So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[V.C. Brunswick]

Yes, you'll want to watch thaT. Dogs can't process protein so well, which is why their food is overloaded with it - they won't get enough if they live on the catfood! (Conversely, dogfood can be lethal to cats by overdoing the protein. I've known one to have kidney failure caused by eating too much dogfood.)

That's very interesting. I always did wonder what the difference between dog and cat food was.

 

[tonyb]

We had the same problem when we first brought our dog Butch home. This clearly wouldn't work for everyone, but our solution was to place our cat Shadow's food dish on the counter in the half-bath adjacent to the kitchen. She can jump up on the toilet seat lid, then jump from there to the counter. Butch can't, so her food is safe from him there. We still haven't figured out what we're going to do when Shadow gets too old to make those jumps, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

One cat and two dogs here. I've taken to putting the canned cat food into a Glad(R) container with a lid and feeding the feline in a closed room. After several minutes I let the cat out and put the lid on the container and out of reach of the mutts. The cat eats maybe a third of a can at a time. If I let the dogs finish what she leaves behind, I'd need a separate line item in the budget just for cat food.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Dogs can't process protein so well, which is why their food is overloaded with it - they won't get enough if they live on the catfood! (Conversely, dogfood can be lethal to cats by overdoing the protein. I've known one to have kidney failure caused by eating too much dogfood.)

There are a number of reasons why dogs should not regularly eat cat food, and vice versa, but the main reason is that cats and dogs have very different dietary needs, as you've touched on. Cats are obligate carnivores and must have meat (with it's higher protein content) as their main food source. Dogs are omnivores and need a diet with more fiber than cat foods offer. Dogs' biology in general isn't equipped to absorb the high protein levels found in cat food; in mild cases it can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea, and in extreme cases can cause liver and kidney damage. Conversely, dog food does not normally have the higher protein levels that cats need, and it doesn't contain certain amino acids (taurine and arachidonic acid) that cats also need in order to stay healthy.

The bottom line is that cats and dogs can occasionally eat each others' food and shouldn't suffer any ill effects, but that shouldn't be a regular thing. Think of it this way--many of us eat cake on occasion and it usually doesn't cause any health issues. But if you ate only cake, you probably wouldn't be healthy, or alive, very long.

 

[GHT]

The bottom line is that cats and dogs can occasionally eat each others' food and shouldn't suffer any ill effects, but that shouldn't be a regular thing. Think of it this way--many of us eat cake on occasion and it usually doesn't cause any health issues. But if you ate only cake, you probably wouldn't be healthy, or alive, very long.

 

[Edward]

One cat and two dogs here. I've taken to putting the canned cat food into a Glad(R) container with a lid and feeding the feline in a closed room. After several minutes I let the cat out and put the lid on the container and out of reach of the mutts. The cat eats maybe a third of a can at a time. If I let the dogs finish what she leaves behind, I'd need a separate line item in the budget just for cat food.

Back when my little Marlene was first diagnosed with kidney failure and had to go on a special diet, I bought two electronic feeding bowls. They have a big hoop over the top so there's only room for one cat to get at the food, and the lid only opens for the right cat (either a tag on their collar, or if kitty won't wear a collar but is chipped, then that ID chip can be lined up with it). Kept her and her sister, Greta, from eating what they shouldn't. Greta still uses hers now, Marlene being gone a year and a half. Really useful things, well worth the money.

 

[GHT]

a tag on their collar,

We have a small, recycling water fountain that keeps our cat's water cool and fresh. Problem is, when they drink they inevitably get their ID tags wet.
Why do they always want a cuddle when they have wet ID tags?

 

[vitanola]

What you need is one of these.

No.

Mr. Zombie rather needs one of THESE:

 

[Zombie_61]

No.

Mr. Zombie rather needs one of THESE:

View attachment 89579

Are you saying I'm cranky?

 

[vitanola]

No, but (apropos of no one involved in this thread, of course) I have long since observed that if more men were self-starters their wives would not have to be cranks.

 

[Edward]

We have a small, recycling water fountain that keeps our cat's water cool and fresh. Problem is, when they drink they inevitably get their ID tags wet.
Why do they always want a cuddle when they have wet ID tags?

The late Marlene Marlowe used to solve this by lying on the radiator first, thus ensuring that where her long, ebony locks were wet, they dried into dreadlocks. In the end she had her own set of hair clippers....

 

[MisterCairo]

This is trivial in our house, but it really ticks off my in laws - Twist and her preferred spot in our kitchen - the countertop!

 

[MisterCairo]

Those miniature corn cobs they put in stir fries and frozen vegetable medlies.

No.

Just, no.

 

[Zombie_61]

Those miniature corn cobs they put in stir fries and frozen vegetable medlies.

No.

Just, no.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I hate those. It's impossible to get the little plastic holding grips into the ends.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Cyclists, joggers and pedestrians who don't seem to know left from right. Or they seem to think that the rules of the road they have to follow when driving doesn't apply when they're on a bike or on foot. I do a lot of cycling and I don't know how many times in the last several years I've nearly collided with these fools riding their bikes any which way.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's a major issue here. Our downtown Main Street is one-way, and you're supposed to use a rotary to access it, but these knucklehead bike riders in their flame-glo spandex superhero suits and space-age helmets think it doesn't apply to them and they're constantly cruising down Main Street the wrong way, either on the street or even worse, on the sidewalk where they run over old ladies with walkers and teenagers with skateboards. A couple weeks back I saw one of them riding the wrong way against a stoplight get nailed by a car coming out a side street by an elderly couple on their way to our show -- and he tried to blame them for it. He must've just been wearing a helmet for style, because there obviously wasn't anything inside his head to protect.

I ride my bike a lot myself, but I always obey the lights, and I never, ever ride it the wrong way down a one-way street. Because I like to think I'm not an idiot.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Those miniature corn cobs they put in stir fries and frozen vegetable medlies.

No.

Just, no.

I must be the only person who actually likes them.

 

[ChrisB]

While in a crosswalk with my wife, who is deaf and has balance problems, we found ourselves suddenly amongst a swarm of bicycles. They were travelling quite fast and came quite close to us. Cars are required to stop for pedesstrians in crosswalks, but some cyclists seem feel they have immunity to the rules of the road.

 

[Fading Fast]

We have the same problem in NYC. These bike nazis don't follow the rules and that is not sustainable in this crowded city. For many years, the environmental "glow" of the bike culture seemed to immune them from backlash, but as more people get hurt, the attitude toward them is finally changing as people are complaining and the police are, belatedly, responding.

I'm all for a robust bike culture, but they have to follow the same rules as everyone else. Riding a bike on the sidewalk (illegal in NYC) or going the wrong way on a street creates a 40mph missile that can easily break bones or worse. Glad the wheel (teehee) is finally turning and enforcing bike rules is getting a push forward.

 

[Bushman]

I must be the only person who actually likes them.

I like 'em. One of my favorite parts of Americanized Chinese food.