Ask Tess: Can I Give My Cat Dog Food in a Disaster?

Hi Tess,

We are in the hurricane (Irma) right now and I ran out of cat crunchies and wanted to know if I could give my cats some pedigree small dog crunchies until I can get to a store in a few days?

A Reader

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Hello Reader,

First of all, I hope you stay safe during this awful storm. For a few days, you could probably get away with giving your cat a small sized dog food, but understand that the nutritional requirements may be off. Cats require more protein than dogs and do not digest corn or grains well.  If you plan on giving your cat the small dish of cat food until you can make it back to the store, I think that’s fine. But if you have some cat food alternatives handy, you could try and provide your pet some of these alternatives.

Meat is the number one element of homemade cat food. Bones are also a very important addition to the feline diet – this is how your cat gets enough calcium. Liver is an excellent addition to your homemade cat food but should not make up more than 10% of their intake. Much of the waste that you would throw out when preparing a whole chicken for your family would be a welcome addition to the cat food dish.

Use this ratio to create your own cat food, based on the items you have on hand.

• Meat:  3 parts
• Organs: 1 part
• Grain: 1 part
• Veggies: ½ part

Some cat approved vegetables include: lightly steamed broccoli, carrots, zucchini, caulifower, or any other vegetables that your cat happens to enjoy. Some cats even like the taste of fruit such as melon, mango or apple, and if your cat enjoys these healthy treats it is fine to supplement their diet this way.

The meat in this mixture can either be lightly cooked or raw.

I hope this helps ~ Stay dry and safe!

Tess

This information has been made available by Ready Nutrition