Milk and Cats

[zinc]

I only give KMR with some skim milk mixed in to the adult ferals sometimes..I mix in skim milk b/c some won't touch it if it doesn't have it.
When there have been feral kittens I gave them straight KMR and they lapped it up. When the fosters were younger they'd get KMR too, now that they're teens just once in a while and I have to put skim in for some reason..for these KMR seems to loose its appeal as they grow up..pregnant ferals also get KMR..there's also the formula glop (homemade) that one can give them but I never did (if it turns out to be less expensive than KMR I will)
And when I give milk to our cats it is skim b/c we only drink skim.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

I don't feed my cats milk but my cat Rosie is crazy for whipped cream which comes out of a canister and whenever I'm having dessert with a whipped cream topping I can't sit down and enjoy it until I've squirted out a bit of whipped cream on a small plate for Rosie or let her lick it from my fingers.

The "whipped cream" out of the canister probably doesn't have much real cream or milk in it - most likely oil substitutes.

Our cat Ebony loved vanilla ice cream. When I had a dish he would climb all over me and try to pull the dish down to get some. I would save about a tablespoon for him to have when I finished.

As someone else said, it really depends on the cat - some can handle it and others will get diarrhea.

 

[strange_wings]

Actually I've only seen whole cows milk go horribly wrong from freezing, but that could have been a brand/near over due date problem and my over sensitive taste buds.

Originally Posted by BuzbyJLC10

wow, glad that's not me! Mom drank whole milk through the pregnancy and I still only drink whole today! Anything else tastes like water to me! And since I drink only organic, it tastes even creamier to me.... yummy!

I used to love whole milk and was very picky about taste and brands, skim milk is nasty. Luckily the Land'O'Lakes dairy ease reduce fat is drinkable, lactaid is bitter and gross. Worst part is that I can't eat ice cream anymore

 

[tallard]

Originally Posted by Ping

Ok I have heard both sides of this but wanted to get some of the kitty experts here opinion on this. Is milk ok for cats? I have seen cats all my life drink at least some milk and never had any outward problems that I have seen. But then I hear people say that you should never give cats milk because they are lactose intolerant. So which is it or can it be both depending on the cat involved?
So is a little bit of milk ok?

I am lactose intoleant myself, as is one human in 5 on this planet, as are a vast majority of black and asians.

Lactose intolerance (unless from birth) is simply another word for being weaned and it is the same for most mammals. The proteins and nutrition in mother's milk (cat and human) is essential for early development. In nature, moms eventually stop milking their offspring because one needs to "move on". As milk is a NON ESSENTIAL part of an adult diet (cat & human) if the digestive system is no longer in contact with milk, the metabolism does away with the superfluous lactase enzyme. In this case, the cat/human is weaned and no longer has the ABILITY TO DIGEST MILK. It doesn't mean it's bad for them, it just means indigestion. The lactose molecules make their way down to the colon where the naturally occuring bacteria say wow! untouched milk molecules, yippee! let's feast, and well bacteria defecate gaz, which is the reason behind the farts...

Now on the other hand, if the kitten/child was never taken off milk in the first place, the digestive system never got to wean itself so milk is still perfectly digestible.

Amazing how few doctors/vets know anything about weening/lactose intolerance.

Bottom line, weaned cats, NO MILK PLEASE, unpleasant for all parties
If your cat hasn't been weaned, go ahead, milk away

 

[crazyforinfo]

Molly loves her milk! She has her own little bowl in the morning. DH gives her lactaid, I give her whole milk(better than down the sink).

Lucky will ask once in a blue moon. He much prefers cheese, very little amount. Molly can't handle cheese. She does like yogurt & ice cream

Ben hasn't discovered table food & we want to keep it that way.

 

[raju]

my cat loves whiskas cat milk
He would crazy if i didn't have any at home