Can cats drink yogurt

If you find that your cat’s gums are red and swollen, it is not necessarily viral stomatitis, but tooth decay and periodontitis.
Comparison between Fugu Teeth Cleaning and the oral cavity of cats with stomatitis
Can cats drink yogurt? Answer: No. why? Today we will talk about this topic.
Many cats like to drink yogurt. Yogurt contains intestinal probiotics such as Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus lactis, which can improve cats’ intestinal digestive function. Since yogurt is so good, why don’t I recommend that cats drink yogurt?

Because drinking yogurt can cause tooth decay in cats.

“Can cats drink yogurt?” You may ask this question. Maybe you want to provide your cat with something different from usual. Of course, you may want to drink yogurt more often.
Cats can drink a small amount of yogurt. And a small amount of yogurt can relieve cats’ stomach discomfort and increase their appetite, which is beneficial to their health.
“In fact, some may benefit from semi-regular spoonfuls to settle a sensitive stomach or stimulate their appetite.”
However, there is a premise here, that is, no added sugar! No syrups, no artificial sweeteners, and keep it in moderation. If your cat has a history of allergic reactions, it is not recommended to continue feeding it.

When is yogurt suitable for cats to eat?

If your cat frequently suffers from digestive issues, such as frequent diarrhea, then you can try adding 2-3 scoops of yogurt to their diet.
The active flora in yogurt work synergistically with the flora in the cat’s intestines to relieve their gastric discomfort and maintain a balanced gastrointestinal movement, making the cat more comfortable. If your cat has recently become anorexic (after excluding anorexia during estrus), feeding an appropriate amount of yogurt will also help stimulate their appetite. (Acid can whet the appetite, as Chinese medicine has clearly stated thousands of years ago, and modern Western medicine has also verified this statement.)
Unlike most dairy products, yogurt contains bacteria that help digest lactose. Therefore, proper consumption of yogurt will not only cause gastrointestinal discomfort in cats, but also allow your cats to enjoy the comfortable experience of mother cat milk.
Streptococcus thermophilus is an essential material for making yogurt, but this bacteria can only reach the upper part of the small intestine. It can help people with lactose intolerance digest lactose because it can produce the enzyme lactase.
Of course, no matter what you feed your cat, you should follow a transitional approach, start with a small amount, and pay close attention to whether your cat is allergic to novel foods.

How much yogurt can cats eat and what kind of yogurt?

Most unflavored yogurts on the market can be fed to cats, but please check carefully before purchasing to make sure there is no added sugar, artificial syrup, etc.
The simplest ones are often the most practical, any type of unflavored yogurt will do. Other types of “flavored” yogurt should be avoided by cats because they contain sugar or artificial sweeteners! Of course, it is best for people not to consume these. Because these flavored yogurts may contain additives or other ingredients that are harmful to cats. For example, vanilla-flavored yogurt may contain ethanol, which is toxic to cats.
After buying the yogurt, you can also process the yogurt! You can crush a little banana or blueberry into puree and mix it into the yogurt, which is more beneficial to the cat’s health. Of course, your cat’s favorite thing may be to lick it directly from the spoon.

Why can’t cats drink yogurt?

First, yogurt is high in sugar. Because when making yogurt, sugar is added to fresh whole-fat or skim milk in order to provide nutrients to lactic acid bacteria and help them grow and reproduce. The proportion of sugar is as high as 5%-10%. The microorganisms in the oral cavity will ferment sugar to produce acidic substances, and these acidic substances will act on the enamel, decalcifying the teeth and destroying the enamel. After the enamel on the tooth surface is destroyed, the organic matter inside the teeth will easily Collapse, resulting in a wormhole.

Second, yogurt is highly acidic. Lactobacillus fermentation breaks down the lactose in milk into lactic acid, so cats will not suffer from lactose intolerance and diarrhea after eating yogurt. 

However, it increases the acidity of yogurt. The acidic substances will directly destroy the enamel on the surface of the teeth, thus destroying the structure of the teeth and causing tooth decay.

Third, the consistency of the yogurt. The milk is fermented to form a creamy yogurt. In other words, its viscosity has increased, and together with the acidic substances formed by sugar fermentation in the mouth and the acidity of yogurt itself, it further damages the teeth.
Fourth, cats’ teeth are sharper and thinner than dogs. Because yogurt is thick, it is easier for cats to have yogurt residue on their teeth when they drink it. In addition, cats don’t like brushing their teeth, so it is easy to develop tooth decay.
To sum up, it is easy to understand why cats cannot drink yogurt. If you want to give your cat yogurt without getting cavities, you have to brush its teeth and rinse its mouth immediately after feeding it. Otherwise it is best not to feed it. In the same way, do not feed your cat any snacks with high sugar content or food that sticks to your teeth. Unless you can give it oral care, brushing, and gargling, it will seriously affect the cat’s oral health. It’s not that cat tooth decay cannot be cured, but both root canal treatment and fillings are more expensive than those for humans. Moreover, cats will not eat or eat less because of toothache, resulting in weight loss, reduced resistance, and other secondary diseases.
Therefore, if you don’t want the decimal point of your balance to move forward, it’s best not to feed it.