Cat Questions
 

I read that it is not good to give milk to a cat - I was wondering if it is the fat that is in the milk that makes it so - if so would it be ok to give the cat zero fat milk? - the other question I have is why can't you get a cat to look at itself in a mirror? - thanks

Re: the 2nd question ... first off you cannot get a cat to do anything unless you first make it think that it thought up the idea itself. Second off, you really do not want some cats to look at themselves in a mirror - I had one cat break a few mirrors trying to fight with that "other" cat on the other side of the glass. Good thing the windows were made of sturdier stuff.

Kitten's milk that the Mama Cat gives them and Cow's milk are very different, once weaned we never give our cats cows milk, because generally it can cause the runsl

Actually humans are the only ones who continue to drink milk after weaning, and not our Mom's breast milk, but milk from the Bovine or Capra species, we don't really need it with a proper diet, but it tastes good!!

The milk will give the cat diarrhea, same as in lots of humans who can't digest it. Buy the lactose reduced kind, or, look for the Kal Kan Cat Milk in the pet food section.

Mirrors; some cats have more self awareness than others. They can determine the image they see is not another rival cat. Others will challenge it.

Some cats can process lactose better than others. My sister gives her cat a dish of milk every day (he will follow her around and whine if she doesn't) and he has no digestive issues. One of mine loves cheese and plain greek yogurt -- I give him a couple of bits of cheese if I'm having some, and let him lick out the yogurt cup when I'm finished. My other cat has no interest in either. It's not really good for them, but it's not necessarily "bad" for all of them in terms of causing digestion problems.

Are you anemic? Vampires have an aversion to mirrors. Vampire cats??

My cat Porky just must have a spoon of half&half when I have my coffee. She goes through more complaining and antics to get my attention to give her some. Nothing else will do. Otherwise my three don't get milk products.

When I occasionally buy a carton of milk, MoMo knows it is in the house. I'll give him about a tablespoon in a bowl. That's all he wants, just a taste of it.

One time, I swear he said "Milk." Taking the carton out of the fridge and shaking it, saying to him, "MoMo want milk?" and he sounded just like he said the word "milk." He is a very smart boy, so I would not put it past him.

He likes vanilla yogurt, too. I've spoiled him something awful, and he thinks he is the crown of creation.

we used to have upwards of 20 cats in the barn and they all got some of the milk leftover after the pipeline shut off. I don't recall a lot of loose poops. Diarrhea on that scale would have been noticeable...

We give our cats milk, lots of milk, everyday with no problem but then it is fresh raw milk. The store bought stuff would make them sick but not real raw milk.

As for being the only mammal that drinks milk after weaning, humans are also the only mammal that cooks their food. If you are going to use that logic, maybe we should all eat raw!

My cats get a small amount of milk when we have some (about a tablespoon) they all love it, any more than that and they would get the runs.
Cats can and do look in mirrors.

Just like humans, some cats can drink it and some cats cant. The problem is lactose intolerance. Raw or not, cow's milk contains lactose. A lot of cats are able to digest lactose just fine. The only real way to know if a cat is lactose intollerant is to give it to the cat and see if it is painful or has diarrhea.

I have never heard anybody say cats cannot look at themselves in a mirror. Must be just another old wives' tale. Most cats couldn't care less about mirrors. We have occasionally noticed our Stanley admire his good, fatso, all black self. He is a pretty all black cat who has golden eyes.

We brought home 3 cats from a rescue sanctuary in Columbia and one loves to have me squirt fresh milk into her mouth when I'm milking the goats. I've had others who enjoyed that little ritual.

Somewhere, some family member has a picture of my dear Papa milking his Jersey cow and squirting milk into a cat's mouth. The cat is standing on its hind legs. It must have been very early morning because the light has such a beautiful golden cast to it. I would dearly love a copy of that picture. What I do have is a picture of me squirting milk from a goat into the mouth of one of our cats from long ago. It must have been kidding season because I looked like I hadn't slept in a month.

