Raw Milk for Cats?
“Aren’t cats lactose intolerant?”, the comment I get on every single one of my videos where I use goats milk for my cat, Milkshake. Here’s the thing, technically yes, but there's much more to this topic than a simple yes or no answer. So, let's dive in! To clarify, this post is about raw milk in general, but I feel like 80% or more of the questions and comments I get when it comes to milk are about cats. So, I figured we’d start there.
First things first, I think it’s important to address everyone's main concern, are cats lactose intolerant? The answer is yes, they lack a critical enzyme called lactase in their intestines that would give them the ability to digest milk (and sugar) making most adult cats effectively lactose intolerant. So, if that's the case, why on earth would I be giving milk to my cat? The key here is the use of raw milk and for me, I specifically use goats milk most of the time.
I would never suggest using regular pasteurized milk from the grocery store as it not only doesn’t have any benefits for your cat (or dog for that matter), but as we’ve already figured out, their bodies aren't set up to properly digest it. However, that doesn’t mean other types of milk don’t have benefits and can’t be used. There are a few types of milk I would recommend for pets, specifically for cats, and there are two you’re most likely to come across. Raw cow's milk and goat's milk. We’ll also answer the question about kefir and what exactly it is.
How is raw milk different from pasteurized milk?
Pasteurizing milk denatures the protein structure and kills off the necessary enzymes that aid in the digestion process, along with both good and bad bacteria. When milk is raw it contains those necessary enzymes, making it easier for cats to digest and it comes with a ton of benefits. Most cats can easily handle a small amount of lactose in a raw form, even though they’re considered to be lactose intolerant. For humans, pasteurizing milk is essential because our bodies aren’t designed to consume raw products, and contrary to popular belief, you can’t really have “good bacteria” without bad bacteria too. Our pets have an extremely acidic stomach environment with a pH around 1.6 - 2.5 and this creates an environment that almost nothing can survive in. So if you were to use contaminated milk somehow, none of that bad bacteria would be able to survive to make it through the digestive tract and make your cat sick. This is assuming your cat is generally healthy and not immunocompromised for some other outside reason. If that's not the case and your cat or dog is generally healthy overall, they’re quite literally designed from a biological level to neutralize bacteria from raw animal products. Unfortunately, we as humans are not.
To keep things feeling less redundant, I’m going to drop off saying “raw” in front of every time I mention milk. So, from now on if I’m talking about milk of any kind, I’m referring to it in a raw form.
Cow milk v Goats Milk
Personally, I always reach for goats milk, especially for my cat, but they’re both a solid choice with similar benefits.
Goats milk is my favorite because it’s considered a “universal milk” meaning it’s easily digested by a wide variety of mammals including dogs, cats and humans. This is pretty rare in the animal kingdom and even humans (about 65% of adults) suffer from some level of lactose intolerance. Fun fact, goats milk is also a common dairy of choice amongst humans, not only because it contains about 1% less lactose, but goats are much easier to raise and maintain than cows and 60-70% of the world's dairy consumers choose goats milk over cow's milk. Okay, okay, we’re not here to learn about humans, I’ll get back on track.
Goats milk is more calorie dense and has more fat, so if your pets are on a diet, you might prefer cow's milk, but goats milk also has slightly more protein, along with more calcium and potassium. Cow’s milk does have the win when it comes to who has the most Vitamin B12, though. Because goat's milk contains about 1% less lactose than cow's milk, for me it’s an easy choice and most of the time it’s the milk I grab for my cat. I figure why make her body work harder for essentially the same benefits. Just keep in mind, as long as it’s raw, cats can easily tolerate raw cows milk as well. My preference for goat's milk is just a personal preference. My dog Holly, subsequently gets mostly goats milk as well, but I do occasionally snag a bottle of raw cows milk or kefir when I see it and she tolerates both incredibly well. Milkshake has also had zero issues with cow's milk or kefir, which I'm certainly happy about.
So wait, raw cows milk isn’t just called kefir?
