If you live at home with dogs and cats, you may have asked yourself this question at some point: Can I feed my cat dog food?
As experts in animal nutrition, we have to say no. You can’t or, rather, it’s not advisable to feed your cat dog food. Dogs and cats are distinct animals with different nutritional needs. Therefore, their food should and is different.
Why do they have different nutritional needs? The main reason is that, although both belong to the order of carnivores, evolution has made only cats true carnivores, while dogs have an omnivorous diet. This means cats need more animal-origin proteins and there are certain nutrients like vitamins and amino acids that they can only get from animal-source foods.
This is the case with taurine, for example, an amino acid that helps with the proper functioning of the heart and other organs. Dogs have developed metabolic pathways for its synthesis, and cats haven’t. They need preformed taurine. The same goes for vitamins A and B3, or arachidonic acid, essential nutrients for a good diet, that should not be lacking in your cat’s diet.
For this reason, Elmubas’ nutritional experts prepare recipes tailored to each pet.