Does All Milk Contain Lactose?Īll milk from mammals (dairy) contains lactose in its natural state. Even if your cat can tolerate drinking regular cow’s milk, you still may wish to give it milk that’s lower in lactose, just in case its tolerance changes. Remember, milk isn’t an adequate meal replacement. If that’s the case, you may decide to treat your cat to a small serving of milk occasionally.

If your cat enjoyed the milk and didn’t experience any adverse side effects, this suggests that it’s not lactose or milk intolerant. Ideally, you should wait until your cat goes to the toilet so that you can check its stool is normal after consuming milk. To test a cat’s tolerance, you could give it some milk and monitor its reactions for the next 24 hours.Īny of the following symptoms would indicate milk/lactose intolerance: It’s true that some cats are neither lactose nor milk intolerant and can digest milk effectively, but that’s not to say that milk is beneficial either. Some cats are overly sensitive to casein (a protein in milk), and a small number of cats may have an undiagnosed intestinal disease that affects their ability to digest milk. However, according to Wiley, not all cats are milk intolerant due to lactose intolerance. Cats that are lactose intolerant have very few lactase enzymes, so they find it hard to break down the lactose in milk. Lactose is broken down in the gut by an enzyme called lactase. This means they find it hard to process milk and may experience adverse reactions.Ĭow’s milk is the most popular, but dairy can refer to the milk from any mammal (cow, goat, sheep, etc.) As discussed, dairy is a problem for some cats because it contains a sugar called lactose. More than half of adult cats are intolerant to milk (dairy). Also, milk is 85% water, so cats that enjoy wet food may instinctively be drawn to milk. Milk quickly fills your cat’s stomach, so it is an efficient way to get enough calories. As stated, kittens drink their mother’s milk when they’re young, so drinking it likely brings back feelings of comfort, safety, and protection. Most cats love the taste of milk, and that’s no surprise. So, even though there are nutrients in cow’s milk, these won’t get absorbed if the cat has a bout of diarrhea.

The carbohydrates found in milk are hard for many cats to digest and may cause diarrhea. So, the notion that milk is a creamy treat for cats is misguided. However, milk lacks many amino acids that cats need to survive.Īlthough fresh milk is a high-fat product, the skimmed milk humans get from the supermarket can be relatively low in fat.

Also, the water content will help cats stay hydrated. Proteins – Casein and Whey (around 3-4%)Ĭats will benefit from the vitamins and calcium found in milk.The following nutrients are found in regular cow’s milk: Milk has some beneficial ingredients, but it’s unnecessary to give your cat milk. Kittens drink milk from their mothers, but adult cats don’t need milk to thrive. 1.9 How Often Can I Give Milk to My Cat? Is Milk Healthy for Cats?

Fairlife skim milk