If you own a cat, then you likely want to ensure that you’re taking care of it to the best of your ability. You love your cat and you want to be able to know that you’re making good choices for its health.
That’s why it’s imperative to pay attention to the things that you’re feeding your cat. There are definitely certain things that cats shouldn’t be eating or drinking.
When you think of common things that people give to cats, then milk probably comes to mind pretty fast. Milk is often shown being given to cats in TV shows and cartoons.
You probably grew up knowing that cats seem to like bowls of milk. This is certainly true and cats will gravitate toward milk if you try to give it to them.
Does this mean that it’s good to give cats milk, though? Would something like oat milk be healthy enough to give to a cat without having to worry about consequences?
Keep reading to learn about whether cats can drink oat milk or not. This should help you to understand what you should be doing to keep your cat healthy.
Cats Shouldn’t Drink Milk Often
The first thing that you should know right away is that cats really shouldn’t drink milk too often. Milk is something that cats are going to have a hard time breaking down and some types of milk really aren’t suitable for cats at all.
Most types of dairy products will be bad for cats overall. Cats simply aren’t able to break down the complex protein structures that you see in most dairy products.
This can lead to digestion issues and your cat could even get sick. That doesn’t mean that all types of milk will do this to cats, though.
There are some types of milk that cats will be able to tolerate better than others. If you simply must give your cats milk, then you should try to give them milk that won’t harm them.
What about oat milk? Is oat milk a good candidate to consider when you want to give some milk to a cat?
Cats Can (Technically) Drink Oat Milk
Yes, cats can technically drink oat milk if you want to give them some. If you have a cat that seems to love milk, then it’s going to be fine to give it some oat milk to satiate it.
The oat milk isn’t going to harm it in any way and it shouldn’t even give it an upset stomach or anything like that. You might think that this is great news and that you can give your cat oat milk moving forward, but you should pump the brakes before getting too excited.
You see, oat milk isn’t bad for cats, but that doesn’t mean that it’s good for them either. In fact, there isn’t really a good reason to give your cats oat milk in the first place.
Cats will indeed enjoy the oat milk, but it isn’t really going to have any nutritional value. Oat milk doesn’t contain any nutrients that your cat needs to survive and it isn’t going to help a cat to grow strong.
All oat milk is going to do is fill your cat up. This means that your cat will be full and won’t be able to eat anything else.
Knowing this, it’s only going to be practical to give your cat oat milk for special occasions. If your cat seems to enjoy the oat milk, then it could be a special treat that it can enjoy from time to time.
You could also choose to never give your cat milk since it doesn’t need it. Milk isn’t something that is necessary for cats, but using a safe type of milk such as oat milk as a treat in moderation is acceptable.
It’s also notable that some cats might have allergies that will prevent them from drinking oat milk. This means that you’ll need to ensure that your cat doesn’t have any allergies to the ingredients contained in oat milk before giving it to the cat.
Can Cat’s Drink Cow’s Milk?
The most common type of milk that people consume is cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is the common type of milk that you buy at the grocery store.
Although other healthier types of milk are becoming popular in North America now, cow’s milk is still the most commonly found milk in American fridges. When people give milk to cats, they’re often giving them cow’s milk because that’s what they happen to have in the fridge.
If you see a stray cat outside and want to give it a treat, then you probably shouldn’t be giving it cow’s milk. This is not going to be good for the cat in any way shape or form.
Cow’s milk is way too harsh for cats and they aren’t going to have a good time with it. You might be able to give a cat a small amount of cow’s milk without having it get sick or anything, but it still isn’t good for the cat.
You see, cow’s milk has very high fat and sugar content. This makes it a poor choice to give to cats.
Generally, when you’re looking for milk to give to cats, it’s going to be better to find healthier alternatives. Oat milk is a lot safer for cats than cow’s milk.
If you are going to feed a cat cow’s milk, then it’d be better to give them raw milk. It is less dangerous to cats and shouldn’t cause any irregularities, but that still doesn’t mean that it’s good for them.
Pasteurized milk, such as the kind that you likely have in your fridge, is dangerous to give to cats on a regular basis. It’s actually been shown to cause skeletal abnormalities in cats and it could even lead to reproductive issues.
Avoid giving your cats or stray cats cow’s milk. It would be better to not feed a cat than to take the risk of giving a cat this milk.
Is Goat’s Milk Fine to Give to Cats?
Goat’s milk is actually going to be better to give to your cats than cow’s milk. You’ll find that goat’s milk contains more vitamins and minerals than cow’s milk does.
