Should Cats Drink Milk?

It makes for a traditional picture, a cat lapping up milk from a saucer or bowl with big letters on it spelling out the word MILK. But have you ever stopped and wondered if your cat should be drinking regular milk that you too are drinking? Cats and milk are part of our culture. Whether you are studying a painting or watching a movie, if there is a cat in the picture it is very likely that there is also a bowl marked MILK in the picture as well. Should cats drink milk?

There are all kinds of milk out there ranging from whole, 2%, skin, etc. Since we are discussing milk, it should also be noted that there are even other kinds of milk out there that do not come from a cow such as almond and coconut. But what about milk and your cat? Did you know that most cats are lactose intolerant? This means that your little kitty could have trouble digesting milk. Cats start to lose the enzyme lactase as they age. If this is true, then why do all the pictures indicate cats lapping up milk? Who really knows but we do know that giving your kitty milk could give it a upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting and skin problems. Also, milk contains a lot of calories and can lead your cat to kitty obesity.

Instead of buying milk for your kitty give it plenty of access to water. There are milk substitutes at the pet store that can taste like milk to your kitty but are not actually milk. You could go for these but I say save your money and stick with water. If you think that your kitty deserves a little creamy treat than you might be able to give him or her a tiny bit of ice cream, cheese or yogurt.