In this article, we answer the following question:
“Can Bengal cats eat dog food?”
Surprisingly enough, this is one of the more common questions we are asked about foods that Bengal cats can and cannot safely eat.
Many seem very interested it know if their cat can also chow down on food made for their pooch!
Digging further, the most common reason someone wants to know whether their Bengal can safely consume dog food is usually because they have temporarily run out of food for their Bengal cat, and have some dog food lying around.
However, we have also seen some claim it’s safe to feed a cat dog food regularly, and that doing so can be a great way of saving money.
What is the truth? Let’s find out.
Is It Safe For My Bengal Cat To Eat Dog Food?
Long story short, you should not feed your Bengal cat dog food.
Although a little bit of dog food isn’t going to be all that harmful for your cat, it just isn’t a habit you should get yourself (or your Bengal) into!
Cats have very different dietary requirements to dogs, and therefore cannot live off properly off of food that is made for dogs.
Regular feeding of dog food to a cat (not just a Bengal, but any cat) will result in malnutrition and poor health. Over a long enough period, this could result in increased chance of premature death.
But why? After all, dog and cat food often looks rather similar, doesn’t it? Surely they can’t be that different.
The biggest difference is that cats – unlike dogs – are obligate carnivores, and are far “fussier” (for want of a better word) when it comes to food.
While a dog can eat (and live) off just about anything, cats have far more specific requirements.
Your cat needs far more protein than your dog does in order to survive and thrive. Feline diets are more particular in terms of required nutrient profile as well.
Therefore, cat food is made with a higher protein content than dog food, and also contains other minerals and nutrients that may be missing from food made for dogs. For example, cat food is higher in Vitamin A and Taurine, which are more important for cats than dogs.
Dog food may also be higher in calories (with many of those calories coming from carbohydrates and fats, which are cheaper to produce) which could result in excessive weight gain for your Bengal cat.
While an occasional amount of dog food isn’t going to be dangerous for your Bengal cat, it also isn’t ideal from a purely health and nutrition perspective. You really do need to invest in a quality food for your Bengal cat, and then be consistent in feeding that to your precious pet!
Conclusion
Can Bengal cats eat dog food?
No, they cannot. At least not as a routine food. Cats and dogs aren’t just different in terms of personalities and behaviour – they also require very different diets.
While feeding your cat a bit of dog food in an emergency (I.e. you’ve run out of food for your cat and cannot get to the store until tomorrow) is not going to cause any lasting harm, you cannot feed your Bengal cat dog food as a matter of course.
The ingredients and nutrient profiles are simply too different.
Instead, you want to pick a quality cat food for your Bengal. Click here to check out our guide on the best food for Bengal cats, for more information on the best options for your pet. On this article you will find a comprehensive list of the best food options for your Bengal.
We hope you found this article helpful, please stick around and check out our site for more information on Bengal cats.
If you have any specific questions or queries, then feel free to leave a comment below as well.
