Fact Check: should cats drink cow’s milk?
5.12.2023
Translation: Elicia Payne
Cats love milk. But is it healthy for our furry friends? Read on to learn which drink is best for cats.
Milk perks up tired chaps. This was the slogan used by the West German dairy industry in the 1950s. It’s now clear that milk makes you tired – the sleep-inducing ingredient tryptophan is to blame. Whether it’s actually healthy for humans is a constant topic of debate. However, the research concerning cats is already further advanced.
When lactose becomes a problem
When a kitten’s born, it’s dependent on its mother’s milk. This contains lactose, just like cow’s milk. For the young cats to digest milk, their body produces an enzyme called lactase. However, this doesn’t last forever. As our four-legged friends get bigger and can feed on solid food, the production of their own lactase decreases rapidly.
The result: cow’s milk can quickly overstrain the digestion in adult cats. This can trigger, for example, flatulence, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea. Not all cats react in the same way. But it’s not recommended. So the answer to this fact check is: no. Cats shouldn’t drink cow’s milk. If so, then only occasionally small amounts of diluted and lactose-free products.
In the past it was ok
Now you may ask yourself: why didn’t our four-legged friends have any problems back in the day? They were always served cow’s milk on the farms, weren’t they? That’s true. There was no special cat food back then and meat would’ve been too expensive for the mousers. Cow’s milk was always available, cheap and yet nutritious. It’s assumed that the cats became accustomed to it from an early age and possibly continued to produce lactase during and after adolescence.
Is cat milk the solution?
It’s a different story with today’s cats. They’re no longer kept as mousers and are no longer served left overs. Instead, there’s cat food available in all forms. And there’s cat’s milk. Cat owners are particularly fond of it. Especially if your furry friends need to drink a lot, for example due to kidney problems.
But even this is only recommended to a certain extent. Although cat’s milk contains almost no lactose, it does contain a lot of sugar. This can quickly lead to obesity in cats. You should therefore only give them it as an occasional treat.
Cat food
Quantity discount
CHF8.55 per piece for 3 units CHF42.41/1kg
Whiskas Cat Milk 200 ml
Adult, 1 pcs., 224 g
How to make water tasty for cats
The best choice for cats is still the classic: water. However, not all animals are a fan of it. Plus it’s even more unlikely if the cat has already become accustomed to tasty milk. So how do you encourage them to drink water? Here are five tips:
1. Various drinking bowls
Spread various shaped drinking bowls around your home and at different heights. This way, your cat will pass the water more often than if it’s only in the kitchen next to the food, for example. Many cats don’t like that anyway. Because in the wild, water next to the remains of prey or blood could be contaminated. You should also remember to clean the various indoor drinking bowls regularly.
2. Different varieties
If your cat doesn’t like tap water, you can also try mineral water or rainwater.
3. Draw attention to the water
You can also use small gestures to draw your cat’s attention to the water.
4. Drinking fountain
If the various food bowls are of no use, you can try a cat water fountain. The movement of the water should prevent bacteria from multiplying too quickly and increase the oxygen content. Some furry friends prefer drinking from these rather than from a conventional bowl. And the fountain also has advantages for you: you only have to replace the water about once a week and you get a humidifier at the same time.
5. Wet food
If the above tips don’t help your cat, you can give them a little more wet food. Cats can already satisfy a large part of their fluid requirements through this. However, pay attention to the quality. According to Swiss consumer magazine Kassensturz, many wet foods contain too many minerals (website in German).
Cat food
Quantity discount
CHF8.– per piece for 3 units CHF11.13/1kg
Leonardo Cat wet food
Adult, 800 g
Let me summarise: milk doesn’t wake up tired men or tired cats. The only cat drink which really is the Creme de la Creme doesn’t contain any milk.
What do you give your cat to drink? Let me know in the comments!
Header image: Shutterstock/Nils Jacobi
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI like anything that has four legs or roots. The books I enjoy let me peer into the abyss of the human psyche. Unlike those wretched mountains that are forever blocking the view – especially of the sea. Lighthouses are a great place for getting some fresh air too, you know?
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