You will want to ensure that you’re giving the cats raw goat’s milk to get the best results, though. Since most goat’s milk that you could purchase at a specialty grocery store will be pasteurized, it might not be a good fit for cats.
If you own goats and have access to raw goat’s milk, then it could be an okay occasional treat for cats to have. It just isn’t particularly good for cats and isn’t a necessary thing to add to a cat’s diet.
Goat’s milk has lower lactose levels than cow’s milk does. It’ll be a bit easier for cats to digest when compared to cow’s milk.
Just know that you don’t need to give goat’s milk to your cats. If you do decide to do this, then it shouldn’t become a regular thing.
Is Soy Milk Fine to Give to Cats?
Soy milk is becoming more popular in modern times because people are looking for vegan alternatives to cow’s milk. If you have soy milk in your fridge, then you might think that it would be good to give to a cat.
You would be wrong about that, sadly. Soy milk is made using soybeans and cats just aren’t able to deal with that type of protein.
Cats are carnivorous creatures by nature and they won’t do well with soy milk. You’ll be more likely to make a cat sick if you try to give it soy milk.
There’s also the fact that many cats are allergic to soy proteins, which you need to consider. Overall, it’s better to err on the side of caution and keep soy milk far away from cats.
How About Almond Milk?
Almond milk is another thing that you might think would be good for cats at first glance. It simply isn’t good for cats because it contains high amounts of oils and fats.
Some people assume that almond milk would be safe for cats since it doesn’t actually contain any lactose. Cats just don’t do well with almond milk and it will often cause them to throw up.
If you choose to give a cat almond milk, then it might even wind up having diarrhea issues. You don’t want to cause your cat or a stray cat to get sick, and that means that you should keep almond milk away from cats.
Almond milk might be good for you and you might like it, but it isn’t a good fit for your feline companions. Keep the almond milk for yourself.
Would Coconut Milk Be Okay for Cats?
Coconut milk is bad for cats, too. You’re likely seeing a pattern that most types of milk aren’t good for cats.
Coconut milk is bad for cats for the same reason that almond milk is. It has high oil and fat content that seems to harm cats.
Your cat will have a hard time digesting the proteins found in coconut milk. It’ll lead to digestive issues and you just don’t want to put cats through that.
It is interesting to note that coconut oil might have some benefits to cats. However, this is different from coconut milk.
Kittens Are Supposed to Be Given Cat’s Milk
If you’re trying to care for kittens, then you should know that they’re supposed to be given cat’s milk. When kittens are very young they’re supposed to get cat’s milk from their mothers.
Sometimes this isn’t possible because the mother died or the kittens have been abandoned for some reason. If you’re trying to nurture kittens and help them to survive, then you’ll need some type of cat milk replacement.
You can buy what is known as a kitten milk replacer from a retailer. This is designed to mimic cat’s milk closely and should help the kittens to thrive.
It might be better to try to find the kittens a foster mother, though. This would be more natural and it’d be easier for the kittens to survive.
You might be wondering if human baby formula would work for cats. This wouldn’t work well since human baby formula is very high in lactose.
A kitten will be able to digest some lactose, but it won’t be able to handle the amount that is in human baby formula. If you need to find a replacement for cat’s milk, then you must seek out a kitten milk replacer.
Talking to your veterinarian might be the best course of action to take. A veterinarian should be able to help you locate what you need so that you can care for the kittens.
You can also order kitten milk replacer online if you’d like to go that route. If all goes well, you’ll be able to care for the kittens yourself and help them to grow strong.
Final Thoughts
Most types of milk will not be good to give to cats. If you’re going to give a cat some milk as an occasional treat, then using oat milk is probably one of the best options.
Oat milk is healthy enough and shouldn’t harm the cat in any way. However, it doesn’t contain anything that a cat needs to survive and it’s just superfluous.
Only give oat milk to a cat as a very occasional treat. It shouldn’t become a regular part of a cat’s diet.
You should try to avoid giving cats other types of milk such as cow’s milk, soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk. Goat’s milk can be somewhat okay for cats if given to them raw, but you might not own goats.
Now that you know more about cats and what types of milk they can have, it’s going to be easier to make good decisions. Don’t give your cats milk for no reason since they don’t need it to stay healthy.
Even if your cat seems to like milk, it’s likely not going to be very good for it. You don’t want to make your cat sick and it’s usually better to feed a cat something that has some type of nutritional value that will benefit it.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.