Is your cat drinking milk? Have realized any health change when your cat drink milk? Many cats do drink milk. Most cat owners have included milk on their cat’s diet. But how do scientist say about milk in cats? Many cats are so interested in drinking milk. However, before you give milk to your cat, it’s good to understand what the benefits and effects milk on cats are. Cat experts have realized that most cats are intolerant to milk. Many of us think that milk is perfect for cats, but this is not like that. High-fat contents in the milk attract most cats. However, most of the milk that is found on the market today is processed and has a low level of fat content. In this article, we have discussed cats and milk.
Table of Contents
Kittens and milk
With kittens, they are weaned by their mothers. They possess a critical enzyme that breaks lactose easily into small digestible enzymes. As the kitten grew up and stop feeding milk from their mother’s the level of lactose enzyme decreases dramatically. Without this enzyme, lactose in milk cannot be broken down into small sugars. This allows the lactose to pass through the colon. This makes the cat’s stool loose, diarrhea and causes flatulence in cats. Scientists agree that there is no good reason for your cat drinking milk.
Why milk is bad for most cats
Most cats are intolerant to lactose. As we have stated, they do not have the enzyme to digest lactose in milk into digestible sugars. Lactose is a sugar content that is found in milk. Most cats end up with stomach upsets and diarrhea when they drink cow milk. The main reason for the upset is that lactose stay within the intestine, and later they ferment due to bacteria. This leads to various problems within the stomach. However, it’s not all cat breeds that are intolerant to lactose. If you are feeding your cat with milk, it’s good for you to carefully understand whether your cat undergoes pain when they drink milk.
Cats and lactose-free milk
Cats can drink milk that is free from lactose. However, this does not have any good reason for doing this. Cats are able to get all the required nutrients from their food. There is no good reason for you to feed them with human food. Lactose-free milk does not bring any stomach upset to your cat.
Almond milk
There are various kinds of milk. Almond milk is primarily obtained from almonds. This milk has no lactose content. Almonds are also not suitable for cats. In fact, scientists have proved that large quantities of almond milk to cats is toxic. The toxicities in almonds can also negatively affect dogs. It is good to supplement this if you have been feeding your pet with almond milk. A small amount of almond is not such dangerous but is good to avoid them. While changing the cat’s diet, do it great care and slowly. This is because sudden change of nutrition to your pet can bring a negative impact to their health conditions.
Soy milk
Just like almond milk, soy milk to do not have lactose. However, soy has other sugar milk contents that are difficult to be digested by cats. This brings side effect to your cats once they drink milk. Most cats do not have such an enzyme that is required to absorb the milk. There is no good reason for you continue feeding the cat with milk. There are no right and great nutrients that cats do need that is only found in milk.
Cheese and Yogurt for your cat
Cats that are not tolerant of milk have no problem with yogurt, ice cream, cheese and other milk products. The main reason here is that these contents have lactose content that is lower than the one in milk. To add on, they are also diluted with water, and it makes them easy to be digested. The lactose that is also found on them has been weakened by some microorganism making them easily digestible. So if you are feeding them with the content, understand that the rate of intolerant is minimal as compared to that in milk.
Small Quantities
If you have been feeding your cat with small milk quantity on your cat and you haven’t seen any problem. It does not mean that all is well with milk on your cat. They may be undergoing pain without you realizing. So it’s good to avoid giving feeding them with milk.
Alternative to milk in cats
Water is the best alternative to milk in your cats. Most people do not provide enough water for their cats. Despite how well your cat may be tolerant to milk, they will need water. According to cat experts, water plays a significant and vital role on cat’s body.
Importance of water on cats
Water helps cats to regulate their body temperature. Cats are like a human being. They need to maintain their body temperature. Water is important in regulating their body temperature. It enables cats to digest their food efficiently. Water in cats acts as a medium of easy digestion of food. It provides a large surface area for digestion of food.
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Water allows salt and other electrolytes to pass
It can also help in the elimination of waste materials from the body.
Water in your cats is essential. It is right for you to encourage your cat to drink a lot of water. To achieve this, try to place several bowls of water in their room. When there is water within their area, hey will drink. Cats like to drink water when it is available. To add on that, if you need to buy any liquid for your cat, it’s good to look for those that are lactose-free. Do your research on the impact of the fluid on their body. It’s good to understand the effect the liquid will have on your cat. The perfect liquid or alternative for your cat is water.
Conclusion
Cats can drink milk. Milk is not such good to cats. They contain lactose sugars that are not such easy to be digested by cats. In this article, we have explained why it’s not right to feed your cat with milk. However, it should be understood that not all cat breeds are intolerant to milk. The best alternative for milk is water. Water plays an essential role in cats.