“ My pets play with each other but sometimes I notice that my dog sneaks and eats away cat food”, mentioned a worried neighbor who recently brought a new cat to his home along with a dog and he was curious to find out how to keep dog away from cat food.
While you might rarely encounter a dog and cat respecting each other’s boundaries while having their food, in most cases dogs can indeed be aggressive and sneaky when food is offered to cats.
With more than 100 hours of research, I will clarify the question that most of you have in mind, “Is cat food good for dogs?”. Next, you will also know 11 creative ways how to keep dogs away from cat food.
Is cat food good for dogs?
Cat food usually contains more protein and fat than dog food. Both cat and dog food are of different compositions! So, it is evident that cat food is not a replacement for dogs. In short term, cat food might not cause major issues if dogs feed on them.
In long term, dogs might suffer serious issues due to prolonged feeding on cat food. Since cat food is denser than dog food, dogs can easily gain extra pounds. This can lead to secondary issues such as arthritis, diabetes, etc. Also, cat food can be allergic to certain dogs. It is best to ensure that dogs are trained to avoid cat foods and cat foods are not fed to dogs.
How to Keep Dogs Away From Cat Food
For cat and dog lovers, we have identified multiple creative ways in which dogs can be kept away from cat food. It usually depends on where to put cat food away from dogs, ways to hide cat food from dog, and cat feeders which can serve the purpose of preventing cat food access to dog. Let’s look at them one by one below:
Place it higher in an inaccessible place
This is one of the easiest ways to hide cat food from dogs. If you have small dogs, placing cat food on top of a cat tree or on top of a refrigerator might work as dogs usually don’t climb while cats climb and reach the top. If there are big dogs, this trick might not work out. In such cases, you might need to place food in a higher inaccessible place or must explore other methods.
Spray water on dogs or do something your dog hates
There are certain negative reinforcement techniques that you can use to keep dogs away from cat food. One such technique is to spray water on your dog whenever it moves nearer to cat food. Most of the dogs hate water spray and after repeating the act for one to two times, they don’t go near the cat food. However, on rare occasions, your dog might actually like getting sprayed with water. In such cases, try using a different technique like entertaining your dogs outside or with other distractions.
Feeding both pets at the same time
Usually, when you feed your cat and dog at the same time, they get busy attending their food rather than others. However, dogs are quick eaters and cats are slow eaters. If your dog is foody and a bit aggressive, it can quickly complete its food and then force your cat to leave and eat the cat’s food as well. To prevent such a scenario, either supervision of a pet during feeding is required, or training to stick to one’s food must be imparted to dogs.
Usage of a puzzle feeder
This method involves using a puzzle as a feeder for cats. If your feline is more intelligent than your dog, then this method works better. By using its small paws and dexterity, the cat must solve the puzzle and grab small chunks of food. This also helps your cat to eat slowly rather than grabbing all its food at once. Try this Interactive puzzle which will keep your kitty busy.
If your dog is powerful and aggressive, either it can break the puzzle or force the cat to run once it solves the puzzle. This needs to be checked before deploying this method.
Dog-proof gate
You can use a dog-proof gate to restrict dog entry in a particular area. While the dog can’t enter the gate, there is a small space between grills which is usually enough for cat to move in or out of the area. This gate can be installed with a screwdriver or drill and a pencil.
You can store your cat’s food in this area and thus provide restrictive access to your cat. However, this method doesn’t work well if your dog is of the same size as a of cat such as a chihuahua for example.
Cat door installation in the room’s door or wall
Another method that is similar to a dog-proof gate is to install a small pet door for cats to enter and exit on the room’s door or wall. By keeping the room locked, the dog can’t enter the room and feed on the cat’s food. However, cats can use the small cat door to move into the room and feed on their food leisurely. Even in this case, dog size matters since small dogs can easily use the same door that the cat uses.
Dog-proof door latch
Dog-proof latches are adjustable straps with sticky pads that can limit the opening of the door to a certain gap. This will ensure the cat’s privacy because the door latch won’t allow dogs to enter. Also, the latch will have a hook on the other side which can be conveniently removed by adults to open the door. Large dogs can’t enter because the latch will prevent the opening of the door. However, the small opening that the hatch allows is enough for the cat to enter and exit a room.
Indoor Hunting Cat Feeder Kit
This Indoor Hunting Cat Feeder kit is designed exclusively for cats by veterinarians and it is not meant for dogs. There are 3 interactive feeders of small size which can deliver small portions of food twice a day. You can fill these feeders and hide them in your house where your dogs usually don’t wander. These feeders are perfect to satisfy the cat’s hunting instincts and your cats will love to eat out of these feeders.
Programmable Cat Feeder
This PETSAFE Healthy Pet Simply Feed Programmable Dog and Cat feeder uses slow feeding techniques to feed your cat. Since dogs are quick eaters, slow dispensing of cat food will bore them and they might not interfere when the cat feeds on its food. You can enable a slow feeding mechanism by scheduling the feeder to dispense food greater than ⅛ cup over a gradual period of 15 minutes. You can schedule up to 12 meals in a day using this wonderful cat feeder.
RFID Cat Feeder
If you feel the above methods aren’t working, then you can choose a bit more expensive but more reliable option of Rx Automated RFID dog and cat feeder. This pet feeder has the best features to solve pet food problems. You can schedule the quantity of food to be delivered at specific times during the day. Also, RFID sensors on pet ensure that only the right pet gets the right quantity of food at the right time. The large storage hopper of this feeder can hold up to 32 cups of dry food.
Conclusion
As cat and dog lovers, we always want our pets to live healthy lifestyles and receive our love and affection. However, it is our responsibility to ensure that they are properly fed with the right quantity at right time. This article would have provided you with multiple ideas to keep dogs out of cat food.
Now it is your turn to try them and check which method suits your pets and leave us a comment about the same!
