I have a 16 year old cat who is very healthy and has always eaten anything she wanted. Lately she's taken to eating the dry dog food. Her dry food is up a little high (because of the dogs), but she can still get up there and I lift her when she acts like she forgets about it. She gets Iambs, wet and dry, and the dog food is also Iambs. I'm just curious if there's something different in the dog food, or maybe she's just a troublemaker. Any thoughts from the animal folks? Thanks.

-- witness (witness@hotmail.com), June 29, 2001

Answers

Can't say why she's trying to eat it but its not good for her. Dog food has a higher ash content than is safe for cats and it will cause kidney problems, particularly in an older cat.

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), June 30, 2001.

I had a vet tell me once that dog food is high in protein (some even advertise it on the bag) and can give your cat kidney stones. Maybe you cat wants more protein? I'd ask a vet.

Dogs shouldn't eat cat food because it's high in magnesium and it will leach calcium out of the bones. In older dogs, they will have more breaks and arthritus.

Once I started feeding my dog the food she was supposed to get she stopped eating 'kitty box krunchies', too. :P

-- Tonya Yetter (Tonyaah_98@yahoo.com), June 30, 2001.

I am also wondering why my donkey eats dog foodx? she just loves it but has gotten herself into some trouble because the dogs are not very happy about it.

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), July 01, 2001.