None of our cats has ever attacked its image in a mirror or glass reflection. Mine have been like Joshie's--"Who is that handsome cat I see?" Let a strange cat be on the other side of a window or glass door, though, and there's likely to be some hissing.

We have a cat that also drinks coconut and almond milk... go figure! She wants to lick the yogurt container and knows when there is ice cream in a dish.
Our cats look at themselves in the mirror... but a cat outside... THAT is a different story! Hissing galore!

Debbie

Most cats are lactose intolerant, just like people. That's why they can't have it.

Cats do what they want, when they want. You might be able to teach it very simple things with food rewards, but it'll take forever.

Every morning and evening milking our barn cats got raw milk, they would all be there waiting for it. My dad never fed them anything else. Mom might occasionally feed them scraps, or when we butchered they could chew on the guts along with the dogs if they wanted. They mostly caught mice but if they had a bad day they always had milk, they lived a long time too, unless a cow stepped on them. As for mirrors, I have carried cats in my arms and walked up to a mirror, some look and some ignore it. The ones that looked, seemed to know it was just a reflection, maybe because I was in it too.

Out here on the rolling plains of southern MN, many many generations of cats grew up and lived long happy lives on cow milk. No one bought cat food, you filled a dish or three with extra cow milk and those scrappy enough to get their share thrived.

Now, in the PC corrected world that is probably all wrong. But how it really was and still is.

Mirrors, how do you get a cat to stop looking in the mirror? Some few go nuts trying to fight themselves, but most are very curious about a mirror.

Paul

I did that long ago with some kittens. Oh they loved it!

Then one got tired of waiting and got real close.

Cow shuffled her feet and the kitten disappeared, all it saw was a little black tail sticking out.

Oh no, what did I cause!!!

I shoulder locked the cow and threw her off balance, moved her feet again and the little black thing looked up at me and meowed, so where is the milk, I'm still waiting?

Whew! Kitten was ok, between the breeding we were on and my quick tackle, it wasn't hurt.

Paul

So what you are saying is if I give the cat lactose free milk it should be ok - guess I'll get some and try it -

When I have goats in milk I give my cat the first couple of squeezes from each side. Not very much, but she seems to enjoy it. Other than that, water is all she gets. Not sure about the mirror thing.

Mary

Use less, I LOVE that you cat is named "Porky"!

My cats (4 indoor and 3 outdoor) all get a dish of goats milk every day. Most love it, a few don't bother with it. None of the indoor cats get diarrhea. I know since I clean their litter boxes. But then goats milk is more easily digested too.

Can't say I have ever tried to get them to look in the mirror. But I probably couldn't "get" them to do anything anyway.

Yuki was abandoned in our yard when he was 48 hours old and we raised hi on a bottle- 1/2 goats milk and 1/2 KMR is what the vet requested we give him. We carried him everywhere in our arms and talked to him constantly. When the tie came to start him on Science Diet he would pick each kibble up in his paw and bring his paw to his mouth to eat.
Shortly after he turned 3 months old we took hi to my mother's house. I was carrying him on m y shoulder when we walked past the mirror and my mother burst out laughing on the expression on Yuki's face. Apparently he hadn't realized he didn't look like us, his parents, until we went past that mirror. Poor baby! To realize he wasn't one of US?? Also, the first few times we watched TV, when someone went off the side of the TV screen the cats would go look behind the TV to find it.

I think that's more of a supply than a demand issue :D. My cats, both barn and house, my dogs, pigs and chickens (I know... they're not mammals) all get some milk. I think humans are the only ones to drink milk on a regular basis because we're the only ones with the ability to get it from a source that's not related to us.

BTW... I've also had deer, 'coons, 'possum, fox, coyote and other critters come in to take milk left over in the various feeders.

There are hundreds of thousands of cats on WI dairy farms that live on milk, and have since there were dairy farms in WI.