File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
hey /an/
I have a maine coon x and from its early stages it acted more like a dog than a cat, I find this very strange as I have never owned a dog and there are none around the street I live in.

He wags his tail when he is happy and fetches his cat toys like a dog would, he is so full of life.
Is there any symptom or name for his behavior? I tried googling it but had no luck.

Pic related as it is my kitty.
>> Anonymous
I have a maine coon that loved to eat dog food when we had a dog. My maine coon looks like a racoon when she walks and only pays attention to the rattle of cat treats.
>> Anonymous
>>290302
maybe maine coon's have some dog traits?
>> Anonymous
I would believe that. But what if I have a cat that only eats italian food? Not that I do, they practically eat any ethnic food as long as it's not fried, saturated with oil, and spicy.
>> Anonymous
>>290305
Italian cat?
Or maybe really picky.
>> Anonymous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Coon
>> Anonymous
>>290300

It's no big deal, OP. I have a standard house cat that exhibited dog behavior as a kitten long before we got any dogs. Per cat fashion, he grew out of it.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Reminds me of my sisters kitty. No idea what breed she is, but she is always eating the dog's food. :/
>> Anonymous
>>290391
from what I was told, dog's food has more fat and proteins, and it's bad for the cat's health to allow it to eat too much.
>> Anonymous
Actually, it's the other way 'round. Cat food is much higher in fat and protein than dog food. So there's no real harm (that I know of) in cats eating dog food, except maybe that they would fill themselves up on carbs and stuff they don't really need. Luckily, they don't usually seem to like it much.

But don't let a dog eat cat food-- it makes them fat and can lead to digestive problems and even pancreatitis, since it is way too rich for them. Easier said than done-- I've never known a dog that wasn't nuts about cat food.
>> MiMi
Felines require much, much different nutrition than dogs do. We have bred dogs into omnivores, like us, though they should still be eating much more meat than we do.

Cats, however, are -designed- for a meat-only diet. You should provide that, or as close to that as you are able.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/anatomy/images/cat_teeth.jpg
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/anatomy/images/dog_teeth.jpg

A feline's jaw structure and teeth arrangement have not changed in millions of years - they have a distinct gap in their mouth, behind the canines, designed to give room for the canines to crush or sever the spinal cord of prey.

Dogs have a far less-defined gap, their jaws instead becoming somewhat more useful for chewing, rather than simply shearing off chunks like a cat does.

I'm rambling.
TL;DR
Don't feed a cat dog food. Don't feed a dog cat food. They're different creatures, and have different diets for a reason.
>> Anonymous
a friend's cat i know got pretty sick from eating dog food.
>> Anonymous
>>290300
Your cat is suffering from the symptoms of being a Maine Coon. Find a support group if you're really concerned by it.
>> Anonymous
that kind of behavior is normal in young maine coons, they are very energetic and vocal
>> tigerfeather !CrwtTbFNxQ
>>290480
Not only that, but cats require different amino acids than dogs do, particularly taurine.

Your cat will go irreversibly blind because of eye degeneration if you feed it dog food/a vegetarian diet (I have heard of dumbshits that did this. Poor blind cats).
>> tigerfeather !CrwtTbFNxQ
Also, seriously OP? You tried Google and got nothing? I looked up "lol my cat acts like a dog" and got tons of matches.