Can I Give My Cat Milk?

If we look at the behavior of all the mammals on the planet, we will see that, at the beginning of their lives, they all consume the milk produced by the mother. Humans do it too, but our case is totally different because we continue to drink milk throughout our lives when, in reality, our body does not need it. Mammals, however, only drink milk during the first months of life in order to receive the essential nutrients that will help them in their growth and in the formation of bone structure.

This is the case of cats, animals that begin their days drinking milk but, over time, will no longer need it to be strong and healthy. Adult cats do NOT need to drink milk and, in fact, if we continue to give him a small plate for breakfast or dinner we can harm his gastrointestinal health because lactose is a difficult component to digest.

In fact, some cats do not have the enzymes that are needed to be able to correctly process the lactose that is found in milk and, therefore, as it is not digested, it will ferment in the intestine, causing diarrhea or stomach pain. This is when we talk about lactose intolerance, a condition that many people also suffer from.

If you want to give your cat milk you should keep in mind that, many of these animals develop lactose intolerance or even food allergy (although this second option is less common than the first). Intolerance is very common in both cats and dogs and occurs because, as the animal grows older, it does not have the digestive enzymes that are necessary to process lactose and, finally, it remains fermenting in the walls of the intestine. This condition can cause great discomfort in the animal that causes diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, dizzinessand so on.

However, not all cats develop this intolerance; in fact, there are others who can drink milk from time to time and enjoy a dish that will be extremely delicious for them. But, in any case, even if your cat does not have this intolerance, it is not recommended that you give him milk too frequently because lactose is difficult to digest and can cause a heavy stomach or overweight. If your cat is overweight, in this other OneHOWTO article we give you some guidelines so you can make your cat lose weight.

In any case, at OneHOWTO we recommend that, before giving your cat milk, consult a veterinarian to avoid producing these ailments that will cause great discomfort. The expert will be able to determine if it has said intolerance and, therefore, give you the guidelines to follow to care for your cat with the care it deserves.

In this other article of oneHOWTO, we discover what can’t a cat eat so that you take into account all those foods that you must rescind from your diet.

After everything we have told you, you may still be wondering: Can I give my cat milk? The answer is somewhat ambiguous Well, we can’t tell you yes or no, the most recommended thing is that you go to a veterinarian to determine if the animal has any intolerance and, if so, you will already have the answer to your question.

In any case, although some cats can drink milk, the vast majority do develop this intolerance, therefore, if you are not going to go to the vet we recommend that you NOT give him milk As the saying goes “Prevention is better than cure” so do not put your cat’s health at risk and avoid causing discomfort.

To find out if your cat is lactose intolerant, we recommend that you go to a veterinarian to examine him carefully, it is the only true way to determine his condition. But, in addition, also there are some symptoms that can indicate that, in fact, your cat suffers from this condition; are the following:

• Diarrhea or very loose stools
• vomiting or nausea
• Presence of gases
• Tiredness or fatigue

These signs can appear hours after the cat has taken the milk and even the next day, therefore, it can be difficult to detect that the animal’s discomfort is related to milk intake. These signs can be confused with other conditions and, for this reason, we strongly recommend that you go to the veterinarian to clear up your doubts.

If you want to read more articles similar to Can I give my cat milk? – Here is the answerwe recommend that you enter our Pets category.