How to keep the dogs and the cats from eating each others food?
Im not here asked:
I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The cats food is in the pantry on the bottom shelf they have to jump up to get it. The Lab can get to it sometimes and my 4 mth Pug can jump up there too. I don’t want the Pug or the Lab eating cat food. The Pugs food is in a lower cabinet so the Lab doesn’t eat his food but the cats eat it and usually the Lab manages to squeeze enough of himself in to eat the Pugs food too! No one eats the Labs food because he wolfs it down when it is given to him. How can I create individual eating enviroments for the cats, the Pug, and the Lab without everyone eating everyone elses food? AND without me having to stand guard.
My 4mth old Pug needs to have free range of his food and if you can get a cat to eat on demand then you must be god!
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I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The cats food is in the pantry on the bottom shelf they have to jump up to get it. The Lab can get to it sometimes and my 4 mth Pug can jump up there too. I don’t want the Pug or the Lab eating cat food. The Pugs food is in a lower cabinet so the Lab doesn’t eat his food but the cats eat it and usually the Lab manages to squeeze enough of himself in to eat the Pugs food too! No one eats the Labs food because he wolfs it down when it is given to him. How can I create individual eating enviroments for the cats, the Pug, and the Lab without everyone eating everyone elses food? AND without me having to stand guard.
My 4mth old Pug needs to have free range of his food and if you can get a cat to eat on demand then you must be god!
I’m gonna try the dryer as a new food place but I have a feeling the Lab will be able to get to it. He is huge!! I’m 5′5″ and when he can put his paws on my shoulders we are eye to eye. I have tried to put the cat food on the higher shelf but it becomes a mess, they knock down everything just trying to get up there. I’d like to make a cut out in one of the cabinets but the pug is smaller than the cats so it won’t stop him and he’s the one I worry about the most. He would prefer the cat food but he needs his High Quality food for puppy growth. AAARRRGGGHH!!!!!! Animals you can’t live with them BUT I’d never live without them!!!
February 26th, 2009 at 6:29 am
just buy the brand they all like if they all enjoy the same food im sure feeding a dog catfood or vice versa isn’t going to matter.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Don’t free-range feed your dogs. If you give them breakfast and dinner, make them sit, and put their bowls down for them to eat, they will only eat their food and you’ll know how much they are eating. The cats can jump, can you put their food up higher? We’ve used the bathroom sink countertop, kitchen countertop, and end tables in the past for cat food.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Put something each of them likes (Preferably Different), and encouraging them to eat their own food.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Separate the dogs to feed them. The cats’ food is not high enough. Try a cat condo that has a relatively high shelf that even the Lab can’t reach.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I have that same problem too. i would feed them at a certain time each night or day and separate them. give them so much time and if then take their bowls away but the water. When you put them to bed if they sleep all separated then give them their food back. they will all learn the time they have to eat and make sure they get enough eventually.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
That’s a tough situation! You could put the cats food up higher so the dogs can’t get to it. You may have to make a feeding schedule and separate them and after the time has passed to eat take their food away.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:15 am
With multiple animals you have a challenge! My good friend raises miniature Australian Shepherds, and she free-feeds. Her cat eats when he wants — high quality dog food. I currently have 2 cats and 1 dog. I feed the cats on my breakfast bar, and free-feed the dog. Sometimes the cats eat a little of the dog’s food. I used to feed the cats on different shelves of a rolling kitchen cart, but this dog can get to the food, so I went higher. My sister feeds “everyone” a little canned meat at the same time, and they all wolf it down. The cats then have access to a bowl of dry food — on the breakfast bar! Good luck, since this is a trial-and-error situation.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:22 am
well i have 3 dogs and 3 cats we have a texas ice cream bucket for dog food for all 3 dogs and then a mixing bowl for the 3 cats for their food i was told by the vet that cat food is ok for dogs to eat but dog food not good for cats cause they can get a blockage in their intestines. we put the dog food on one side of kitchen and cat food on the other side but still they eat it no matter what so if they eat each others food oh well at least know one can say u don’t feed them
March 10th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Tough situation, but manageable with some thought. First thing you need to realize is that cat food is bad for dogs and dog food is not all that great for cats, either. Each is manufactured with certain nutritional ingredients specific to each type of animal. So if you’re permitting the dogs to eat the cat food and vice versa, you’re going to have some serious problems. The best advice I can give you is to feed the cats away from the dogs and keep the cat food where the dogs cannot get to it. Same thing goes for the dogs - separate feeding location and food storage. DO NOT LEAVE FOOD IN THE DOGS’ BOWLS FOR THEM TO EAT AT THEIR LEISURE. This will lead to overweight dogs who will have big problems as they age. Determine how much they should be fed by weight per day and then divide that by the number of times you feed them. Usually dogs will eat once or twice a day. Good luck.
