# Dog and Cat stealing each others food...how big of a problem is it?



## dwchadw (Jan 19, 2013)

I'm having troubles with my dog and cat stealing each others food. I feed according to the bag instructions but I'm getting really annoyed trying to get them the right amount of food when they're always getting in each others bowl. I feed in separate rooms but they do it any chance they get. Sampson is on Evo cat food which I believe is 50% protein and Delilahs dog food is 34%. How much can they do this before there's a problem? Does anyone else have a problem like this?


----------



## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

Stop free feeding. I'd switch the cat to wet anyways, dry is terrible for them.


----------



## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Cat food is too high in both protein and salt for dogs. I'd put the cat's food in a room, separated by a baby gate. Don't free feed the dog. Agree with above post, that a cat's main diet should be canned food, due to kidney issues from dry food. Cat's don't drink enough water, and the dry food causes problems.


----------



## dwchadw (Jan 19, 2013)

I don't free feed. I feed according to the bag instructions. I devide the recommend amount by 2 and give them food in the morning and food at night.


----------



## dwchadw (Jan 19, 2013)

The baby gate is already up and its for the most stopped the problem with my dog eating cat food but the cat hops the baby gate. I'm not too worried about him though...its just a matter of making sure delilah gets the correct amount of food.


----------



## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

dwchadw said:


> I don't free feed. I feed according to the bag instructions. I devide the recommend amount by 2 and give them food in the morning and food at night.


If they don't finish it when you set it down, pick it up and put it away until the next meal, don't leave it down, they will eat it quickly and be done, no leaving food around to pick at. Bag recommendations are usually way more than what a pet actually needs, go off how they look instead, you should be able to feel ribs without pushing down and see an obvious waist from above. Most dog kibble is way too high in carbs and too low in protein but again kibble in general is extremely bad for cats, especially if this is a male.


----------



## dwchadw (Jan 19, 2013)

Is kibble really that bad? I feed him Evo which is pretty pricey at least for me. It's grain free. He's an intact tom cat but we think he's gay...


----------



## dwchadw (Jan 19, 2013)

Does being neutered or tom make a dif?


----------



## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

dwchadw said:


> Is kibble really that bad? I feed him Evo which is pretty pricey at least for me. It's grain free. He's an intact tom cat but we think he's gay...


It's the lack of moisture in kibble that's bad, as I mentioned before. Cats don't drink enough water, so canned is better for them, since it has moisture included.

My dogs don't drink enough water either, so I add water to their kibble at every meal...They have to drink the water to get to the kibble. So far, so good.


----------



## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health

Cats on dry food are far more likely to develop issues, diabetes, kidney problems, uti, even grain free stuff is way too dry and way too many carbs. Canned is expensive, I feed my cat raw which is considerably cheaper.


----------



## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I feed my cat Evo kibble as well and he looks gorgeous. the trick is to add warm water to it, and feed just enough at meal time that he eats it up at one sitting.He likes to drink up the water first and then tackle the kibble, which softens up nicely. I use enough warm water to almost cover the level of the kibble. My cat pees plenty, which is what you're after= getting enough moisture in them. And his poops are like the raw food poops when I feed him rmbs. 
What I do to keep the dogs out of the cat's food is put the bowl in the top of a cat tree. Dog can't get it way up there. 
Also, give just enough food that your dogs will eat in one sitting, so the kitty can't steal their food. I feed both the dogs/cat twice a day this way.


----------

