# Why don't my cats eat dog food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167 "2009-12-31T07:30:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fandango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5ac83/32.png) [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/1 "2009-12-31T07:30:44Z")
It’s all kibbles and bits, so what’s the difference between dog food and cat food? Why won’t cats eat dog food? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/2 "2009-12-31T07:42:35Z")
Dogs and cats have different nutritional needs. In my experience dogs love cat food, but cats don’t even consider dog food to be food. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/3 "2009-12-31T08:02:16Z")
Cat food tends to be higher in fat and protein. In other words, dog food probably tastes like diet food to a cat. Whereas to a dog, catfood probably tastes like bacon. Uh, fishy bacon. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/4 "2009-12-31T08:05:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > In my experience dogs love cat food Most dogs I have ever known like anything even remotely resembling food. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/5 "2009-12-31T12:38:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > In my experience dogs love cat food [TMI] Many dogs like cat food even after its been through the cat… :eek: [/TMI] ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/6 "2009-12-31T15:24:44Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Cat food tends to be higher in fat and protein. In other words, dog food probably tastes like diet food to a cat. Whereas to a dog, catfood probably tastes like bacon. Uh, fishy bacon. mmm… fishy bacon! Dog food (except puppy food) is leaner than cat food. I know puppy food is a bit more fatty than regular dog food to help pups grow, but I don’t know exactly where it ranks in comparison to cat foods fattiness. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/7 "2009-12-31T15:32:02Z")
We have to feed the cats in a room where the dog can’t get to because if we let her, Daisy would finish up the whole bowl of cat food before the cats could even get to it. And a steady diet of cat food isn’t good for a dog…it’s too high-protein for them and can cause organ damage over time. (And, as **SmartAlecCat** noted, the dog will eat “tootsie rolls” whenever she can get hold of them…gives a new meaning to “pick of the litter”.) Whereas the cats won’t even look at the dog’s food. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/8 "2009-12-31T18:26:52Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > We have to feed the cats in a room where the dog can’t get to… I would put the cat food atop the drier or such. That way the cats can leap on the dryer and get the food. I found cat’s love dog food. They like to play hockey with it. If you have dry dog food and a floor, you will have a cat playing hockey with it soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/9 "2009-12-31T20:02:17Z")
> [@fandango](#): > > Why won’t cats eat dog food? Because they think you _want_ them to. ---
**Author:** ![FalconFinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@FalconFinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FalconFinder)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/10 "2010-01-01T16:59:54Z")
Cats will eat dog food. Growing up, our barn cats would eat the dog food and the dog would eat the cat food. My dad, in an attempt to thwart them, switched the food in the dishes. The cats and dog still ate out of each other’s dishes. I’m thinking it was just to be contrary and for each animal to annoy the other one. 😃 Just recently, my niece bought a kitten for her daughter for Christmas and kept it at her mother’s house (my sister) until Christmas Eve. If we left the dog food out and easily accessible, the kitten would go over and eat the dog food. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-my-cats-eat-dog-food/523167/11 "2010-01-01T20:19:31Z")
I had a cat who would eat dog food on occasion. She would sidle up alongside the Rottweiler and eat a few kibbles side by side. Bizarre!