12 week old kitten keeps eating dog food?

[kushmama89]

Ok well my kitten is about 12 weeks. She is fed evo dry which her bowl always has food in it. And she is also given a small amount of wet evo twice a day (the flavor varies) the large can lasts in the fridge about 3-4 days. She is also given nutri cal as she was bottle fed from 2 weeks. She and her 3 brothers were the product of a stray that we believe got hit by a car.

Anywho...we have a pitbull (who is our kittens bestfriend) who used to be on taste of the wild but due to recent financial problems and her energy level being at an all time high and her crazy eating habits shes right now eating old roy which is only $18 for a big 50lb bag (it churns my stomach to be feeding her this garbage and thank god it will only be for another two months! And i make sure to give her vitamins everyday to supplement what she may not be getting)

But the kitten keeps eating the dog food! Their foods are not the same size, they are in the same area but on different walls and opposite sides but we have a small area to work with and its like the designated "pet" area. The kitten eats her dry food and wet food so i know its not the problem of her not liking it but if she knows theirs food in the dog bowl she would much rather have that.

 

[sugarcatmom]

Can you not leave the dog food out, and maybe feed meals instead? That Ol' Roy is so high in carbs and artificialness (plus lacking key feline nutrients) that I would hate for it to do any damage to your kitten.
 

 

[kushmama89]

Our schedule is really hectic. Its constantly changing and my dog picks sometimes and eats like a pig at other times depending on if we did a run that day or if i had school and my husband had work etc. So its hard to only give food at certain times. -bangs head- the first time i caught her eating the dog food i tried sweeping it out of her mouth because i didnt realize she had all of her teeth yet as i was still feeding her mush. I had a good bloody finger that day!

I just dont understand why shes so attracted to it. She looooves her wet food and sometimes even when she has wet food she will run to the dog food when i fill the dog bowl.

 

[Willowy]

They spray flavoring on cheap foods to make pets eat it. Plus it's fun because it gets the humans all excited! It really is best to teach dogs to eat their food when it's put down and not pick at it all day. Other than that, or feeding the dog in her crate, I don't think there's any way to get the kitten not to eat the dog food. My cats do it whenever they get the chance but that isn't very often.

(p.s.---Purina Dog Chow is higher quality than Ol' Roy and is only a couple dollars more for the big bag)

 

[kushmama89]

Ya purina was 25 dollars but only a 20 pound bag. The end of november cant come fast enough! i cant waitto have her back on a high quality food and no more of this dumb crap. Im counting the days. Im not excited for my husband to be so far away and to be gone for so long but the thing we need with the income are outstanding. id hate to put her in the crate for meals when she already has to be crated at night and when we arent home and the cat doesnt. And the kitten likes to torture her and taunt her and poke her through the bars and run back and forth at the cage and get her all riled up. And to make her eat in the cage as well when the cat doesnt have to would just seem like another blow when she already seems aggitated watching kush run around at night when shes locked up. =\

We tried getting her to eat all her food at once. We used to take it off of her if she wouldnt when she was a puppy if she wouldnt eat it within a certain time then after a period lapsed we would try again and so forth and after months she just never caught on and was actually losing too much weight because she wouldnt eat unless she wanted when she wanted to and the vet said to just leave it down because if she wasnt gorging herself and we couldnt have a set schedule anyways then it was better off just leaving food in her bowl. Once we get money coming in i was thinking of getting a scat mat to keep kush from going upstairs but then i dont know how that would effect the dog from going up the steps? Im not sure what i can do or get that will stop thr cat from going upstairs but not the dog so maybe i can feed the dog upstairs? Not that its ideal and i really wouldnt LIKE that...but if thats what i have to do i would..

 

[Willowy]

Hmm, I've seen 44-pound bags of Dog Chow for less than $20, I'm surprised it cost that much where you shop. Maybe prices have really gone up since last time I looked :dk:. Although it wasn't very long ago, because my friend just got a new dog and I was trying to show her what's better than Ol' Roy. Maybe prices are different in other areas.

No, I don't think a scat mat would work to keep a cat out but not a dog. Cats are so much more agile, she'd probably just jump over it. I know lots of ways to keep cat stuff away from dogs, but the other way around, not so much! :lol3:

One way I get my dogs to eat if they aren't feeling inclined is to put a spoonful of something yummy in the food, add warm water, stir it around, and let it sit for a while so the flavor gets in the kibbles. Maybe that'll help her eat faster so the kitty doesn't get into it!

 

[kushmama89]

Ya that was at big lots and walmart in pittsburgh? Because we did the purine lamb for a little while and she was just going through it so fast. its only been in recent months that the financial issues have come about and it wont be too much longer on it. And as i said i make sure she gets her vitamins too. And the cutbacks are only the make aure they still are getting regular vet care and flea and tick meds (which we still fought a bad batch of even with the frontline...grr) and emergency visits like with prada when she ate the spider and she blew up like a baloon and had to be put on prednisone =[.

I try and do pros and cons of everything. Make sure their fed even if its not the best while making sure they still have everything else they need and us too so we dont get put in the position of being at the point of not beint able to care for them. Because while i understand circumstances come up everyone has options and choices before that point comes around. So old roy for a few months but keep those couple extra dollars for emergency vet care or anything emergency therefor or spend it and regret it. The pros and cons need tocbe weighed. In my opinion.

Lol im ranting. Im on the bus on the way to school and im bored and just overthinking.....excuse me!! Haha. Sorry =\ pretty off topic...

 

[Willowy]

Oh, yeah, I totally understand about having to feed a cheaper food now and then, or even long-term. It's just. . .the BHA in Ol' Roy (and Pedigree) and Special Kitty dry, it concerns me :/. That stuff is bad news (proven to cause cancer). That's why I try to encourage people to go with Dog Chow or Cat Chow instead--they use natural preservatives. Maybe you're thinking of Purina ONE? I don't think regular Dog Chow comes in a lamb version. Yeah, ONE is expensive, but regular Dog Chow is about the same price as Ol' Roy. Take a look next time you're at Wally World!

One thing to think about is that even cheap food has plenty of vitamins. Don't overdose! What it doesn't have is quality meat protein. So save what you're spending on vitamins and get her some good meat instead. I do think it'll make a difference .

 

[kushmama89]

Hmmm. Ill have to check! Ya the vitamins are only $5 for 90 but for a 50lb dog its 2 a day which is what she gets at 60 pounds. Though sometimes i do forget so usually its every other day. I will check with the purina too next time im out. Definitely didnt know about the cancer thing thats horrible...i feel so disgusted now. Such a bad mama =[

 

[orientalslave]

Out of curiosity, what are the vitamins you are buying?  The brand name?