Hello Ragdoll owners, are you also breaking your head with the question can ragdoll cats drink milk? I met many ragdoll owners who asked me this question should they feed milk to their ragdoll cats or how they should include milk in their ragdoll’s diet?
Well in this article, I will clear up your question Do Ragdoll cats drink milk and what are the consequences of feeding milk to ragdoll cat?
Briefly speaking, You can feed milk to your ragdoll but it should not be their primary source of nutrients. Specially, dense creamed cow milk is a source of high amounts of lactose, it can create critical digestive issues for your ragdoll cat.
However, during their childhood period, they used to drink their mother’s milk. But this milk is different than high-density cow’s milk.
If you ask me, I never feed milk to our ragdolls especially when they are fully grown. Rather we prefer to give fresh canned meat to our ragdoll, which is recommended for a purebred ragdoll cat.
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Can Ragdoll Cats Drink Milk?
I won’t recommend feeding milk to a fully-grown purebred ragdoll cat. This can create some critical health issues in their body e.g. vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or dehydration.
As we know, cow’s milk contains highly dense lactose sugar, which is almost indigestible to the ragdoll’s stomach and this creates these health issues. You might think about what could be the reason for lactose intolerance.
So the reason is, that there is an enzyme called lactase, formed in cat stomachs that breakdown and digest lactose sugar. But as Ragdoll grew up, the formation of lactase enzyme become reduced. This is the reason that after 8 to 12 hours of eating milk ragdolls face gas issues, bloating, diarrhea etc.
But still, if you want to feed them milk then incorporate a small amount of milk into their diet and notice the reaction in their body. If you notice any adverse effect then you must immediately stop feeding them milk.
Here are some health issues ragdolls face after drinking milk:
Vomiting
The most prominent reaction of lactose intolerance noticed in ragdolls after drinking milk is Vomiting. So if it also happens with your ragdoll cat then immediately stop giving them milk.
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain can also give them trouble after drinking milk. Spacially, bloating, gas can form inside their stomach. For this reason, they can feel very trouble in their body and they resist the owners to touch their bellies, carrying them up, and holding them tightly due to stomach pain.
Diarrhea
If you notice watery and loose and continuous stool passing after eating milk then it’s a prime sign of lactose intolerance. If it happens then immediately stop giving them milk.
Lack of Appetite and Dehydration
They can face digestive issues and lack of appetite after drinking milk and for this reason, they show a lack of interest in eating diets.
Dehydration is also an issue ragdoll cats can face after eating lactose-based food. Especially when they intake too much milk. This indigested lactose can absorb water into the intestine. And their body gets dehydrated.
Best Milk alternative for ragdoll cats
If lactose-based milk food is creating problems in your gentle giant’s body then you must find some milk alternatives. There are many lactose-free milk alternatives present in the market You can use in place of cow’s milk.
But you must remember one thing, like cow’s milk the lactose-free milk alternative also can raise some issues if you make it as the primary source of nutrients.
Nut Milk: Nut milk is an alternative to cow’s milk. As you know Nut Milk is highly popular for humans these days. These nut milk are prepared by grinding the respective nuts (almond/cashew/coconut) with water and some preservatives.
Though you should avoid serving Nut milk to your kitty as a primary source of nutrients, you can serve nut milk as a treat and I will not recommend you to serve nut milk not more than a few tablespoons.
Soy Milk: Soy milk is also prepared in the industry using a similar method as mentioned above. You also should
There also some other types of lactose free brand milks available in the market. According to many cat owners some milk product like cat-sip, catsure brands are good for the ragdoll cats.
These products contain essential vitamins and nutrients that keeps your cat healthy and happy. But here also I will say same thing that you should not feed these brand milks too much to your feline. Though it contain essential vitamins but over-vitamins can cause health issues.
Finally…
Here in this article I have explained about Can Ragdoll Cats Drink Milk or not. If you have any query you can comment us below.