Will cats die if they drink milk?

Jianghu rumors: Most cats are lactose intolerant and cannot drink milk, and they will have diarrhea after drinking it.

But can cats drink milk?

Misunderstanding 1: Small milk cats can never drink milk

In fact, kittens are the best at breaking down lactose. All mammals that are not weaned need to rely on their mother's milk to survive. So they all have a type of lactase, the digestive enzyme that breaks down lactose, and kittens are no exception.

Therefore, the milk cat period is the period with the highest lactase level in the entire cat's body. Even if you drink regular whole milk a few times, it won't necessarily go wrong.

Myth 2: Goat milk has less lactose and is better for cats than cow's milk.

In fact, goat milk does not contain much less lactose than cow's milk. Compared with the lactose content per 100 grams of milk, only from the lactose content itself, the difference is not very big. Therefore, cats who are intolerant to cow's milk may not be fine if they drink goat's milk.

However, due to the small molecular structure of protein and fat in goat milk, it is indeed easier to digest and absorb, so after drinking it, there will be less indigestion.

Myth 3: No diarrhea means no lactose intolerance

Not all cats are lactose intolerant. For example, cats in Europe and the United States, just like Europeans and Americans, have a lower proportion of lactose intolerance, while the proportion in East Asia and Africa is much higher.

In fact, symptoms of lactose intolerance include vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloating, and gas. Moreover, lactose intolerance usually occurs in 8-12 hours, and the symptoms may not be obvious if you drink less, which leads many shovel officers to ignore the symptoms of cats and think that it is okay.

So, if your cat loves to drink milk, be sure to watch it multiple times and in large quantities to make sure they don't have any digestive problems or allergic reactions.

Misunderstanding 4: "Cheese" should not be eaten by cats

Cheese also metabolizes lactose during the production process, but the cheese we often eat will add a lot of "salt" or "soak brine" during the production process to help the cheese flavor and prevent it from spoilage.

Cheese tends to contain a lot of sodium, so it should only be given to cats in small amounts.

So cats can't drink milk, but if the milk is fermented to remove or decompose the lactose, it can become a snack that cats like and can eat~

Myth 5: Milk can meet growth needs

The reason why milk cats can't drink milk is that the nutrients in milk are not enough for them to grow up healthily.

Unweaned kittens rely on milk for all their nutritional intake, and as carnivorous cats, the nutritional composition of milk is completely different from that of herbivores. Cat milk contains far more protein and fat than cow's milk, as well as various trace elements. The total price is 3-4 times higher than that of cow's milk. Not only is the lactose content less than that of cow's milk, but also the fat molecules are smaller, which is suitable for kittens to absorb.

Myth 6: Yogurt can be given to cats

Yogurt is fermented, and most of the lactose is converted into lactic acid, which is supposed to be safer. But in fact, many yogurts on the market still contain lactose because of the production process, and some are not even low-lactose. So if you want to give it, it's best to give it to naturally fermented plain yogurt without sugar. If the northerners have heating, they can ferment by themselves in winter.

In fact, some foreign experts believe that for cats, the risk of problems that drinking milk may cause exceeds the benefits it can bring. Licking two mouthfuls of milk may be one of the little pleasures in a little house cat's life. It also has the effect of replenishing moisture. If there is no problem, you can still give it two sips.