Ouestion on milk

Hi,well i give my cats water to drink normally but iv never seen them drink it. When i put it down for them they just ignore it. I give them some milk every now and then because they will actually drink that but iv heard that its bad for cats to have milk. Is that true?Opinions plz

The others will explain better as to why but it's something to do with "Lactose" thats in it or something?!, but i just give my two fresh water everyday and it gets drank no problem, so i'm sure they will drink it at some point

As long as they are not lactose intolerant it will not do them any harm. It will also not, as an aside, do them any good, becuase there is little nutritional value in milk for cats.

Unfortunately, many cats are lactose intolerant and will develop diarrhea. Cats often lack the enzyme that is required to break down the sugar in milk and this can cause them to develop vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Many people suggest alternative "cat Milk" available from most pet food vendors. However, one of mine drinks fresh milk and loves it. It does not cause her any bother, and as long as there is also fresh, clean water always available, I don't believe there is any real harm, as long as it is a treat and not a staple diet.

thanx for the replys,very helpful.

Hi,

My cat ignores water also, but i mix his dry food with water so i know hes getting liquisd, he will also drink the water mixed with the dry food, hes just picky i guess about what his water tastes like.

If they are eating wet food they will need very little water as cats get most of their moisture from their food in the wild. However of course they should always have access to frresh water. Mine also love goats' milk and that is fine for them.

Apparently normal fresh milk gives some of them diarrhoea cos of the lactose. It is much better to give them Cat Milk because it's chockful of nutrients (Taurine etc) which is not found in fresh milk, and it is lactose free too.

I syringe feed my cats Cat Milk cos somehow they don't like it, but without it they won't get the Taurine. My kitten doesn't object as violently when he knows it's Cat Milk, he just squirms politely, but not as much as when he smells medicine... Catsy on the other hand, will struggle and sulk afterward.

Most cats are lactose intolerant, but mine get a splash of organic non-fat milk for a treat on special occassions and they have no problem digesting/processing it.

I myself have a lactose intolerance so I drink the Lactase milk..every once in a while I give some to my kitty. Another thing I used to do for them as a treat was regular milk (just a tiny bit) mixed with water.

If you buy the special kitty milk, read the labels. One is called CatSip, and the other is made by Whiskas (I think). The CatSip, if memory serves, is the better one. It only has a couple ingredients. The other one has a pretty lengthy ingredient list, and contains stuff like corn syrup. Why it needs corn syrup, I do not know! Always read the ingredients on anything you buy for the cats to consume, and watch for stuff like that.

Amber

Most cats and some humans are lactose intolorent only because the milk we buy is pasterized and homogenized. Nature did not intend our bodies to digest milk that has been so heavily modified. Give you cat raw milk and it will have no problem, same goes for lactose int. people. or you can buy lactose free milk, raw is best.