My mom and I have both noticed that sometimes when we go to buy our cats food, the kind they like or need isn’t stocked . . . But the equivalent dog food is. What’s the difference between cat and dog food? If we feed Puppy Chow to our cats, will they start barking?
Close, but not barking. Try barfing instead. My vet explained that dogs can get by just fine on cat food but dog food is missing smoe essential amino acid or something that cats need. I.E., they (it?) will slowly starve to death. And, if our cat is any guide, they will chuck it up …
-E-
I think that “purine” is the thing that cats need more of. Also, cats need a higher percentage of protein than dogs.
Yes, I had also always understood that because canines in the wild are scavengers as well as meat-eaters, they can survive on a more varied diet, and so they can live on an all-carbohydrates, meatless diet if they have to.
Cats, however, in the wild are strictly meat-eating predators, so I think the Purina people probably add whatever the amino acid or vitamin is that is lacking in the dog version.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
Hmmm, thanks. I thought “Purine” was a 1950s shampoo . . .
“Taurine”, it’s taurine that cats require, to prevent cardiomyopathy and blindness. Taurine is a derivative of…ummm…some sulfur-containing amino acid, the name of which I can’t remember just now. They also require honest-to-Harry retinol (vitamin A) in their diets; they can’t metabolize beta-carotene like we can. There are probably a host of differences that I don’t know; I’m not a vet, just a cat owner.
Dog food is not a good substitute for cat food; it’s too low in protein, beside lacking various nutrients. Since cats can develop a serious liver problem from a defect of the fat metabolism if deprived of food for as little as three days, I suppose that, if it was a choice between a week on Puppy Chow or a week on nothing, the former is preferable. An even better choice, though, is not to run out of cat food.
“I don’t just want you to feel envy. I want you to suffer, I want you to bleed, I want you to die a little bit each day. And I want you to thank me for it.” – What “Let’s just be friends” really means
Taurine! Thanks. What was I thinkin’? 
Everyone here is correct. Another factor is the % content of what is usualy listed as ash, but I think it’s magnesium??manganese?? something that can cause feline urology syndrome in cats. My dogs on the other hand, like cat food just fine. If I don’t keep the basement door closed, my dogs will quickly eat all the cat’s food.
Cecil said it. I believe it. That settles it.
The small “premium” cans of dog food, being higher in protien, are OK for a while, especially if your cat gets (real) dry cat food. PS if you can find it try “California Natural” dry. Real good formula, & my cats like it better than any other.
It’s magnesium that can cause urinary tract problems, especially in male cats. A couple of hundred in vet bills later for removing “Plugs”, I can attest to that. The real cheepio cat foods are a no-no in that respect. My kitties are in their ancient creaky years, and I’ve found that premium cat food, like Science Diet, or Eukanuba, supplemented with Brewer’s Yeast and fish oils, has helped them immensely.
God created Man, and then said,“Hell,I can do better than that !” Courtesy of Wally’s Sig-O-Rama
Cysteine?
Could well be. I looked at my references today, and, whilst they mention the need for taurine, they don’t mention what it’s derived from. Cysteine sounds familar, though.
“I don’t just want you to feel envy. I want you to suffer, I want you to bleed, I want you to die a little bit each day. And I want you to thank me for it.” – What “Let’s just be friends” really means
(Warning: Thread Hijack in Progress)
Speaking of differences between cat and dog products… My dogs have suddenly (after almost 10 years!) acquired a flea problem. My vet suggested using the “spot” treatment (little plastic vials of liquid that you squirt onto the nape of their necks once a month).
The treatment seems to be working, but I notice that the back of the package contains dire warnings in big letters “DO NOT USE ON CATS”.
What is in this stuff that makes it ok for dogs but not cats?
“Sometimes I think the web is just a big plot to keep people like me away from normal society.” — Dilbert
The ingredient in question is TAURINE.
Without the cat will eventually go blind.
http://www.hdw-inc.com/healthtaurine.HTM
Kelli! You’re back! Yay!
Dog flea control contains permethrins…VERY TOXIC TO CATS!!! DO NOT PUT THIS STUFF ON YOUR CATS!!! Last weekend I treated not one, not two, but FOUR cats with permethrin toxicity. It doesn’t matter if you use the whole tube or only one drop, put this stuff on your cats and you will be sorry.
You know you are a vet tech when: you can eat your lunch with one hand and clean up a parvo blowout with the other.
Michelle: Is that because cats wash themselves? So, they may ingest chemicals that dogs might not?
I work in a vet clinic also, and we have already had three cats in during the past two weeks whose owners put the store brand dog ‘spot’ flea treatment on them.
One died, one almost died but we pulled him through, and the other was fine because apparently they didn’t apply the medication properly and the cat didn’t absorb it.
This happens every spring and summer, and makes all of us want to scream ‘READ THE FUCKING LABEL!’ As Michelle said, the store brand doggy flea treatments contain permethrins, which are toxic to cats. Cats absorb it through their skin and usually become deathly ill in just an hour or so.
Most commercial dips, treatments, etc. that are considered safe for cats contain pyrethrins. However, many cats also have a life-threatening reaction to pyrethrins, and we see this at the clinic also.
I’ve not had a chance to investigate all of the new ‘spot’ treatments available in Walmart, et. al., but I would like to point out that all of the ones I’ve seen that are safe for cats do not actually kill fleas - they kill flea eggs.
Advantage, Frontline TopSpot, and the new Revolution are a different story. (You can learn a lot of this by reading and comparing labels.) For one thing, the chemicals used in Advantage and Frontline are non-absorbable - even if your cat swallows it, it will not break down in a form that can enter the bloodstream and possibly harm the cat. They work by wicking out over the body surface through either the hair roots or the oil glands and creating a ‘film’ that is deadly to fleas. The exact same chemical is used in both the dog and cat products, and the concentration is even the same. This means that dog Advantage/Frontline and cat Advantage/Frontline are interchangeable - the product is identical, just the amount needed to effectively cover the body is different. Both of these products are available through your veterinarian, or should be. Advantage recently became available through specialty pet stores and pet supply catalogs, and you can order it on the internet.
Revolution is very new (only came out in October) and is something else totally different. It IS absorbed through the skin, and a few animals become nauseated for a few hours after it is applied. The active ingredient falls more into the ‘drug’ class than the ‘chemical’ class. While the ingredients are identical for both dogs and cats, the concentration is different, so you need to use the cat Revolution for cats and the dog Revolution for dogs.
I started using Revolution on my cats as soon as it came out, and have not had a problem so far. It’s great stuff, especially for cats, but somewhat pricey. For dogs, Revolution takes care of heartworms, fleas, flea eggs, ticks, ear mites, and sarcoptic mange mites. However, it doesn’t kill any of the intestinal worms that other heartworm preventatives do.
Revolution works better in cats - it kills heartworms, fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, roundworms, and hookworms. It probably kills ticks, too, but these are not usually a problem with cats. Neither is mange.
BTW, IAMS cat and dog food has just become available in grocery stores and department stores like Walmart and K-mart, so it’s easier to buy a really premium food for your cats and dogs. Premium may seem more expensive, but if you’ll read the feeding instructions you’ll see that the recommended feeding amounts are lower, so it equals out. Your cat might eat 1 1/2 cups of, say, Purina Cat Chow every day, as opposed to 1 cup of IAMS Adult Formula cat food.
Oh, and I like your sig line, Michelle - parvo season is in full swing here right now. What an INTERESTING odor! (GAG!) Why don’t people just get their dogs vaccinated properly?
You’ve got a point there, brother - and one of these days I’m going to figure out what it is. - Cecil Adams
They DO read the box before they put in on their cats, but they figure if they only use ONE drop, or if they use the kind for puppies, it’ll be OK.
And as for things like proper vaccines, heartworm prevention, flea control, spaying and neutering…don’t get me started OK?
I think what it all boils down to is that man people just don’t take pet health and veterinary medicine seriously. And why should they? If a pet gets sick, heck, just put it to sleep! (Sorry for ranting, but when you work emergency, this sort of attitude is the norm for a majoity of the clients I deal with).
You know you are a vet tech when: Your pets eat premium food, but you have to eat Ramen noodles.
I’m right there with you, Michelle. Boy, could we hijack this thread in a hurry! But I do want to mention something that absolutely infuriates me - people who think there’s nothing special to being a vet, and there’s no reason why they can’t do it themselves.
Last year we had two cats die from aspirin poisoning. The owners weren’t the ordinary ignorant kind that simply made a mistake - they were both nurses who thought their medical background made them just as good as a vet. Gee, maybe you should have bothered to read a book about cats first? And I don’t know how many dogs that have died because of the owners giving them Tylenol or something. Golly gee whiz, folks - why do you think a vet goes to school for 8-10 years? Because it takes that long to learn everything you need to know!
And don’t get me started on the ‘disposable pet’ thing.
You’ve got a point there, brother - and one of these days I’m going to figure out what it is. - Cecil Adams