1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hi 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren vogel Bomb here with a classic episode 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: from our archives. The temptation to give pets human food 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: can be strong. Sometimes as a treat it's harmless, but 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: some people food is best kept for people, which brings 6 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: us to our question of the day, Should you actually 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: give cats milk? Hey brain Stuffed Lauren vogel Bomb here. 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: From children's books to TV commercials, the idea that cats 9 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: are wild about milk is everywhere. Yet what pop culture 10 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: fails to show is what happens shortly after that bowl 11 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: of milk is empty. The cute kitty peacefully lapping away 12 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: at a bowl of fresh milk is likely to spend 13 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: the next few hours suffering from diarrhea, gas, bloating, and 14 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: other unpleasant side effects. Cats, like most adult mammals, including 15 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: many humans, are lactose intolerant. That means they lack the 16 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: enzymes needed to break down lactose, these sugars found in milk. 17 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: A bowl of milk isn't likely to be deadly, but 18 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: the after effects are likely to trouble both the cat 19 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: and the owner who has to clean up the mess. 20 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,479 Speaker 1: If your cat seems to tolerate milk to an extent, 21 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: or if you simply want to offer your cat something special, 22 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: consider milk like any other treat. Since milk has little 23 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: nutritional value to the cat, it's no substitute for proper 24 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: cat food and should be served to the cat with 25 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: the same care that you would any other human foods 26 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: or commercial cat treats. That means making sure that milk 27 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: and other treats make up only ten to of a 28 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: cat's diet. To avoid potential weight problems and the health 29 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: troubles that come with them, consider limiting milk to no 30 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: more than twenty to thirty calories per day. That's no 31 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: more than a few spoonfuls. Consider lactose free milk or 32 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: goat's milk to reduce digestive problems. But what about kittens. 33 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: Surely they need milk, right. While kittens have the ability 34 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: to digest some lactose, their bodies simply aren't designed to 35 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: deal with the level of lactose found in cow's milk, 36 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: which has about three times as much tost as that 37 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: of a mama cat. Drinking cow's milk will not only 38 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: give kitten's diarrhea, but will actually cause them to slowly 39 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: starve to death if their diet isn't properly supplemented. The 40 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: ratio of casin's and whey, which are milks molecular keepers 41 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: of proteins, fats, and sugars in cow's milk, is nowhere 42 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: near sufficient to support a growing kitten. If you're attempting 43 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: to nurse kittens without the help of their mom, pick 44 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: up special cat's milk at the pet store. This milk 45 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: is specially formulated to provide the right ratio of casin's 46 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: and way to meet the nutritional needs of kittens without 47 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: the painful digestive issues associated with cow's milk. Today's episode 48 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: was written by Bambi Turner and produced by Tristan McNeil 49 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: and Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of 50 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: other topics, visit hous toff works dot com. Brain Stuff 51 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for 52 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 53 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: or ever you listen to your favorite shows.