# Is sour cream ok for cats?



## fruitriver (Feb 10, 2012)

If anyone was curious about how my cat was doing, shes great! Shes looking younger and better than ever. No more goopy eyes, and shes even losing weight! (still fat, but better!)

I'm curious about sour cream, because its always been a treat I've liked to give her. She hasn't had people food in a long time because I didn't want to make her sick, but she looked so cute and I know she loves it so I gave her a couple licks of my chipotle sour cream. She threw up once. I'm not sure if this is from the sourcream or something else but i'd hate to make her sick when shes been doing so good.
So do you think a couple licks and throwup is any cause for alarm or should I just monitor her?


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## bunnygrrrl3000 (Oct 30, 2014)

Many cats, if not almost all, are lactose intolerant. Which seems totally contrary to what we've all learned growing up! But it's true. The only milk cats should get is while they are kittens and from their mother.

Your kitty probably did throw up from the sour cream. Its not poisonous, so don't be too worried. Just don't do it anymore.

The only time any dairy is kind of okay is if you sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan on a cats food to entice it to eat. And from what you've said, it seems like she needs no enticing.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

If it was just a couple licks, it was most likely NOT the sour cream that made her throw up. My girls get licks of ice cream, sour cream, cream cheese, etc., but the important thing is TINY, TINY tastes.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I wouldn't give her Chipotle sour cream. Peppers can't be good for a feline digestive tract.

My guys eat dairy of all kinds... all the time with no problems. SOME cats are lactose intolerant. 

If I squirt canned whip cream.... it's like a pool of Piranhas circling me. Seriously. They know the sound and come running. Everyone gets a little squirt to lap up. This time of year it's abundant because helloo...hot cocoa!

If I eat sour cream, they are bugging me to lick the spoon I used to scoop it out. Everyone gets a few licks. There are few feeds I NEVER feed. Garlic, onions, peppers...oh and corn because that's just gross in the litterbox. That's about all I eat regularly that I don't share with them.

If I eat ice cream, it's back to piranha land. Circling me to lick the bowl when I'm done (I always leave a little in the bowl so they get some and not just the melted leftovers). MowMow would climb Mt. Everest for Chocolate Ice cream, there's no way I could ever eat it without sharing. (Spare me the alarmist lectures, the amount of actual cacao in chocolate ice cream is so minimal he'd have to eat a vat for it to hurt him).

When I empty a carton of milk, cream, buttermilk, half and half, or whatever I drizzle the last bits onto a plate for them to take turns.

Cheese, everyone gets bits.

Yes, TOO much can cause diarrhea and if your cat is intolerant small amounts can bother them. 

I don't freak out about giving them people food. My cats are at a healthy weight (excess treats can cause obesity) and I love sharing with them. 

Anyway, that bit of sour cream shouldn't have caused vomit unless the chipotle didn't agree with her.

Just keep an eye on her and her litterbox. That will tell you if there is a problem.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

In hindsight, I wish I'd never started with people food. 

That said, if they get a lot, like when I share my rotisserie chicken, I adjust their regular meal amounts. No overweight cats here.


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## bunnygrrrl3000 (Oct 30, 2014)

marie73 said:


> In hindsight, I wish I'd never started with people food.
> 
> That said, if they get a lot, like when I share my rotisserie chicken, I adjust their regular meal amounts. No overweight cats here.


I feel like rotisserie chicken would be pretty good for the kitty, unless it was heavily seasoned. Total cat freakout.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

It's probably the healthiest thing I share with them. But now I actually keep them in a separate room while I eat, then I share. They get almost aggressive around it. :shock: Without naming names, one brat has been known to sneak-attack my plate to do a grab and run. 

Charlee!!!!


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## BigDaveyL (Jun 26, 2012)

Lets see...

One time, they were selling lobster tails down at the grocery store... Bought a couple and a few nights later I was making them and had them all nicely prepared on the counter, while the oven was pre-heating. Went to go watch TV. Went back over and Gadget pulled one out and started eating....

Our cats like ice cream, yogurt, sour cream and regular milk. We don't let them eat a lot. 

Our shy kitty loves chicken.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Neelix hangs off the back of my computer chair when I eat. More than once he's leaned SOOOO far he's fallen right into my lap. Luckily he's missed the plate each time... so far...

They hover until I get annoyed and give them the wavy arms "That's it! Everyone get away from me!!" Then they all scatter to a more respectful distance to watch and wait.

