# Feeding dog food to cats



## JoeCo (Jul 21, 2009)

I have been thinking of feeding my 4 cats the same food as my dog (after breaking it into smaller pieces). Specifically Orijen Adult Dog. It costs $45 for a 15lb bag of cat food and $60 for a 30lb bag of the dog food. Looking at the ingredients there really is not much of a difference. The only thing that I worry about is the taurine. Since the dog food is 70% meat I figure that should contain enough. The Orijen cat food does not list taurine as a specific additive so they must be counting on what is in the meat?


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Cats need taurine and dog food is not formulated to meet those requirements, the kibble is actually coated with vitamins/minerals after its extruded, so theres no way of knowing how much taurine dog food has, if any. I wouldnt gamble with it. 
If price is an issue, try taste of the wild, my cats seem to like it better then orijen.


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## rjc (Oct 5, 2009)

*Agreed Unosmom*

Cats can suffer from malnutrition if given solely a diet designed for dogs. I would not risk it at all. They need certain levels of nutrients which can't be found in canine cuisine.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Sadly, cats can suffer malnutrition when fed "cat food" too. Like Special Kitty, Friskies, Fancy Feast, etc. Why else do you think cancer, diabetes, etc have become so prevalent in our pets in the last few decades? Poor animals. Sorry that was a little off topic.


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## claybuster (Dec 18, 2008)

I feed my cats Meow Mix or Purina Cat Chow.


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## claybuster (Dec 18, 2008)

Whole Prey is their other diet.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> Cats need taurine and dog food is not formulated to meet those requirements, the kibble is actually coated with vitamins/minerals after its extruded, so theres no way of knowing how much taurine dog food has, if any. I wouldnt gamble with it.
> If price is an issue, try taste of the wild, my cats seem to like it better then orijen.


exactly. cats need taurine, which dog food doesn't have enough of. It's a better bet to feed a dog cat food, but a cat dog food? Not going to work. All in all, I'd recommend sticking to specie specified foods. ex- dog food for dogs, and cat food for cats.


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## mike487 (Mar 30, 2010)

Arginine is also essential to cats for sustaining life.
Arginine metabolism in cat kidney.


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