Hi Sarah-
Congrats on the new pup! They sure can be a handful! What kind of dog is it? I can relate to your issue. I have four cats and two big dogs. The dogs are lab mix and, unfortunately they love both cat food and poop. I’ve had to strategically place the boxes and food where they can’t get into them very easily. Like you, I have a senior kitty that struggles to keep weight on and I have to make sure her food is not eaten by the other cats or dogs. She is not very open to change either. A couple of the litterboxes and the cat food are now behind a closed door with a cat door. The bad part of that is that it’s my bedroom. Yuck. I also have some boxes under some shelving and in the garage where the dogs can’t get to them.
It sounds like you are getting things figured out. I wouldn’t worry too much about them eating a little of each other’s food as long as it isn’t all the time. Cats food is usually a little higher in fat and calories than dogs and could be problematic if they ate a lot of it. Cats need more protein and taurine than dogs and could be an issue if they only eat dog food over a long period of time.
Please write back if you have anymore questions. Have fun with your new pup. I’m guessing that you like your new addition a lot more than your 19 year old cat does. 😉
