# lactose-free milk



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

My kitty who has had all sorts of pooping issues happens to love dairy products. I tried one of the lactose-free milk for kitties and even though it smelled fine, it was this weird color, almost like chocolate milk. Ick. Since I'm lactose-intolerant too, I buy Lactaid. Would that be okay for cats too?


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I feel like the actual milk with the lactase added to make it lactose free would be better. I don't know if that is the same thing though. I drink rice milk or the lactose free regular milk. 

I would ask the vet first though. Lactase might not be something they can process, I'm guessing that is what is in your milk.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

What sort of pooping issues does your cat have? If it's diarrhea, you definitely do NOT want to give your cat any type of dairy that contains lactose. If it's constipation, however, a little regular, lactose-containing dairy might actually help. 

Young kittens' bodies produce a considerable amount of the enzyme, lactase, in order to digest the lactose in their mothers' milk. Once kittens stop nursing, however, their bodies no longer require lactase, so most kittens stop producing it at that point. Without lactase, the body can not properly digest lactose. That's why most adult cats can't consume dairy without digestive upset.

There are exceptions, however. Some cats continue to produce lactase throughout their lives, esp. if they are consistently fed dairy. Those cats who produce lactase can properly digest dairy products. The way to tell if your cat can digest dairy is to feed a tbs or two of lactose-containing milk, then monitor the litterbox for the next 24 hrs. If stools remain normal (and if the cat isn't vomiting), the cat is digesting the dairy. If the cat IS vomiting or producing loose stools, then the cat is lactose-intolerant. Lactose-containing dairy can be fed in small amounts to cats who tend to constipate, because it can help loosen the stool in lactose-intolerant cats.

If your cat has loose stools but loves dairy, feed ONLY lactose-free dairy products. Lactaid should be fine, I would think.

Laurie


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

What sort of pooping issues does your cat have? If it's diarrhea, you definitely do NOT want to give your cat any type of dairy that contains lactose. If it's constipation, however, a little regular, lactose-containing dairy might actually help. 

Young kittens' bodies produce a considerable amount of the enzyme, lactase, in order to digest the lactose in their mothers' milk. Once kittens stop nursing, however, their bodies no longer require lactase, so most kittens stop producing it at that point. Without lactase, the body can not properly digest lactose. That's why most adult cats can't consume dairy without digestive upset.

There are exceptions, however. Some cats continue to produce lactase throughout their lives, esp. if they are consistently fed dairy. Those cats who produce lactase can properly digest dairy products. The way to tell if your cat can digest dairy is to feed a tbs or two of lactose-containing milk, then monitor the litterbox for the next 24 hrs. If stools remain normal (and if the cat isn't vomiting), the cat is digesting the dairy. If the cat IS vomiting or producing loose stools, then the cat is lactose-intolerant. Lactose-containing dairy can be fed in small amounts to cats who tend to constipate, because it can help loosen the stool in lactose-intolerant cats.

If your cat has loose stools but loves dairy, feed ONLY lactose-free dairy products. Lactaid should be fine, I would think.

Laurie


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Thanks to you both for your feedback. 

Laurief, kitty suffers from constipation and maybe stress colitis. She's always been skittish, and I think she picks up on my stress. When I get very busy and stressed out, she sometimes doesn't get a lot of attention, and that seems to make the problem worse. Since I teach, I'm home over the summer months, so she's been getting lots of attention, but that hasn't helped.

She's a small cat - normally around 7 pounds, though she's very overweight right now (8 1/2 pounds!!). She had a cortisone shot (I don't even remember what that was for) a couple of years ago, which coincided with the time when the other kitty got sick and wasn't eating, so she was eating all of her food and never took the weight off. The vet said being overweight was probably making matters worse. 

I hate to get gross, but her stool is so big (big as in nearly human-size) that it's no wonder she has trouble passing it. She's a small cat, normally around 7 pounds, though she's really overweight right now, which is probably making things worse (we're working on it). 

I've given her small amounts of my lactose-free milk in the past, and she's never vomited or had diarrhea. I'm going to try regular milk, as you suggested. I've tried absolutely everything else to soften her stool, but she either doesn't like the taste (like canned pumpkin) or seems to smell something if it's mixed into the wet food (like Miralax, which supposedly doesn't have an odor or a taste). No one's ever mentioned the possibility of regular milk, and it would be great to find something that she will actually ingest. She looks so miserable when she hasn't pooped for more than a day.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Regular milk will only help to loosen her stool if she is lactose-intolerant. You'll know if it's having the desired effect within 24 hrs.

I'm very surprised that she's rejecting food with Miralax mixed in. Miralax has a very slight sweet taste that I've never had a cat even notice. But if she won't eat it willingly, you can mix it with 1 ml of water in a needless syringe and squirt it slowly in the side of her mouth. Start with 1/8 tsp daily and adjust the dose from there to achieve optimal stool consistency.

I'd forget about adding fiber like pumpkin or psyllium, since it sounds like her stools are already absurdly bulked up.

The number one strategy to manage constipation is hydration. If you are feeding her any kibble, stop (kibble is dehydrating). Feed her an exclusively canned (or raw) diet, preferably mixed into a soupy consistency with warm water. The more water she has at work in her GI tract, the softer and better lubricated her stools will be and the easier for her to pass.

Laurie


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

BTW, play is a great way for a cat to relieve stress. While you're spending time with her, try to engage her in lots of active play. Drag a feather on the end of a string all around your house and let her chase it. See if she'll chase a laser pointer's beam (lots of cats LOVE laser pointers, but you need to be careful not to allow it to shine directly in her eyes). Roll little balls with bells in them across the floor. Just do whatever you can to get her running around as much as possible. A tuckered out kitty is a stress-free kitty.

Laurie


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Oh believe me, I try to play with her as much as I can - in order to get her to lose some weight! She loves to sit on my lap, but in the past few weeks, as she's lost a little weight (that'll be the subject of a different post), she's become much more playful. She likes to chase the curling ribbon that you use for wrapping gifts, which she also likes to lick, various mice, feather toys, and anything that's moving under a blanket or towel (like my feet...). I adopted her as a young adult, but clearly she'd never been an outdoor cat. Anything that's sort of bulky that moves frightens her. There was once a very large moth in my apartment that I was hoping she'd catch. As soon as it moved, she ran away. :lol:


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