Giving cats milk?

[ani]

Is giving cats a little bit of milk bad?

I grew up in a house where pets ate pet food and my FH and I do really feel that way, but I'm out of treats for her and she really likes a couple licks of milk here and there, but I don't wanna make her sick. Is there any reason I'm not thinking of that I SHOULDN'T give her AT MOST a tsp of milk a day?

Thanks

[fuzzy]

Most milk isn't great for kitties' bellies. Its not bad as in it'll-kill-your-cat bad, it just often causes indigestion (and, speaking from experience, in some cases, massive butt explosions).

If you want to give your cat a few licks of milk as a treat, I personally would purchase the kitten milk they sell at any store (my grocery store sells it). But then again, having lived through the Massive Butt Explosion of 1999, I'm a tad gun shy.

[maxandmolly]

I give both of mine a tiny bit as a treat every once in a while, and have never had any bad aftereffects. Just not too much, and not too often, and you should be good!

[Sabrina]

They sell "Kitty Milk" at the pet store which you can give as a treat. I am not talking about KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement), I am talking about milk marketed as a kitty treat.

Here's a link to one product:

Cat Sip (http://petco.com/product_info.asp?sku=4138333001&dept_id=%2D2)

Cow's milk can give kitties the runs...not something I would want to clean up! :eek:

[ani]

Thanks very much! I'll make sure to watch her closely and get her some new treats ASAP. Sounds like as long as she doesn't have tummy trouble it's still okay to use as a back up treat. I sure hope we don't end up with anything as horrible as a "butt explosion" lol.

[ani]

Sabrina looks like we cross posted -- thanks for that link! I'll def check it out when I'm shopping. It's super cheap!

[Sabrina]

Sabrina looks like we cross posted -- thanks for that link! I'll def check it out when I'm shopping. It's super cheap!


If you do try the Cat Milk, come back and let us know if your kitty liked it. I have 2 cats myself and have eyed this at the store a couple times, but never bought it myself. I drink the milk in our house, they drink the water from the tuna fish cans ;)

[maxandmolly]

Oh, under no circumstances can I give mine the tuna water- they both get deathly ill from it. No idea why- they can eat tuna just fine. One of mine also has a passion for chicken, and meows non-stop any time she smells it frying for my chicken parm until she gets her little piece.

[Sabrina]

Oh, under no circumstances can I give mine the tuna water- they both get deathly ill from it. No idea why- they can eat tuna just fine. One of mine also has a passion for chicken, and meows non-stop any time she smells it frying for my chicken parm until she gets her little piece.


Just goes to show that every kitty is different! :) One of mine loves the tuna water with a passion, the other one just ignores it most of the time. Actually, same thing with chicken...lol.

[maxandmolly]

Molly has ALWAYS had a thing for chicken, and it wasn't until long after wr broke up, that my ex told me why (we lived together when she was a kitten)- apparently every night while I was at work, he went to Church's for dinner, and gave her pieces of his chicken. The last time I gave her some chicken, Max dragged his fat behind off the couch to see what she was screaming about- looked at it, looked at me, sniffed and walked away.

[tlew12778]

Actually you're not supposed to give your cat human tuna at all.

Tuna fish is another food that animal owners may be surprised to find is detrimental to cats. Containing high amounts of mercury, tuna can cause mercury poisoning. Also, canned tuna is extremely high in fat because of the liquid it is packed in. This can lead to steatis, which causes the cat’s system to lose vitamin E. Symptoms of steatis include impaired mobility, fever and flaking skin. from http://sd.essortment.com/nutritioncats_rnsg.htm

But as a treat it's ok I think. Everything in moderation I say.