Do cats Really need to drink milk?

Question

I ve had my cat Jenny now for six months shes eating fine a tin a day but I carnt get her to drink. I ve tried milk and water but she refuses both, shes fit and healthy in every way and her coats gleaming but she refuses to drink, is this normal and does she really need to drink if eating healthy?My last cat died of old age at 23 and he loved milk! Its a mystery to me has anyone any advice?

Answer 1

cats dont need milk - alot of people say it is bad 4 them and they can get ill but onli a few cats r like this - mine has cat milk just incase and loves it. Even if your cat doesnt drink anything leave water there all the time. If u r feeding it wet food then dnt 4get ther is alot of moiture in tht and it may not feel the need 2 drink - also if ur cat is let out - it could b eating grass - it is natural for all cats 2 eat grass and if u have a house cat thn u shud provide them with grass. It helps make your cat b sick and will stop ur cat from gettin hair balls as the grass will bring this up with it. Grass has lots of water in it and this could explain why she is not frinking - if she is healthy thn u have nothing to worry about. Just make sure tht water is ther if she needs it.

Answer 2

Milk is a food, even if it looks like a drink. I read that cow's milk can cause diarrhea, is very rich. If you think of it, it's meant to raise a calf into a bull! Some vets advise not to give them any cows milk, only special milk for cats, sold in stores, or very diluted kitten substitute milk.

Not all cats drink a lot. Leave water out at all times, and she might drink while you're not watching.

My cat likes to drink from the running tap, try to leave the tap on and play with the water by running your finger under it, your cat might grow curious and try it out.

Answer 3

Our kitten is allergic to cow's milk it makes him vomit, however goat's milk he is ok with. So you could try that. Milk is a form of food for cats, it's not essential to them like water is. Cats can survive a long time with only water and no food, they need it in their systems. But they don't NEED milk. So don't worry if your cat doesn't drink milk :) it isn't a big deal! Cats also get a lot of the water they need out of wet food so if she's eating tins she will be ok. Any chance she is drinking water when you're not looking? Maybe take her to the vet just to be sure.

Answer 4

Cats do not need milk. They do need water and can get some of their fluids from canned food. You should always have clean water available for your cat. I have two cats and I rarely see my female cat drink water but I know she does and I see my male cat drink lots of water, plus he actually drinks from the bathtub or shower after someone takes a shower. I wouldn't feed your cat milk, just leave out fresh water and look to see if the level has dropped during the day, then you will know if she is drinking. She just may drink it when you're not around. Good luck!

Answer 5

Kittens commence out in existence making an enzyme noted as lactase which helps them to chop up and the digest the lactose (a sugar modern in milk) molecule. As they get to weaning age they produce much less of it so their means to drink milk and digest it declines. some cats, who've had milk to drink for all of their lives, on no account quit making adequate lactase to drink some milk devoid of digestive issues. For others, relatively people who did no longer proceed ingesting milk often considering they have been weaned do lose their means to digest milk. maximum grownup cats are a minimum of partly lactose-illiberal and gets diarrhea from ingesting better than a sprint milk. Your cat would be effective with a a small quantity like a million/2 ounce yet you may no longer furnish her better than that. you may make her sick.

Answer 6

I have a cat which lives indoors and does not appear to drink. He seems to get the moisture he needs from the tinned cat food. However, this is not necessarily a good thing, because it can lead to urinary problems.

I have tried everything, including giving him aquarium water. Many cats don't like tap water very much. They prefer water that has had time to 'mature' and collect a variety of organisms. I imagine that tap water to them tastes the way distilled water tastes to us.

But nothing that I've tried has worked. You can take a cat to water ...

Answer 7

Do you feed her tinned food, if so she is probably getting enough liquid from that, no cats don't NEED milk. She may even be drinking water when she goes out, if she does, the time to be worried is if she is having dry food and doesn't drink, or if she starts to look ill.

Answer 8

My cat never has milk. Its just extra calcium to make bones strong but you can get cat foods that have calcium in them. My cat eats yogurt so gets quite a bit from there. As for the water, my cat drinks rain water and is fine.

Answer 9

Try giving Jenny Wiskers Cat Milk. My cats seem to like it a lot. I also change the water in their bowls with chilled water twice a day.

Answer 10

Whiskas makes a milk that is formulated for cats. You should avoid cows milk however, as cats are lactose intolerant. I've had experience where my cat did not like the ceramic bowl I kept his water in. I switched to a glass bowl and he seemed to like drinking from that. Make sure the water is fresh. I change my cats water twice daily.