Someone Pour Me Up A Double Shot of Milk, Please: Alex’s Nightcaps
Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
It’s the classic stereotype: cats love milk. Followed by the harsh reality: cats shouldn’t drink milk. Unfortunately, no one told Alex that, and I’m pretty sure he’s not the only one out there living dangerously!
Yes, the fact is that, like all mammals, once weaned, cats don’t need milk and become increasingly lactose intolerant over time. And that’s right, I mean all mammals. Biologically speaking, we’re all only designed to drink milk until we’ve been weaned off as infants, but our enjoyment of dairy, combined with our poor selection of high calcium foods, means that we humans have chosen to keep milk as a part of our daily diets. This is why lactose intolerance is such a common condition – we’re not really supposed to be digesting so much dairy! However, in that case, they shouldn’t make it so delicious.
Cats 🚫 Milk
When it comes to cats, being obligate carnivores means that they really aren’t designed to digest dairy, and as they mature, they lose most of the lactase enzymes needed to properly process it. But that doesn’t mean they lose the taste for it, and Alex is definitely a fan of milk.
