My cat ate dog food and won't open eyes or growls. Is it an emergency?

It's actually a medical emergency when cats do not eat. If they go long enough without eating, they develop a fatty liver which is fatal without treatment. Flora could have a severe dental problem preventing her from eating. Please take her into a vet now.

Hello. Is Rowan doing OK, active, bright & alert? If so, you can watch him as the food will very likely be digested. If, however, he is lethargic, miserable, moaning, develops vomiting &/or diarrhea, I would have him seen soon. Of course, I would probably withhold any food & treats for the next 12 hours, & do not let him gulp down water. If he drinks a reasonable amount, fine, but if he wants to just chug down a bowl, replace the water with ice cubes to lick on. Hopefully, he will be back to normal tomorrow. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Oh no, that was naughty of Lady to eat the cat food. Certainly eating too much food can lead to bloat, but one to two cups isn't a lot of food to a large dog such as a Golden Retriever. You could see some stomach upset from it such as the diarrhea you have described, but she won't die from it. I can give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps her stomach. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. I will also give you that symptoms of bloat just in case, but as I said, it's very unlikely that this amount of cat food will cause bloat. Signs of bloat include attempting to vomit but being unable to, enlarged abdomen, pacing, restlessness, looking at her stomach, labored breathing, and excessive drooling. If you see any of those signs, rush Lady into a vet immediately. Otherwise, she should be ok :-)

Cat food tends to be higher in fat and calories than dog food and could cause an upset stomach. If Oreo ate enough cat food he could also have 'food bloat' where the stomach becomes distended with food and causes discomfort. If he is not vomiting and does not seem painful he may not require any veterinary care. If you think his stomach is distended with food frequent short walks could help everything move through his gastrointestinal tract. If he does begin vomiting, if he misses more than one meal, or if he becomes painful you will probably need to see a veterinarian.

It might result in diarrhea or vomiting or you may not see anything. It depends on how sensitive Midnight is to food changes. If this seems severe, make sure to take him into the vets. Also make sure that Midnight primarily eats cat food (90% or more of total diet) as cat food contains special amino acids needed for heart health. I hope this helps! Please feel free to post any additional questions!

Poor fluffy. It sounds like she is not doing well at all. If she can't walk, that would be an emergency. It may be from weakness or some other neurologic condition. Along with her stomach being hard, I would definitely recommend the emergency clinic. She would need a full exam and some x-rays to start. This will help guide towards the possible diagnosis. Good luck.

Cat food can definitely be too high in protein and often too rich for dogs, causing the type of symptoms you are seeing. In some cases, it can even cause inflammation of the pancreas. This is typically verified with lab work and/or ultrasound. If she's been vomiting for three days, this is definitely significant enough to warrant veterinary attention. She may be clinically dehydrated at this point and require some fluid therapy and anti vomiting medication. In terms of preventing Bubba from eating the cat food, the only way you are going to be able to do that is by keeping it out of his reach, or by keeping him on a leash while in the presence of the food. There is the potential to train Bubba to leave certain foods alone, but this is not something that you will be able to accomplish overnight.