Will dog food harm a cat?

[chicarooni]

My new cat seems to prefer eating my dog's food. I keep food for him in his room and he eats it some, but if there is dog food out, he eats it. I feed them both Iams dry food. I have no idea what he was eating previously as he was a stray. Is this unhealthy for the cat?

[davet]

i once went to a nutrition seminar,years ago given by a "world famous veterinary nutritionist" at least that was how he was billed...He said several times the dogs should eat cat food and cats should eat dog food....now this was in about 1965...obviously things have changed..but all the cats and dogs i had ate etiher cat or dog food depending on their mood....i don't think that there is any problem except that have come up with a new theory which traci will know about and which i have forgotten...but there is an amino acid (which i forget) that cats fneed or utilize.You can get the supplement at your vets and then i don't think it matters a bit if you cat likes dog food....Traci may clarify this but i never saw a problem

[Traci]

That essential amino acid is taurine, which dog food doesn't require. Cats can't produce enough in the body on their own, they need taurine in the diet to prevent heart disease, retinal degeneration and reproductive disorders. Cats also require a higher protein diet as opposed to dogs.

Do NOT let your cats eat the dog food.