My dog eats cat food! Tips for stopping the dog from eating kitty’s dinner
Narrated from: Dog FoodIf you are the proud owner of both a dog and a cat, then you’ve probably learned that “Cats and dogs” is a fiction movie – in real life cats and dogs get along just fine!
Still, there are some aspects of cat and dog coexistence you need to be aware of. For instance, does the cat beg you for food? Yeah, cats can be very annoying (and cute) when they beg for food, and usually they do it because of a healthy appetite.
However, if the cat begs for food more than usual, then it might turn out that someone else is eating the cat’s food!
The dog is eating the cat’s food
Dogs love to eat cat food. However, the dog has no malicious intent. Cats have different dietary requirements since they are stricter carnivores than dogs. This means that dog food has more veggies, while cat food has higher concentrations of protein. In result, dogs love the smell and taste of cat food and chow on it whenever possible!
Is cat food dangerous for the dog?
Cat food and dog food are made on a similar basis; it’s just that a different combination of ingredients is used. Dogs are enduring eaters and some specimens have been known to eat cat poo, so a diet of cat food would not poison any dog.
However, cat food is not supposed to be eaten by dogs. In most cases, it makes the dog fat. A dog eating cat food will sooner or later suffer from obesity (overweight), which can be extremely dangerous. In human terms, it can be compared to eating cheeseburgers – they are delicious, but just ain’t good for your health!
How to prevent the dog from eating the cat’s food?
The easiest way to prevent the dog from eating the cat food is to place kitty’s bowl in a place that is easily accessible by cats, but hard to get to for a dog. Consider the cat’s general advantages over the dog – the cat is more capable of getting to higher places and negotiating tricky terrain. So, place the cat food on higher ground and you’ll have one happy, sufficiently exercised cat.
Still, do not place the cat food near valuable objects – a larger dog might still make a jump for it and inflict serious damage to anything that gets in its way.
Another useful tip is to place the cat food in a confined space. For instance, you may use a carton to construct a “cat house”. You just need to make a large enough hole for the cat to get in, but not large enough for the dog to follow. Then you simply place the cat food inside. Other smaller places will also do the trick – examine the house; your cat is sure to have some preferred hideouts where the dog won’t be able to bother her.
The other means of stopping the dog from eating the cat’s food is training. If you have time to spare, monitor the cat’s food when the dog is around. If it tries to eat the cat’s food, yell “Bad dog!” If the voice command doesn’t work, you can use a spray or a sound alarm to scare the dog off. Eventually the dog will come to associate the cat food with your attacks.
If you can’t teach the dog not to eat the cat’s food, and if you can’t hide the food, you could consider using a shock collar. The collar can be programmed to irritate the dog every time it is near the cat’s food. That’s not the most humane decision, but shock collars are a great training tool - and kitty will be very happy with you.
Last but not least, simply try feeding the cat and the dog at the same time, but at different places. This is the easiest technique by far, but won’t work if the dog is a fast eater!
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