fact or myth

ok i got a good one my friend who lives in main has had kats and kittens her whole life she said that cats can have milk (reg milk) that it wont give them diarear unless they are alergic to it just like us does anyone know if that is true

iS NOT GOOD. If you want to give your cat milk you have to buy milk at the pet store that is made for cats.

Cats are lactose intolerant. Some to more degrees then others. It may not make them throw up but it will upset their stomachs. Unfortunately they do not know that this happens and love to drink milk. That is why it is up to the owner to keep regular cow's milk away from cats and offer them CatSip or Whiskas milk instead as a treat. Lactose free milk would probably work too.

I wouldn't give milk to a cat, just on the off chance they are majorly sensitive. When we first got Zakk he drank like a 1/4 cup of milk when we weren't looking.. I had kind laughed and said.. oh well. Well that night he had diarhea, stepped in it and then jumped into bed with us. Let me tell you I never let my cats have milk again, and I'm very cautious about letting them even nibble on cheese.
Some cats can have milk, but moderation is key, and I'm not willing to take that risk again.
BTW mine do drink the catsip stuff once in awhile.

Your friend is right in a sense - some cats have no reaction to cows milk. But about 60% of cats do, in some degree or other, so it is not a good idea to give it to them. Goat milk is OK, being low lactose, and mine all love that as a treat. Most yoghurts and cheeses lose the lactose in preparation, so they are all right too, if hte cat likes them.

The reason your friend doesn't think there is any problem is that she gives it to them all the time, I'm assuming. If you give them milk starting when they're kittens, and keep giving it to them, most develop the enzymes necessary to digest it okay. That doesn't mean it's good for them, or even not bad for them.

I let Zissou have a tiny lick out of the cereal bowl, but she drank some once and it gave her the squirts and now she won't drink it. Just like any other species, if you eat/drink something that makes you sick, you don't like it anymore. I still can't eat an omelete from when I was 6.

Once kittens are weaned its not good to give them cow's milk any more. While some can still tolerate it with no problems; those cats are rare. Its better to be sure they have plenty of water.

My first cat was the ONLY one that could tolerate milk (he loved the little 1/2 1/2 creamers for coffee) and got it as a treat (once a week). But my 15 yr old rex got ahold of milk one time and wound up with a stomach problem - he never touched anything with milk in it again.

Some of my female rexes could tolerate a taste (1/2 teaspoon) of vanilla ice cream.

I don't give the adults any milk on a routine basis.

i think its the process that makes it drinkable for humans that upsets cats tummies, because cats on farms have NO prob drinking cows and goats milk straight from the teats.