How come you can give cats a little warm milk sometimes, but all's dogs get is water????

Answer 1

All those answers that said don't give cats milk are absoultley correct...cat's really can't digest it! Going further, neither can humans...commercial milk is made by cows and they have four stomachs and the milk is made for a baby that is hundreds of pounds at birth! Not a good combination for a little kitty that weights less than 15 pounds!

Now you can 'treat' your kitty by going to the store and getting special 'milk' just for cats...I think Hartz or one of the big pet food people make it. My cats never liked any sort of milk and are perfectly happy with fresh, clean water (especially that 'running' water you get with the filter systems...they love it!)

Oh, and never replace water with even that cat milk! Clean water for any animal is essential...I give mine clean water each and every day (get those big jugs for 99 cents or less at the market...distilled or mineral water).

Answer 2

Cats should never be given milk products of any kind. Kittens that are nursing are not really imbibing "milk" at all, it's another substance that the mother cat produces.

I saw many people saying milk's is bad for cats, they're lactose intolerant, it gives them diarrhea, etc., but the most serious side effect of cats drinking milk is kidney disease. I had a kitten I couldn't keep years ago ( a Maine Coon - beautiful!) and my mother adopted him.

Mom spoiled him alot, and every morning at breakfast time she gave him a little bowl of half & half. He loved it. Then he'd get his regular cat food. When he was about twelve years old, the vet said we shouldn't give him any more milk, and why. Well, my Mom died, and when my kitty was fifteen, my husband had to give him daily I.V.s for kidney failure. Please, all you cat lovers, the only "milk" that should be given to cat's (or kittens) is the stuff they sell in the pet food department that was mentioned earlier. In my grogery store it's called "Cat's Milk" and costs an arm and a leg, but I buy it for my kitties once in a while.

Answer 3

Hi there... milk causes diarrhoea/bowel distress. Cats as well as dogs do not have the proper enzymes to properly break down the sugar in milk which is called 'lactose.' You may have heard of people who are lactose-intolerant. They are also missing these digestive enzymes. If the proper enzymes are not present, the lactose remains undigested and tends to ferment in the intestine and cause diarrhea. Better yet, consider giving the kitty one of the special cat milks or kitten replacement milk (known as KMR) on the market that have had the lactose removed. Water is best for both dog and cats though.

Here's an article on the misconceptions about milk for cats:
http://www.fabcats.org/feeding.html
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/humanfood.htm

Answer 4

We are the only mammals on the planet that drink milk after being weaned by our mothers. And cow's milk at that!

Dogs and cats have no need for milk. Some cats can't tolerate it in their digestive systems, others like it. Food and filtered water is all your dog needs to be happy and healthy.

Answer 5

In general milk is not good for cats unless you buy the special milk that is formulated for cats. Cow's milk can give them diarrhea. The same goes for dogs.

Answer 6

Because cats are very special to have warm milk and dogs are to playful to have milk.

Answer 7

You cant really give cats milk, a sip here and there but thats all. Cats get seriously ill when drinking milk.

Dogs on the other hand...Cant drink milk at all.

Answer 8

never give cats milk it will give them the runs I have 2 cats and never gave my cat milk only once with a cat I had along time ago and it got the runs it was very bad

Answer 9

it is actually better to give both cats and dogs water...cows milk is not good for either

Answer 10

You really shouldn't be giving cats any milk. They can develop problems like diarrhea from this.