Q: How can I stop my dog from eating the cat’s food?
A: Dogs love the smell and taste of cat food, as it has a higher protein and fat content than dog food.
A bowl of cat food can look and smell like a bowl of tasty treats to your dog. Dogs are natural scavengers and cat food is very hard to resist.
Instead of trying to train your dog not to eat the cat food, the simplest solution is to just put the cat food out of reach to prevent your dog from reaching it. On top of a kitchen counter, washing machine, bookshelf or high table are all places that your cat should easily be able to access, but a dog shouldn’t be able to reach.
You could also consider using a baby gate that your cat can jump over to block off a specific room and feed your cat there.
If you are free-feeding your cat, rather consider feeding at specific times in line with when you feed your dog. This way they will both be eating at the same time.
Pick up and put away any leftover food your cat hasn’t eaten. This problem should be easy to fix with simple management.
Alyson Kingsley-Hall, behaviourist
