If you’ve ever read children’s books where there’s a cat, you’re probably wondering, “Can cats drink milk?” The age-old myth that milk and cats go hand-in-hand has officially been debunked by veterinarians and cat experts. Regardless of how tasty milk may be to your cat, this is bad news for their stomach and digestive system. As it turns out, most cats are lactose intolerant.
Just like humans, some cats can’t digest lactose, a milk sugar that’s found in dairy. The only time in a cat’s life when its body actually has enough of the enzyme lactase to properly digest lactose is at birth and during its early years of life. This is so the cat can feed off of its mother’s milk. After that, less and less lactase is produced, resulting in potentially increased digestive complications.
“Even though some cats can tolerate milk and seem to enjoy it, cow’s milk just isn’t good for cats,” Dr. Gary Richter, a veterinary health expert with Rover, told Reader’s Diges. “Cats don’t need dairy milk, and the potential problems outweigh the potential benefits.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment