Cat food for puppies: why it's the wrong choice
If a puppy has helped themselves to the cat's bowl, a single mouthful is not something to worry about, but cat food is not a food to choose for a puppy on any regular basis. Cats and dogs have genuinely different nutritional needs, and cat food is formulated around a cat's, not a growing puppy's.
Why cat food doesn't fit a puppy's needs
Cats are obligate carnivores with a much higher protein and fat requirement than dogs, and cat food is built around that — it tends to be far more calorie-dense and higher in fat than a puppy needs, without the specific balance of nutrients a growing dog's bones and joints depend on. Fed regularly, that mismatch shows up as excess weight gain and an unbalanced diet during exactly the period when a puppy's growth needs the most careful support.
Puppy food, by contrast, is formulated around a growing dog's needs specifically — a calcium and phosphorus balance suited to developing bones, and an energy density matched to how much a puppy that size should realistically be eating. The two are not interchangeable just because both are technically 'pet food'.
What actually happens if a puppy eats cat food occasionally
An odd mouthful from a shared household, picked up in passing, is not something to lose sleep over — it is not toxic and one incident will not cause lasting harm. Watch for a looser stool or an upset stomach over the following day, which is more likely than anything more serious, and mention it to a vet if it doesn't settle or your puppy seems genuinely unwell.
The concern is with a puppy eating cat food as a habit rather than an accident. If access is a recurring problem — a puppy who can reach the cat's bowl every day — that's worth solving properly, whether that means feeding the cat somewhere the puppy can't reach or using a feeding station designed to keep the two separate.
Households with both a cat and a puppy often find the simplest fix is a physical barrier rather than constant supervision — a cat flap into a puppy-free room, a raised feeding shelf a cat can reach but a puppy can't, or a feeding time schedule that keeps the two apart while bowls are down. Whatever the setup, the goal is the same: each animal eating its own food, formulated for its own needs, without daily negotiation over whose bowl is whose.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Small Dog Turkey
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for small dogs and puppies, built on turkey
£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Lamb
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% lamb, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Forthglade British Classics Chicken Family Lunch
Complete Forthglade wet dog food with 75% chicken in a 395G tray
£2.45
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Adult Dog Turkey Veg
Complete dry food for adult dogs with turkey, chicken and salmon oil, 21% protein
From£3.39
Common questions
- Is cat food toxic to puppies?
- No, it isn't toxic. The issue is that it's nutritionally unbalanced for a growing puppy rather than dangerous in the way some human foods are, so an occasional mouthful is not an emergency, but it shouldn't become a regular part of the diet.
- What should I feed a growing puppy instead?
- A complete puppy food formulated for their expected adult size — small, medium or large breed — is the right foundation, fed according to the guide on the bag and adjusted for body condition as they grow. A vet can help if you're unsure which is the right fit.
- How do I stop my puppy eating the cat's food?
- Feeding the cat somewhere the puppy genuinely can't reach — raised up, behind a barrier, or in a separate room — is usually the most reliable fix, since puppies are persistent and a bowl left on the floor is rarely safe from a curious dog for long.
- Can kittens eat puppy food instead?
- No, for the same reason in reverse — puppy food doesn't meet a kitten's higher protein and fat needs. Each species needs food formulated specifically for it, and a kitten-specific food is the right choice for a growing kitten.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.