When we think about animals eating cheese, we automatically think of a mouse being enticed into a trap with a small piece of cheese.
We know mice love cheese, and we know cats like mice, but do cats like cheese? Is it even safe for cats to eat cheese?
Let’s take a look at a few facts about cheese.
A Bit About Cheese
Cheese is a nutritious food derived mostly from the milk of cows, but also from other mammals. It can be made in a wide variety of flavors, forms, and textures. Hundreds of cheeses are produced from many different countries.
The characteristics of cheese depend on the origin of the milk – whether it has been pasteurized, processed, aged, and more (it gets technical very quickly!). Sometimes cheese is flavored with herbs, spices, wood smoke, or other ingredients.
Cheese is valuable because it is easy to transport, has a long life (hard cheeses last longer than soft), contains a high amount of fat (which we need), and tastes delicious. But, can cats eat cheese?
What Does Cheese Contain?
Cheese is a dairy product that is produced directly from milk. Cheese includes high amounts of fat, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and several other vitamins and minerals. Some cheeses have been produced using acids such as vinegar or lemon juice, and they also contain bacteria and rennet.
- Read more: Can Cats Eat Chocolate?
Things To Consider About Cheese…and Cats
Cats are carnivores, which means that they want to eat meat as much as possible and not mess around with other, less natural foods (to them!) such as cheese. But, it is important to remember that many older cats are lactose intolerant, which means their digestive system struggles to process milk or other dairy foods.
If they do eat dairy foods, their digestive system may become upset, which means that you may have to deal with a little cat vomit and diarrhea, which is not something cat owners like to experience!
Even if your cat happens to be tolerant of lactose, they may enjoy a little amount. Although, cheese is not good for him or her per se. The high-fat content means that your cat will soon be packing on the pounds.
There is one good use for cheese with cats, however – if your cat needs to take medicine for whatever condition he or she has, try putting the pill in a very small piece of cheese to entice your cat to digest the tablet.
So, Can Cats Eat Cheese?
The short answer is yes, cats can eat cheese. It doesn’t hurt them too much, it can just cause a little upset stomach here and there. If however, your cat happens to eat a lot of cheese OR they turn out to be completely lactose intolerant, your cat could end up with some quite bad digestive issues.
Eating cheese all of can also lead to significant weight gain, which can be harmful to your cat. Visit one of my favorite cat blogs to find out more about human foods cats can cat.
