is milk bad for domesticated cats?

[Shaftatplanetquake]

My cat is starting to get old. He is about 13 and he is getting really skinny. He also has cuts all over him because every couple of months he decides to be a badass and go get in fights with wild cats that actually have their front claws. The scabs are big and hair has dificulty growing on it. So you can feel them all over him easily.

Well anyway, I was thinking about giving him a small bowl of milk every day. But- if I remember correctly- my mom said it could make the cat really sick or some crap like that? Any truth to what I think I remember my mom saying?

 

[feralkid]

One word......Runs.

 

[pyonir]

i gave some to the cat my roommate has...and it threw it up about 5 mins later.

 

[Smaulz]

The first time you smell the results of giving a cat milk, you'll never do it again. Trust me. However, check your local PetSmart or whatever. There are several companies that make "cat milk", that some cats really enjoy. It's not really milk at all, but sometimes it'll do the trick.

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

ROFL I'M GLAD I ASKED

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

!!!

 

[JC]

Yeah, get the 'cat milk'. Less messy later.

I give my cat a SMALL amount of milk occasionally. Like, just enough to cover the bottom of a saucer. Don't like the mess in the litter box :|

 

[rootaxs]

Cats, contrary to popular belief, are prone to Lactose intolerance. The worst part is, LI is fatal to our beloved felines. So check with your vet first to see if you cat has it or not.

Edit: This is under the premise that you're thinking of giving him/her regular milk. (e.g. the one's we drink)

 

[JC]

If your cat is skinny, maybe you could feed him some tuna fish....almost pure protein. I don't know about the litter box consequences of it, though....

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: JC
If your cat is skinny, maybe you could feed him some tuna fish....almost pure protein. I don't know about the litter box consequences of it, though....

litter box is ok after tuna. the problem though is if you feed it to them too much it can be bad for their kidneys. so i wouldn't give them a whole thing of tuna everyday, maybe just a little. you might want to switch to wet food, it smells more (gets their appetites up) and is easier for weak kitties to get down. dry is better for their teeth in the long haul, but sounds like you need to get some meat on those bones. good luck with kitty.

 

[stormbv]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

Originally posted by: JC
If your cat is skinny, maybe you could feed him some tuna fish....almost pure protein. I don't know about the litter box consequences of it, though....

litter box is ok after tuna. the problem though is if you feed it to them too much it can be bad for their kidneys. so i wouldn't give them a whole thing of tuna everyday, maybe just a little. you might want to switch to wet food, it smells more (gets their appetites up) and is easier for weak kitties to get down. dry is better for their teeth in the long haul, but sounds like you need to get some meat on those bones. good luck with kitty.

My kitty loves tuna, she comes running at the sound of the can opener.

 

[Analog]

if you like to clean up kitty diarrea

 

[Gillbot]

Milk has the potential to give cats worms according to my vet.

 

[Azraele]

Getting really skinny could be a sign of a health problem. You might want to have the vet take a looksee just to be sure.

 

[Bulk Beef]

What's your cat doing outside if he's declawed?

 

[thraxes]

Our cats are just OK with milk and cream... they love the stuff and have no runny side effects afterwards (otherwise they wouldn't be getting any)

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Azraele
Getting really skinny could be a sign of a health problem. You might want to have the vet take a looksee just to be sure.

At that age he could be suffering from kidney problems or hyperthyroidism so I second the idea of a vet visit.

 

[blakeatwork]

We've given our cat the same we drink (Skim) since she was a kitten... not much, and every couple of days or so (when we notice or she cries for it)... So far (a year and a bit), we've never had any problems with her throwing it up, or being any stinkier in the litter box... (this cat shytes like a man... ) So, if you go with skim, it might be OK, but perhaps our cat is the exception to the norm...