Difference Between Canned Cat Food & Dog Food

Cats and dogs have different dietary needs, and canned foods for each animal are formulated accordingly. Cats are strictly meat eaters, or carnivores, while omnivorous dogs can have a more varied diet that includes vegetable and plant matter. Cats are also choosier than dogs about the food they eat. Most importantly, each animal's food contains a specific vitamin and nutrient profile designed for each species. Cat and dog foods are not interchangeable.

  1. Amino and Fatty Acids

    • To understand pet food differences, start with arginine, an amino acid that helps eliminate protein waste in the bloodstream and taurine, an amino acid important to healthy function of the heart and eyes. Cats' bodies cannot manufacture arginine or taurine, while dogs' bodies can generate both amino acids in the necessary amounts. Cats also need a sulfur amino acid called cysteine - a nutritional requirement that dogs don't share. Cats cannot make their own arachidonic acid, an essential fatty acid that boosts energy production and fat utilization. For dogs arachidonic acid is not essential. All cat foods come enhanced with arginine, taurine, cysteine and arachidonic acid, while dog foods lack these additives.

    Vitamins

    • Cats lack enzymes to break down carotenoids the vitamin A-based plant nutrients that improve immune function, prevent cell damage and may lower cancer risk. Dogs on the other hand, have carotenoid-metabolizing enzymes in their intestines. So cat food, unlike dog food, must contain vitamin A supplementation. It's a similar story with vitamin B or niacin, which cats, but not dogs, need added to their food in specific formulations. Niacin is key to helping a cat's enzymes function properly.

    Protein

    • Cats need substantially more protein than dogs. As carnivores cats subsist only on meat and obtain vegetable nutrients from the flesh of the animal products they eat. Dogs do well on a diet consisting of a meat and plant blend. Cats fed a 100 percent protein diet will use 20 percent of that protein for growth metabolism and 12 percent for maintenance, while dogs on a 100 percent protein diet will need just 12 percent of the protein for growth metabolism and 4 percent for maintenance. Cat foods have significantly higher concentrations of protein than dog foods contain - roughly 30 percent, compared with 20 percent in dog foods.

    Taste and Texture

    • Cats are more attuned to the texture of their food than are dogs. Cats also prefer savory, salty meat flavors rather than sweeter tastes. Cat food is formulated to accommodate felines' finicky preference for saltier, denser protein tastes, while makers of dog food can pay less attention food texture and flavor and still create a food that most dogs will enjoy.

    Mixing Pets and Their Foods

    • Because cats have specific nutritional needs, it's imperative to avoid feeding them dog food. Cats without enough taurine can develop critical heart trouble, while niacin deprivation can cause poor appetite, diarrhea and mouth ulcers. A shortage of vital amino and fatty acids can give rise to a host of metabolic problems. Also, cats may find many dog foods unappetizing and may refuse to eat them. A cat who refuses to eat can quickly develop fatal liver problems. It's less dangerous to feed your dog cat food in the short term, but prolonged exposure to the higher protein levels in cat food could spell kidney trouble for your dog over time.