STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Are you free feeding your dog? Dogs should be fed once to twice a day, and only an amount that they will finish in 10 to 15 minutes max. If they do not finish their food at the end of that time period, you should place it out of reach.

Cats and dogs have extremely different dietary needs. It is extremely important that you feed them the appropriate food. Your vet can reccommend good brands, but I have personally seen the best results from Enova Evo for my cats. Science Diet, Enova, and Nutromax are some good brands to look at for dogs.

Cats should not be on free feed either - 1/4 c. twice a day is usually just about right.

Baby gates are a great way to section off your house. You could put one in the door of the "cat" room to keep the dog and cats separate during feeding.

I have a baby gate that I use to gate off my bedroom where I put my cats bowls. I don't have to worry about my cats eating my dogs food though, they've never been interested in hers although she's very interested in theirs!

I would reccomend feeding them all on the same schedule so that they all go to their own bowls and eat at the same time and anything left in the bowls after 15 mintues like ging said, should be taken away for the next feeding.

Cats need a lot more protein than dogs do so they're not getting all they need when they eat dog food. Maybe you could switch your cats to wet food? They might be more interested in their own bowls that way. Wet food is supposed to meat the dietary needs of cats better than dry foods do anyways, its just more expensive to feed wet!

reiterating the importance of each animal getting the kind of food they need.  Cats truly need the higher levels of protein and fat that is in cat food.  Maybe your vet has some tips/recommendations too for making sure they eat from the appropriate bowl. 

Cat food bowls on a higher surface like tara_t said is a great idea, and make sure the cats' bowls are not near their litter at all.  Give the cats a private, secure-feeling place to eat.  That is important too.

From About.com's cat guide

Question: If you feed cats dogfood, can it cause them to go blind?  I know it's a strange question, but I've read that dog food is harmful for cats. It looks and smells much like cat food and my cats seem to like eating it when we run out of cat food.

Answer: It's not a strange question at all. There's nothing in dog food that will directly harm a cat within a short period of time, but the point is what is lacking. Simply put, dog food does not provide the nutrients required by cats. Eating a little bit of dog food won't kill a cat. But a cat fed exclusively on dog food can not only go blind, but can develop a heart condition, called feline dilated cardiomyopathy.

The difference primarily is taurine, found in muscle meat, heart, and liver. Studies have also been done that showed pregnancy failure in queens with long-term taurine depletion, including increased resorption of fetuses, reduced litter size, and increased incidence of stillborn kittens.

Taurine supplement has been added to commercial cat foods for several years, for these reasons.

I would never suggest feeding cats dog food, but rather food specifically formulated for their own, unique nutritional needs.

More Cats Q&A

tara t wrote:

---

i have to put my cats bowl on top of the washing machine so the dogs don't eat it.  the cat can jump up there so it's not an issue.  not good for either of them to eat the others food. 

---

This is exactly what I do.  My cat still prefers to drink her water from the dog's bowl though, the dogs don't mind.