WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Should You Give Cats Milk?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hi

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren vogel Bomb here with a classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our archives. The temptation to give pets human food

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<v Speaker 1>can be strong. Sometimes as a treat it's harmless, but

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<v Speaker 1>some people food is best kept for people, which brings

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<v Speaker 1>us to our question of the day, Should you actually

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<v Speaker 1>give cats milk? Hey brain Stuffed Lauren vogel Bomb here.

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<v Speaker 1>From children's books to TV commercials, the idea that cats

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<v Speaker 1>are wild about milk is everywhere. Yet what pop culture

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<v Speaker 1>fails to show is what happens shortly after that bowl

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<v Speaker 1>of milk is empty. The cute kitty peacefully lapping away

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<v Speaker 1>at a bowl of fresh milk is likely to spend

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<v Speaker 1>the next few hours suffering from diarrhea, gas, bloating, and

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<v Speaker 1>other unpleasant side effects. Cats, like most adult mammals, including

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<v Speaker 1>many humans, are lactose intolerant. That means they lack the

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<v Speaker 1>enzymes needed to break down lactose, these sugars found in milk.

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<v Speaker 1>A bowl of milk isn't likely to be deadly, but

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<v Speaker 1>the after effects are likely to trouble both the cat

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<v Speaker 1>and the owner who has to clean up the mess.

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<v Speaker 1>If your cat seems to tolerate milk to an extent,

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<v Speaker 1>or if you simply want to offer your cat something special,

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<v Speaker 1>consider milk like any other treat. Since milk has little

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<v Speaker 1>nutritional value to the cat, it's no substitute for proper

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<v Speaker 1>cat food and should be served to the cat with

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<v Speaker 1>the same care that you would any other human foods

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<v Speaker 1>or commercial cat treats. That means making sure that milk

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<v Speaker 1>and other treats make up only ten to of a

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<v Speaker 1>cat's diet. To avoid potential weight problems and the health

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<v Speaker 1>troubles that come with them, consider limiting milk to no

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<v Speaker 1>more than twenty to thirty calories per day. That's no

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<v Speaker 1>more than a few spoonfuls. Consider lactose free milk or

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<v Speaker 1>goat's milk to reduce digestive problems. But what about kittens.

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<v Speaker 1>Surely they need milk, right. While kittens have the ability

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<v Speaker 1>to digest some lactose, their bodies simply aren't designed to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with the level of lactose found in cow's milk,

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<v Speaker 1>which has about three times as much tost as that

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<v Speaker 1>of a mama cat. Drinking cow's milk will not only

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<v Speaker 1>give kitten's diarrhea, but will actually cause them to slowly

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<v Speaker 1>starve to death if their diet isn't properly supplemented. The

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<v Speaker 1>ratio of casin's and whey, which are milks molecular keepers

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<v Speaker 1>of proteins, fats, and sugars in cow's milk, is nowhere

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<v Speaker 1>near sufficient to support a growing kitten. If you're attempting

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<v Speaker 1>to nurse kittens without the help of their mom, pick

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<v Speaker 1>up special cat's milk at the pet store. This milk

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<v Speaker 1>is specially formulated to provide the right ratio of casin's

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<v Speaker 1>and way to meet the nutritional needs of kittens without

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<v Speaker 1>the painful digestive issues associated with cow's milk. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Bambi Turner and produced by Tristan McNeil

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<v Speaker 1>and Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other topics, visit hous toff works dot com. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for

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