Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 1 year and 7 months old
My cat ran out of his food today and I accidentally bought a bag of dry dog food instead of cat food. I don't have reliable transportation to go out again tonight to get the correct food but I don't want my cat to be hungry all night. Will feeding him a little bit of the dog food just this once harm him?
2 Answers
Published on December 14th, 2017
It will probably not harm him if it is just for one day, some cats have sensitive stomach and such a change in food may cause diarrhea or even vomiting but most cats won't be affected if it is just for a couple meals, that is if your cat is not fussy as dog food is much less palatable than cat food.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Published on May 26th, 2017
Feeding a single meal of dog food should not cause any problems - this would not be appropriate as a long-term diet because dog food does not contain all of the nutrients that cats need, but eating some every now and then won't hurt them.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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