Can cats drink goat milk?

Many cat owners know that cats cannot drink milk casually, but some people think that cats can drink sheep’s milk. In fact, pure milk and pure sheep’s milk are not suitable for cats to drink.

Why can’t cats drink milk?

This starts with cat milk. After the kitten is born, the mother cat first feeds the kitten cat milk.
In fact, cats are also mammals. In terms of composition, cat milk and milk have roughly the same composition, mainly due to different proportions of ingredients.
Cat milk is high in fat, protein, and lactose; Milk is low in fat, low in protein, and high in lactose.
But the differences in these proportions are enough for kittens to drink cat milk, but it is not recommended to drink milk.
After a kitten is born, there is a lactase in its stomach that breaks down lactose, allowing the cat to completely digest the lactose in its milk.
However, the lactase in cats and humans may decrease with age.
When a cat lacks lactase in its body, even drinking cat milk can lead to lactose intolerance, let alone milk with higher lactose content.
In addition to lactase factors, milk also contains some proteins and fats that are not found in cat milk and are difficult to break down in the cat’s digestive system. Some kittens may also experience protein and fat intolerance.
From a disaster preparedness perspective, even if cats still have lactase when they grow up, it is not recommended to give them milk, let alone drink a lot of milk.

Can sheep milk be consumed?

Let’s first take a look at the differences in the composition of milk, goat milk, and human milk:
There is not much difference in the composition between pure goat milk and milk, both are low-fat, low protein, and high lactose.
Especially in terms of lactose content, goat milk is only 0.12% lower than milk, which can be almost negligible.
So, if cats cannot drink milk, then cats cannot drink sheep’s milk either.

So what kind of milk should cats drink?

If it is necessary to supplement dairy products for cats, it is best to choose cat specific milk powder or comfort milk refined from milk or goat milk processing.
The lactose in these milk is broken down into galactose that cats can digest, and the protein has also denatured. Even if cats drink it, they will not develop lactose intolerance.
If you find that specialized milk powder is more expensive, yogurt is also a good choice. People or cats with lactose intolerance can drink it, but it is still not recommended to give cats too much.
In addition, from the perspective of training cats, regularly feeding them yogurt may also lead to cats developing a habit of competing with their owners to drink yogurt.
Besides not drinking milk or goat milk casually, it is also not recommended to give cats human mineral water or carbonated drinks. Drinking mineral water may cause stones in cats, while carbonated drinks may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

Finally, if a cat accidentally drinks milk, sheep’s milk, etc., it is necessary to observe the cat’s behavior first. If there is indeed diarrhea, do not worry. First, ask the cat to stop eating, then fast for 12 hours until the stool hardness is normal before eating.

Don’t feed these things to cats

Many human foods are not suitable for cats to eat, and for some human foods, cats can really die if they eat too much.
The simplest reason is that humans are omnivores, while cats are carnivores. Cats only need to eat meat for their entire lives, while humans cannot. Therefore, many things that humans eat every day are unbearable for cats. So for the health of your cat. Please keep your cat away from the following ten types:
Salt ranks first. Humans must consume sufficient salt every day, while cats do not need it. They rely solely on the salt present in the blood of meat itself. The vast majority of cats have a aversion to water, so when cats consume too much salt and drink very little water, it can lead to a series of kidney diseases and ultimately lead to death. So never give cats leftover food or food from humans. This includes all foods with high salt content, such as sausages, ham, cured meat, and so on.
Secondly, chocolate. Dogs cannot eat chocolate, I believe everyone remembers, and cats are no exception! Cats can’t eat chocolate either! The theobromine in chocolate can easily lead to poisoning in cats, causing vomiting, spasms, gastrointestinal bleeding, and in severe cases, death.
Thirdly, raisins. Cats are prone to vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and may also cause acute kidney failure, which can lead to death.
Fourth, tea and coffee. Cat poop coffee is very famous, but cats cannot drink coffee. The stimulation of caffeine on the heart and nervous system is extremely difficult for the small heart of cats to withstand, and it is highly likely to cause heart disease and ultimately lead to death.

Fifth, high sugar desserts. Sweets such as cakes and candies are easy to make cats fat, and long-term consumption is easy to cause diabetes and heart disease, which eventually leads to death.
Sixth, milk. Cats cannot drink milk. The vast majority of cats lack enzymes in their bodies that can break down and digest lactose. Consuming too much milk can lead to indigestion, diarrhea, and dehydration, which can seriously lead to death.
Seventh, seafood. Yes, cats cannot eat seafood for a long time! Firstly, seafood has a higher salt content than freshwater fish (in most cases). Secondly, long-term consumption of seafood can hinder the absorption of vitamin B1 in the body, leading to symptoms such as decreased appetite, spasms, vomiting, and later disability, which can seriously lead to death.
Eighth, garlic and scallions: Garlic and scallions contain ingredients that can damage cat red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia in cats. Excessive consumption can lead to acute kidney failure in cats, and in severe cases, can lead to death.
Ninth, the green parts of potatoes and tomatoes can cause nerve damage in cats, and long-term consumption can lead to death.
Tenth, cats are not allowed to eat lilies, rhododendrons, chrysanthemums, and other commonly used teas. Long term consumption can lead to death.
After looking at the list above, you can see that there are really not many things that are suitable for cats to eat, which is why there is the illusion that cats will die if they eat human food.
In many cases, cat owners are not very clear about what can be given to cats and what cannot, so it has become a convention not to give cats human food – and this is a very commendable practice, which can avoid many tragedies from happening.