March 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I have the cat food on the end of the kitchen counter. If the dogs get a chance they are going to eat cat food anyday. My cat will also eat the dog food and it will not hurt on occassion but cats MUST have cat food. There are species specific foods for a reason. All of them are different and need different nutrients. You know it is more difficult to become a vet than a medical Dr due to having to know the make up of so many different species and bodily reactions in each.
March 11th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Cat food is not good for dogs. It contains more protein than a dog needs, and can make them sick. We have 2 dogs, and 3 cats, so I know what you are going through. What we finally did, was put a cat door that leads out to the garage, where the washer and dryer are, and we keep the food on top of the dryer. So, if there is a door to your laundry room that you can keep closed, the cats could go through their own door to get to the food
March 12th, 2009 at 4:19 am
I can relate to your problem. When my cat was alive my dog would try and eat his food, even though I fed my dog twice a day. I ended up moving my cats bowls to a counter in the laudry room. Although the dog could still get his pays on top of the counter, the food was pushed back enough that he could not reach it. The cat, however, could easily jump onto the dryer and walk over to the counter to get to his food.
Hope that helps!
March 15th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I also have 2 dogs and 2 cats. Our cat food is on the dryer and there is a 2 step stool for them to jump up onto the dryer. We also have a baby gate blocking the entrance to our laundry room so that only the cats can get to that. If your lab eats his food all in one sitting then you don’t have to worry about the location of his food. If your pug needs access to food all day try putting it in a room that has a chain lock or something similar so that it will open enough for your pug to get through but not your lab. Unless your cats eat dog food this should work. Hope this helps. I have tried many things to deal with the same issues and this is what works best for me.
March 17th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Good heavens - are you asking a question that you want an answer to - or are you writing a book?????
I was going to ignore this as I got winded just reading it, but it’s okay for cats to eat dog food, but not okay for dogs to eat cat food. So just put the cat food up - they’ll jump for it. Or turn one room into a ‘cat room’ for when you’re gone. The dogs need the run of the house, but cats are more flexible.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
You seem to be a great with your animals and love them well. I wouldn’t agree that I’m god if I can get a cat to eat on demand but yes I can she tells me and I feed her. The dogs as well but I don’t feed them just stright dog food I mostly mix up with alot of human food because dog food is made up of By Products which most state made with 100% beef or pork or poultry but the USDA says that only 3% has to be in the product. and what makes things worse is that 3% is by product which is parts of the animal that wouldn’t be consider for humans like fats and oils and bone. By products are mostly from Rendering plants and those plants collect dead animals from farms that raise pigs, chicken,turkey,cows,lambs. these dead animals are laid behind a building until a truck picks them up and hauls them to the plant which may have been stored out back for weeks with magets etc on them. some of the animals may have been render euthanized which means there are still some drug residue. ever dog food I have ever tired one way there eating grass. but I dont know if I answered your question but had to throw that in.
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
its easy put the cats food in 1 room then put the cats in there before the dogs can get in it then leave them in there for an hour and same thing for the lab but for the puppy just do 20 min because the puppy’s sometimes have to go out every 30min
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:07 am
My friend has two cats and two dogs. Admittedly the dogs are short, but still, here is what she does. Cats are fed on an island in the kitchen that they can get to by jumping on a barstool. Dogs are fed in the bathroom where there kennel is. They are all fed at regular times, morning and evening and never in between. She sucks at training animals generally, but they got used to this schedule because she worked and now that she doesn’t she sticks to it. Important not to feed domestic animals freely, as they are so subject to wait gain, esp. pugs and cats. Hope this helps
March 25th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
put there food bowls in diffrent rooms