[Numa Numa]

Okay, i know this seems stupid and you may just want to say ' duh that's why theres dog food and cat food' but the deal is this cat in my neighborhood had babies last week and it's a stray. i only have a dog and cannot afford to buy the mother proper food. so if i feed her the dog food will it hurt her or her babies? what else can i feed her to help keep them healthy?

[Spazzcat]

Dog food is pretty much the same stuff although I think cat food is higher protein, because dogs are omnivores (so dog food has vegetables and stuff in too) and cats are totally carnivores. It shouldn't do her any harm, but maybe supplement it with meat when you have meat yourself, and get cat food as soon as you can afford it.

[tikitiki]

Awhile back, I had asked the vet the same thing. The cat would eat the dog food, and the dog the cat food....he said it wasn't really that good for them. The dog food doesn't have the right vitamins/minerals for the cat, and the cat food would most likely give the dog diarrhea. You can pick up some cat food fairly cheap, a couple bucks for a large bag.

[Carlton the Doorman]

I don't think it will hurt the cat or the kittens for the mom to eat dog food. I know dogs love cat food. Cat food is not very expensive though. For under $2.00 you can buy a box of dry cat food.

[stetson172002]

Yes! I thinks its the ash content in dog food thats to high and causes urninary infections in cats. Tried it, it happen to the family cat. But I guess its better then the kittens starving to death......

[crazyem]

It won't hurt them or anything. But cats need a lot of protein, more than dogs. They also need a mineral called taurine. Those are the main ingredients differentiating cat food from dog. Also cat food usually smells and tastes better cuz cats are finickier. So maybe you could offer some occasional tuna or well-chopped up chicken. Or just mix in some small cans of cat food. The store brands aren't too much. But don't ever give the kittens cow milk. They may drink it, but it will give them nasty diarrhea cuz they can't process it.

[Pamela N]

Dog food does not have enough protein for cats.

[venus8926]

No, it is not bad.

[oldmom]

i understand that some dog food may make a cat sick. If the cat is a new mother she needs the best diet possible. Try turning her and her babies over to the Humane Society, if you cannot afford to feed her and her babies.

[rustyredstar]

Go to your local dollar store and buy a bag of cat food for a dollar.It's a bad idea to feed a cat dog food, it's not good for them.