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Why is my cat eating dog food and losing weight? Is it safe?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 10 years and 10 months old | 15 lbs

My cat has completely stopped eating his dry cat food....the only thing he will eat is Blue Buffalo wet dog food...he has lost a lot of weight....is the dog food ok for him to eat?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on February 7th, 2017

Dog food is not formulated for cats nutritional needs, so he really needs to be on cat food. First of all, I would get him seen by your vet to find out why he has lost so much weight and get him started on a treatment plan. Based on his medical condition, it may be necessary to feed him a special diet for whatever is causing his illness. If he doesn't require a special diet, it may be that he prefers wet food now and you may need to offer that primarily and leave dry out for nibbling during the day.

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 24th, 2020

    Probably not. Also, cats cannot eat dog food long term or else they are are extreme risk to develop heart disease. You need to get your cat back on a cat food asap. Also, I recommend to have you r cat examined by the veterinarian because weight loss is concerning for many conditions including kidney disease and cancer but there are many many causes. I hope this helps.

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