasional hunters, are used to eat in longer time periods, cats hunt and eat in smaller amounts a couple of times a day.. Therefore, they can have their dry food available all day.
Cats are no longer the outside countryside homeless animals that come closer to a house just for a while when they are in the mood for it. Rather the opposite, they have started living in city flats and have adjusted to our lifestyle. However, it’s...
Rabbits are popular pets especially for city flats. It’s because they don’t require a lot of space and don’t need to go outside very often (no garden needed). However, it doesn’t mean taking care of them is easy and no time or efforts are needed. We...
It sounds lovely: a dog gets a command, it does it and gets a treat or a reward for that. It won’t end with one moment in the perfect case and it will become the basic idea of a whole training for a dog that will become an obedient pet using positive...
Every dog owner knows that feeling when (s)he has to leave house to work or (s)he can’t take his/her pet with him/her for any reason and (s)he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Can a dog handle the situation or will it bark and go on the rampage?...
Fear is natural for people and everyone has their own fears. While someone is scared of spiders, heights or confined spaces, others are scared of dogs. This fear is common in children who haven’t explored the world so well yet and who don’t know the...
Guinea pigs are popular pets especially in families with kids. They are small animals that can bring a lot of joy. If you consider buying a guinea pig, there are some aspects you shouldn’t neglect before making the decision. We talked about what to...
Have you heard about sport called Disc Dog? It basically consists of throwing a disc to your dog that fetches it. Disc Dog can be done as a recreational or a professional sport. For professional competitors, there are several disciplines for which...
Siberian Cat is quite a new breed that was only recognized by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) in 1992. It emerged from crossbreeding domestic cats and breeds brought from the Near East and it found its home in Russia and Ukraine where it...
Most of us have this long thought-to-be-true idea that one dog year equals to seven human years. So, if you have a two-year-old puppy at home, it is already 14 years old when compared to humans. Therefore, if you have a ten-year-old dog at home, it is...
Breast milk is, in the beginning of life, the best thing a pup can get from its mother. It is full of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. However, as the offsprings grow, milk needs to be supplemented with other food, so they are...
Cat lovers and breeders know very well that one cat is often not enough, and that there is sometimes a need to get another cat companion. However, this decision will affect the whole household and, above all, it is necessary to prepare the cat you...
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