Funny story, for the longest time I thought kefir was just another name for raw cows milk, but it turns out kefir is actually more of a thing you can add to any raw milk to create another product. Kefir is made using raw milk that has been cultured with kefir grain resulting in a fermented product. Don’t worry, kefir grains aren't actually grains, they’re just shaped like grains which is how they got their name. They're actually living microorganism cultures of bacteria and yeast. So, unfortunately you won’t be able to just plant kefir grains in soil and grow them on your own. I like to think of Kefir as a super milk because it’s packed full of probiotics and digestive benefits with the added kefir cultures. Kefir grains break down lactose and create lactic acid. This lowers the pH of the milk and creates an acidic environment that can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria (just like in your pets tummy) and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. You can make any raw milk into kefir, so I guess I wasn’t totally wrong, but kefir is definitely not just another name for raw cow’s milk. Kefir is also generally thicker in texture than plain raw milks and cats can be especially picky when it comes to textures. So keep this in mind if they don’t like the first raw milk you try, maybe they’d like a thicker or thinner option!
Hydration is always my number one recommendation when people ask what they can or should be adding to their pets' food. It’s always a good addition regardless of what base you’re using and is especially great for dry diets like kibble or freeze dried foods to help rehydrate them. I like to rotate between a few options including bone broth, raw milks, kefir, coconut milk and more, but I can get into all of those in a different post. Using a pet safe milk product adds a special layer of benefits for our furry friends. I like to call kibble with raw milk or kefir “dog cereal”, which people always tend to get a kick out of. Using raw milks or kefir can help support a healthy immune system and the probiotics help aid in healthy digestion. They can also help settle a rumbly tummy and other digestive upsets like loose stool or gas. The probiotics help to keep the bacteria in your pets digestive system balanced and replenish the good bacteria in their gut. Best of all, this refreshed, balanced and happy gut can also improve their skin and coat along with their breath! So, if your pet's breath has seen better days, adding in a good source of probiotics like raw milk, might help!
For some reason our feline friends seem to be drawn to dairy products they really shouldn't have. Luckily hope is not all lost and even though they might choose a handful of shredded cheese if given the choice, they’ll probably love some raw milk or kefir too. Like anything new, remember to offer it in small amounts and work your way up to the desired serving size. I recommend sticking to milk products designed specifically for pets and double check you’re not grabbing something for young kittens or puppies that is intended to be used as a milk replacement as these products are not the same. I’ll list some of our favorite options for milks down below in case you’re not sure where to start!
Primal Pet Foods has a fantastic range of raw goats milks that come in a variety of flavors and subsequently offer a wide variety of benefits. This is a great way to offer diversity and keep meal time interesting, especially for picky pets who seem to get bored with their food. Check out their Store Locator to find a shop near you.
Open Farm also has a line of goats milks with different targeted benefits including an antioxidant blend, a digestive blend and a relaxation blend, but they also have both cow and goat kefir options as well. My only issue is I have trouble finding these, so I’d call around to shops you know carry Open Farm to see if they have it.
I also love the Wild Acre and the Honest Kitchen dehydrated goats milks. These you do have to mix with warm water in order to get them back to a liquid form, but they also have a much longer shelf life than standard raw milk due to the fact that they’re dehydrated. My only note is that these dehydrated milks are pasteurized, which for me does take away from the benefits and our pets ability to get the most from the product. However, they are specifically made for pets and have the necessary “good bacteria” added back in manually. I use them and love them, but if given the choice, I’d choose a raw product. Especially if you’re looking into adding milks into your cat's diet, dogs are certainly more capable of benefiting from these than cats are, but they still add a decent amount of gut health from the probiotics and the extra hydration is always a good thing!
You can also find raw milks on a ton of raw feeding sites like Raw Feeding Miami or BJ’s raw. Also check places like Etsy or local farmers markets as well!
Pro tip: use a silicone mold or an ice cube tray to portion out your raw milk or kefir and refreeze it if you’re worried it will go bad before you can use it all. This way you can keep the little cubes in the freezer and just add on a few when you want to use them! You can also set a couple in a small container overnight in the fridge to thaw so you’ll have hydration ready to go in the morning.
These milk ice cubes also make for a great summer time treat that my pets absolutely love. We made these last summer using the Cranberry Blast raw goats milk from Primal!
I realize I veered off of the topic at hand a little, but to answer the question of if cats can have raw milks, the answer is not just yes, but heck yes. As with anything new you’ll want to work raw milks in slowly and see how your fur baby does with them. It’s certainly not a race, and adding in a smidge at a time, going at their pace and just generally being patient is a good set of goals to keep in mind. I absolutely love using raw milks for my pets, and they love having them in their diets. There are so many creative ways to incorporate them, but a simple splash in their bowl works too!