Someone Pour Me Up A Double Shot of Milk, Please: Alex's Nightcaps

Hi, I'm Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.

It’s the classic stereotype: cats love milk. Followed by the harsh reality: cats shouldn’t drink milk. Unfortunately, no one told Alex that, and I’m pretty sure he’s not the only one out there living dangerously!

Yes, the fact is that, like all mammals, once weaned, cats don’t need milk and become increasingly lactose intolerant over time. And that’s right, I mean all mammals. Biologically speaking, we’re all only designed to drink milk until we’ve been weaned off as infants, but our enjoyment of dairy, combined with our poor selection of high calcium foods, means that we humans have chosen to keep milk as a part of our daily diets. This is why lactose intolerance is such a common condition – we’re not really supposed to be digesting so much dairy! However, in that case, they shouldn’t make it so delicious.

Cats 🚫 Milk

When it comes to cats, being obligate carnivores means that they really aren’t designed to digest dairy, and as they mature, they lose most of the lactase enzymes needed to properly process it. But that doesn’t mean they lose the taste for it, and Alex is definitely a fan of milk.

I can’t remember how this little ritual began, or exactly how Alex managed to train us so well, but at some time in the past five years, he started sitting on a stool at the kitchen bench, front paws politely perched on the countertop, waiting to be served. Unable to resist his begging eyes, I offered him a tiny portion of semi-skimmed milk, carefully measured into the bottom of an egg cup. It wasn’t long before this became a nightly ritual.

Alex’s Nightcap

Every night at around 9 pm, Alex hops up onto his stool, paws daintily crossed on the countertop, silently waiting to be noticed. He doesn’t meow, he just waits. I pour him his drink, and off he goes, never even asking for seconds. He’s so adorable I could die.

As a vet, yes, I must tell you that lactose and dairy aren’t good for cats. However, (isn’t there always a but or a however?) in tiny portions, it’s not going to do any harm. Of course, some cats have particularly sensitive stomachs, are highly intolerant to lactose, or are on strictly limited diets, so we can’t go serving up glasses of milk willy-nilly. One of the main reasons Alex tolerates his small measure of milk is that he’s been doing this since he was a young cat, so he has likely retained some of the enzymes needed to digest it.

Am I suggesting that you start offering your cat their own little creamy nightcap? No, I am not. But am I going to cut Alex off? No, I am not going to do that, either. Unless of course, his luck, and lactase levels, run out.