Can cats eat ice cream is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to cats and their eating habits.
And the reason is quite clear.
Well, who doesn’t like ice cream?
Especially so in a family environment ice creams are one of those foods which can be easily found in your refrigerators as after-meal desserts.
And if it so happens that your family also houses a four-legged fur baby, you know how she stares at you, don’t you?
Only cats are capable of questioning and judging without even saying a word.
Now even though you may want to share your ice cream with your cat its imperative for you to first know whether ice cream is safe for your cat or not.
Today, in this cat care and cat diet guide let discuss can cats eat ice cream in a comprehensive sense.
But before we go ahead, I wish to let you know that can cats eat ice cream is one of the many cat diet questions that we have been answering on this blog.
Other questions that we have already answered include,
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So without further delay, let me answer the very direct question of your mind.
Can Cats Eat Ice Cream?
The way your kitty stares at you when you eat ice cream, you may possibly presume that she likes it.
To that, I say that you are right as cats generally do like ice cream.
The reason being the inherent ingredients of the ice cream.
The fat and carbohydrate content present in ice cream tempts her to taste some of it.
Also, unlike dogs, cats do not like sweet food.
Surprised?
Well, I felt the same too.
Because when we think of ice cream all we can think of is, its tasty sweet flavor.
And as a normal understanding, we may guess that just like dogs maybe cats also like ice cream because it is sweet.
But it is not so.
In fact, researchers have claimed that cats do not have any sweet taste receptors and that is why they are not drawn to sweet food items.
Then you may wonder, why do cats like ice cream if they do not like sweet food.
The answer to this is the same as I mentioned previously, the presence of the high fat and carbohydrate content in icecream.
Also, have you ever noticed how your cat begs to have a little bit of whole milk?
On the contrary, she ignores fat-free milk if you offer her some.
So the constant stare that your ice cream or whole milk is attracting, can be for the most part attributed to its carbohydrate and fat content.
Hence, this clearly explains why cats like ice creams.
Now let me answer your major concern.
Is Ice cream Safe For Cats?
Well, when it comes to a lick or two, icecream can cause no harm to your kitty.
But if you start making her eat ice cream on a regular basis, then the milk content present in ice cream may become harmful for your cats.
This is because like many humans cats are lactose intolerant.
Cat’s stomach isn’t evolved enough to digest lactose present in ice cream.
It lacks lactase enzymes that are responsible for breaking lactose present in milk.
So if your cat consumes icecream in larger quantities, then it is probable that she may suffer stomach problems like diarrhea and stomach aches.
So Do Not feed ice cream to your cats on a regular basis.
Cats Are Lactose Intolerant While Kittens Are Not.
I knew you will be wondering about this too.
This is because you have seen kittens survive only on their mother’s milk until they are of a month or two.
And so you may think that if kittens can digest milk at such a tender age why can’t cats?
Well, kittens produce a lot of lactase enzymes when they are young because their major diet comprises of milk and nothing else.
So their body adapts itself and increases the production of lactase enzymes in their body.
On the contrary, as kittens start eating solid food their body starts producing enzymes to digest proteins.
And inhibits the production of lactase enzymes.
Therefore digestion of milk becomes hard in the cat’s body.
Which Type Of Ice Cream Is Safe For Cats?
I am sure knowing that ice creams are not safe for cats because they cannot digest milk would have made you feel disappointed.
So to eradicate that disappointment of yours, I did a little research and found that ice cream made of goat’s milk does not cause any health problems to your cats.
This explains that you can offer an ice cream made of goat’s milk to your kitty when she gawks at you for your icecream.
Goat’s milk is safe for cats as it does not require pasteurization, due to which some of the natural enzymes remain intact within the fluid.
And later on, these enzymes, help in the digestion of the lactose in a cat’s body.
So next time if you wish to share icecream with your kitty, do not offer yours, rather get an ice cream made of goat’s milk for her.
So this was my guide on can cats eat icecream.
I hope you would have found this useful.
Also if you have any queries let me know in the comments section below.
Take very good care of you and your kitty and I will see you in the next one.
Goodbye.
Hi, I am so grateful to Kitty County. This site has helped me a
lot to take proper care of my cat, which I love very much.
Kisses 🙂
I loved this post. I read your blog fairly often and you are
always coming out with some great stuff. Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to appreciate the content. I am glad you like it. 🙂