Milk

Milk is not good for cats, it can cause digestive upset, diarrhea and other problems. Whiskas makes a catsip milk that is just for cats, but water is fine for them-

Please do not give cats cow milk. they love it but they are lactose intolerant.
Rice Milk or lactaid is perfectly acceptable. There is also a milk substitute that you can buy at petsmart that is meant for cats.

Depending on the age of the kitten and whether their digestive tract can handle it, you may even need to water down the milk especially designed for kittens as it can sometimes still cause diahrreah. You'll only want to give them a maximum of about 2oz each a day.

nice to now

correct me I am wrong - but I thought that not all cats are lactose intolerant - like humans I thought if you were lactose intolerant then it would then cause diarrhea and vomitting - I thought if this didnt happen then they werent lactose intolerant and therefore okay for cows milk.

I know many many people that feed their cats cows milk and have forever and they are fine.

sorry - to question everything (I know I have been doing that all weekend) but I am just interested in the reasoning behind alot of these things.
I had one vet whom I dont go to anymore - but he told me that cows milk was fine - his attitude was people have been giving their cats cows milk for generations.... food for thought I guess.

I am sure I will get lots of explanations on this though!!

Milk Intolerance

In spite of the customary image of a cat with its face in a dish of cream, cats must acquire a taste for dairy products. Although some cats obviously enjoy cow’s milk, many cats do not.

It’s important to remember that cow’s milk differs from the milk kittens get from their nursing mother. Cat’s milk contains almost three times as much protein as cow’s milk. Orphan kittens fed only cow’s milk will not survive because they are not getting sufficient protein in their diet. If you find yourself in the position of surrogate cat-mom, make sure you feed the little ones a nutritionally adequate diet. Consult your veterinarian or feed the kittens one of the commercial products designed for this purpose.

Cow’s milk can occasionally be a problem for cats that do enjoy it. Some adult cats cannot effectively digest cow’s milk (lactose intolerance), which can result in diarrhea. The diarrhea should stop after you remove milk from your cat’s diet. But if the diarrhea persists, lactose intolerance may not be the problem, and you should consult your veterinarian. (From www.cah.com)

Cats can not always properly digest lactose, the sugar in milk. Just like people, many cats are lactose intolerant. If your cat gets diarrhea or vomits after ingestion of milk or other dairy products then it would be a good idea not to give them. (from www.vetinfo.com)

Myth: Cats Need Milk

It is a heart-warming image: It's cold outside, a warm fire is blazing in the fireplace and your cat is lapping up cream from a saucer. But milk products may cause digestive problems a few hours later. Milk is a good source of water and energy-producing carbohydrates, but it does not contain all the other nutrients a cat needs to stay healthy. Many cats are lactose-intolerant - they don't have the enzyme that digests lactose, a milk-sugar component of milk.

Drinking milk can cause loose stools and diarrhea, which strips liquids and nutrients from you cat's system. Milk does not have a place in a cat's diet and should be avoided. (From www.ragdoll-cats.com)

So I guess a little bit of milk is OK if the cat shows no symptoms of lactose intolerance. Kittens are usually lactose intolerant until they are about a year old.

oh Tania - your such a gem
thanks for all of this!!! so I was basically correct then. We used to give Tipsy cows milk before we got Cedar - maybe twice a week or - and he was fine!!! we now give them whiskas milk but its good to know if we dont have that at times then the cows milk will be fine occasionally.

thanks again Tania - I suppose I should of done that research on the internet (oops) so I really really appreciate it.

No worries mate. I use a search engine at www.askjeeves.com . Instead of just typing in, lactose cat for example, you can type in, are cats lactose intolerant?