Can Cats Eat Cheese: Cheese is a dairy product and it is not necessarily advisable to give this food to your cat. Most cats are lactose intolerant. They will not die if they eat it, but giving them cheese can cause diarrhea and other digestive disorders. If you want to give food like cheese to your Cat, you have to do it in moderation to avoid health problems.
You May Also Know: Is Rosemary Safe for Cats
Contents
Can the Cat eat Light Cheese?
Lactose is present in cheese in the form of sugar. Even if you give your cat some low sugar cheese, there is a good chance it will be lactose intolerant.
The only time you can give your cat cheese is when it’s still a kitten. Kittens have a digestive system that contains lactase (the enzyme that allows the dissociation of lactose into glucose and galactose, which allows the digestion of milk).
At birth, kittens have a lot of enzymes in their bodies that allow them to survive when they drink their mother’s milk. They have a digestive composition that allows them to lower lactose and digest it well, while once an adult, they can not anymore.
Your kitten can eat cheese without digestive difficulties, but that does not mean you can continue to give it cheese all your life. When your kitten grows up, it will tend to produce fewer and fewer enzymes, and therefore, will digest less and less lactose. In summary, his digestive system will make him lactose intolerant.
Why do Cats Produce little lactase?
As long as they consume milk, the digestive system of the cat will produce lactase. However, when your cat starts eating solid foods and stops drinking milk, lactase production will stop at the same time. When his body stops producing these enzymes, he never starts again.
Check Also: What Can Cats Eat
Cats are carnivorous, they do not need a diet based on milk or cheese. Thus, cheese and other dairy products should not be part of the cat ‘s diet.
However, even though your cat is lactose intolerant, that does not mean that you will never be able to give him some cheese or milk. If you give it to him since he was a baby and you never stopped when he became an adult, then he will have the ability to be more tolerant of lactose.
Digestion in cats varies as much as humans do, but watch for the signs of your cat when you give it dairy products. If your cat has a fragile stomach or has intestinal disorders (especially diarrhea) , then do not give it to him. If your cat does not show any reaction/difficulty when eating dairy products, then you will be able to give it from time to time.
Give dairy products to her cat, yes but in moderation
Even if your cat does not show problems with lactose intolerance after eating cheese or drinking milk, it is important that you give it only small amounts. And when you decide to give your cat cheese, make sure it’s low in lactose. There are many kinds of cheese in supermarkets that are low in lactose, rather interesting if you want to give it to your cat. You can ask your vet to inquire for more information.
Some cat foods are sold with written cheese taste. When you see writing cheese taste, there is, in fact, no cheese, only aromas.
What are the Benefits of giving Cheese to your Cat?
Cheese is a good source of protein. Again, do not abuse it. These foods promote the fatness of your cat, so you must limit them so that it stays healthy.
Cats love the taste of cheese. This may be useful if you have to administer medications.
What kind of Cheese to give to your Cat?
There is no real importance on the type of cheese as long as it is low in lactose and your cat tolerates milk and cheese well.
Most cats tolerate poor, fat-rich cottage cheese (found mostly at Monoprix, Mark & Spencer, and Carrefour under the Jokey brand). Some researchers have shown that a bacterium found in cottage cheese would help digest milk.
“Solid” cheese contains less sugar but more fat. It also means that it contains less lactose.
On the other hand, if your cat becomes lactose intolerant, stop giving it dairy products, even cheese. Even if your cat does not want to eat on a whim or quest for cheese from time to time, do not give in, its health above all else.
