From time to time we get questions about whether it is possible to give our insect-based dog food to cats too - the short answer is no, and here we explain in a little more detail why cats cannot eat dog food at all.
CAN CATS EAT DOG FOOD?
petgood's insect-based dog food is specially developed for the dog's nutritional needs. Our recipe is therefore adapted to the dog's need for protein, fat, energy, vitamins and minerals.
Cats, on the other hand, are completely different animals from dogs. The dog is an omnivore while the cat is a carnivore. Cats have a higher need for fat and protein in the diet, and also another essential amino acid that they need to get through the diet - taurine. Taurine is a vital amino acid for the cat, since a deficiency of this nutrient can lead to heart disease or serious eye damage and blindness. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that cats are fed cat food - these always contain higher levels of taurine.
Besides taurine, there are also other vitamins and fatty acids that are essential for the cat to get through the diet.
Vitamin A is an essential vitamin that is important for, among other things, the nervous system, the muscles and the function of the eyes. Dogs can absorb vitamin A from both animal and plant-based sources, like carrots where beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A by enzymes in the dog's body, just like in humans. Strict carnivores, however, like cats, need active vitamin A directly in the diet.
Vitamin B3, or niacin, is a vitamin that omnivores, like the dog, can absorb in several ways, partly by converting the amino acid tryptophan into niacin in the body, and partly by eating a diet rich in niacin. Here too the dog differs from the cat, since cats cannot convert tryptophan into niacin themselves, but need it directly in the diet.
Arachidonic acid is an essential fatty acid for the cat, which is mostly found in animal sources. Dogs can obtain this fatty acid from plant-based sources, while cats need it directly from animal ones.
All these reasons give us the short answer to the question "can cats eat dog food?"
No, they cannot, because they risk developing serious nutritional deficiencies.
SO, NO DOG FOOD FOR CATS!
To ensure the best possible nutrition for our cat friends, our chief veterinarian Dr Nicky Sluczanowski has put an enormous amount of care and love into our cat recipe. We base the nutritional content of all our recipes on current recommendations from FEDIAF and the latest research. And insects are not plants - they are rich in protein and essential amino and fatty acids, just as the cat needs, and we look forward to telling you more about that soon!
Stay meowsome!
/ petgood's office cat Coconut