Can I feed my cat and dog the same homemade food?
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Short answer: the same ingredients, yes. The same bowl, no. A cat and a dog can both eat cooked mutton, chicken, boneless white fish and egg from one pot. What goes on top of that, and how much plant food sits beside it, is different for each animal.
Why the same bowl does not work
A dog is a carnivore that copes with some plant food. A cat is an obligate carnivore: it has to get certain nutrients from animal tissue because its body cannot make them, or cannot make enough.
| Dog | Cat | |
|---|---|---|
| Share of energy from animal foods (the bowl we publish) | at least 85% | at least 95% |
| Taurine | makes its own from other amino acids | must eat it, and cooking reduces it |
| Vitamin A | can convert some from plant carotene | needs the preformed kind, from animal foods |
| Arachidonic acid | makes its own | must eat it |
| Protein need | high | higher |
| Curd and vegetables | a useful smaller share | not needed |
Taurine is the one that catches home cooks out. Taurine in homemade cat food explains why a cooked cat bowl needs it added back.
What happens if a cat eats the dog’s food, or the dog eats the cat’s?
Wondering how this applies to your own pet? Build their bowl — two minutes, and it gives the exact grams for their weight.
A stolen mouthful either way is nothing to worry about. The problem is a habit. A cat fed a dog’s bowl for weeks gets too much plant food and too little taurine, preformed vitamin A and protein. A dog fed a cat’s bowl gets a richer, more concentrated meal than it needs, which for many dogs means weight gain. Feed them in separate places if one of them is a thief.
Is there a food that is good for both cats and dogs?
Yes, at the level of ingredients. Cooked mutton or another red meat, chicken, boneless white fish such as tilapia, and egg are right for both. The four proteins, and why they are used together. Fish that are safe for both.
No single finished food is right for both. The proportions differ, the plant share differs, and the vitamins and minerals that have to be added differ. That is why we make two balancers rather than one: DogCore™ for dogs and CatCore™ for cats. Each is balanced to its own bowl on our chart, and neither is a stand-in for the other.
How to cook once for a cat and a dog
- Cook the meat, fish and egg together, plain: no salt, onion, garlic or spice. No bones, and leave out liver and kidney.
- Weigh out the cat’s share first, from the meat, fish and egg only.
- Add the dog’s cooked vegetables and curd to the dog’s share.
- Add each animal’s own balancer sachets to its own bowl, counted by its own body weight.
The amounts for each animal come from its weight, so get a chart for each: build the bowl for your pet’s weight. It takes about two minutes per pet.
Can cats eat the vegetables and curd I give my dog?
A little will not harm most cats, but they do not need it and it takes the place of the animal food they do need. Many adult cats also digest milk sugar poorly. Can cats drink milk? and vegetables a carnivore can use go into it.
What should neither of them eat?
Onion, garlic, grapes, raisins, chocolate, xylitol, cooked bones and heavily spiced leftovers. The master list for Indian kitchens.