Neelix is the only really obnoxious one. Once he learns some self discipline he'll be fine. Book was the same way at that age. Book and MowMow sit on either side of me and give me gentle reminds of knee pats with their paws.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Cleo will actually drool while watching me eat. I can't take the guilt anymore, so off they go until I'm done.


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## koshechka (Jul 14, 2013)

I share white meat from rotisserie chicken with my Hansel; now he jumps on the counter whenever I am cooking. I know I am just encouraging bad behavior, but I just can't resist him. Gretel has no interest in people's food. I also shared duck meat when I was preparing duck for myself for Thanksgiving (I don't like turkey). In terms of milk products, I once shared cheese with Hansel without apparent bad effects, but no milk. At any rate, some cats are lactose intolerant and will get stomach upset from it; others aren't. I don't think you have any cause for alarm just because she threw up once.


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## mekg4435 (Dec 13, 2014)

It's the chipotle that's the most likely culprit. I've never had a problem with small amounts of dairy. Just remember that cats are obligate carnivores--they rely almost exclusively on meat-- so their digestive systems are much more sensitive than ours. We, like dogs, are omnivores--literally: 'eat everything'. Our digestive systems are designed to handle a wide variety of foods. So go easy on anything that might upset a sensitive system. Also cats should never have parsley, onions or garlic.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Parsley is ok in small amounts. There's nothing toxic in it, but it MIGHT upset their tummies.

All 3 of mine nibble on my grocery store parsley when I leave it in a vase next to the stove (for cooking).
Coriander and Parsley | ASPCA


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

I give my girls little bits of ice cream, cream cheese (a BIG fav of Sadie's), sour cream.
I like to eat a nice piece of cake with cream poured over and who cares if whiskers bend, the bowl is going to be licked clean and dry.

Obviously, people food is not good as any kind of a diet for your cat but to give a little taste is fine. More than likely your kitty has thrown up because she has been doing great on her diet and the rich food may have been enough of a change to upset the tummy?

Being an obligate carnivore means they MUST have meat (no vegetarian kitties), They _can_ have other things as treats but they get their nutrients from meat.
Kind of like you are with candy. It's empty calories for human's. We certainly don't expect to get nutrients from candy but we still eat it once in a while for a treat.


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## gizmothecat (Jun 26, 2013)

i don't give mine table foods. 

when you give them rotisserie...do you give it just like that or do you put it in a broth? im tempted at the local [email protected] to pick one up....just afraid they will be greasy and make them poo....badly


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Our cats can't drink milk. Albert stole some milk I was cooking and threw up everything in about 15 minutes. 
We tried giving them a special milk for cats from a pet store but that didn't work either and they vomited it pretty quick. 

We occasionally give them some diary products like yoghurt or sour cream and there have been no problems with that, so I guess it's safe to give it to the cats. 

I was warned that diary products may cause diarrhoea, so I give them only a small amounts and then observe if everything is alight in the litterbox.


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## bunnygrrrl3000 (Oct 30, 2014)

gizmothecat said:


> i don't give mine table foods.
> 
> when you give them rotisserie...do you give it just like that or do you put it in a broth? im tempted at the local [email protected] to pick one up....just afraid they will be greasy and make them poo....badly


Probably just stick to pieces of white meat, especially if you are worried about too much fat in the meat and loose stool.

You can just give it to them as a treat, no broth needed! Its higher quality than what they get in their regular food. If your giving them store bought rotisserie just make sure to avoid the skin, which probably has onion and garlic powder seasoning on it. The chickens that come as "Garlic" flavor marinating in a garlic seasoned broth, so probably avoid those all together. 

I used to make rotisserie chickens at the grocery store I worked at during college, so despite being a vegetarian I have an immense knowledge of all things rotisserie and deli haha.


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## Sabrina767 (Sep 5, 2014)

This is so crazy you posted this sour cream thing today, because last night Charli had a nasty bout of diarrhea out of the blue, tummy making horrible noises. Only thing different she had was three Pet Greens treats someone brought over included in a gift for her....but then my husband said, there was an open thing of sour cream on kitchen table (near empty, but...) while we were in other room, and thinks she got into it....so I don't know which it was, but let me tell you this was NOT good at all! She is fine today, ate her normal breakfast etc no issues, so it was definitely one of those things...but it was bad, liquidy, awful poop, poor baby!


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