Most cats prefer having dairy products such as milk, cream, and cheese. The history of giving milk to cats can date back to a hundred year ago. A very small amount of those do no harm to cats’ health, but how about frozen dairy products like ice cream? Should people avoid giving ice cream to cats? Follow this passage and you will get the answer.
First, there are two questions we should know to decide whether we should give ice cream to our furry friend or not: One is of course the fact that ice cream is a dairy product, and the other is that it’s very cold so we have no idea about should cat have it.
Why Do Cats Like Ice Cream?
You may be surprised to know that it isn’t the sugar in ice cream which appeals to your cat.
Cats must eat meat to survive. In other words, their entire body is built to consume and process meat and organs, which are considered to be parts of animals. Since cats can’t really taste sugar, they don’t really need it in their diet, so it’s kind of a waste for them.
Ice cream’s fat content is what attracts cats to it. It’s safe for your cat to eat that portion. However, ice cream’s abundance of lactose and other carbohydrates very well may be. Where does that leave you, then?
What is in Ice Cream?
Milk, cream, and water make up the majority of the ingredients in ice cream, which by definition must have at least 10% milk fat.
In addition, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and flavorings are added to ice cream. The sugars are added because we have a sweet tooth and prefer ice cream that has been sweetened. The additional ingredients enhance texture and appearance and produce the wide range of ice cream flavors that are currently available to us.
Added Sugar in Ice Cream
Ice cream is not simply frozen cream, which adds to the lactose problems. It has a lot of added sugar in it.
It may also include fruit, cookie pieces, fudge, or chocolate if you purchased one of the more upscale varieties. Cats shouldn’t use any of these. And there’s more.
Do Cats Eat Ice Cream Get Brain Freeze?
Brain freeze is the name for the strange pain we occasionally feel after consuming something extremely chilly. When you put frozen food in your mouth, your blood vessels may quickly cool, which can cause this condition.
Icy food can also cause severe dental pain in anyone with sensitive teeth and there’s no reason to think cats are any different
Many cats have bad dental health, and there are a ton of videos on youtube of cats reacting horrified to eating ice cream.
While it can be entertaining to watch animals exhibit a sudden change in expression, it’s important to keep in mind that your cat may find this to be a very upsetting experience.
Dairy Ice Cream and Lactose Intolerance in Cats
Healthy cats can easily digest the high-fat content of milk and cream, especially. However, they also contain a sugar known as lactose.
You’ve probably heard that some people and animals have lactose intolerance. Because lactose is only meant to be consumed by young mammals, lactase is a digestive enzyme that is naturally present in these young mammals.
Similar to how kittens gradually stop producing lactase as they get older, humans also tend to lose the capacity to properly digest dairy products as we age. Some of us are unaffected by this, while others are greatly affected by it!
Therefore, it is not surprising to learn that cats can have issues with the lactose in ice cream. Moreover, some veterinarians now concur that the majority of adult cats have some degree of lactose intolerance.
This means that your cat may experience a pretty unpleasant stomach ache and possibly experience diarrhea shortly after consuming milk, cream, or ice cream. Not good for either of you. But that’s not all.
Can Cats Eat Chocolate Ice Cream?
While some common ice cream flavorings and additives, like strawberries, are safe for cats, chocolate should never be given to a cat.
No matter what ice cream recipe you try, you should never use chocolate. Particularly, chocolate contains theobromine, an organic compound or alkaloid that your cat’s body is unable to process. Thereafter, it might accumulate and turn poisonous.
Chocolate can hurt your cat with just a little bit of consumption. 100 to 200 milligrams of theobromine per kilogram is the lethal dose. Up to 800 milligrams of the toxin can be found in one ounce of cocoa powder. It is simple to understand how even a small amount of chocolate ice cream can seriously ill your cat.
Is Ice Cream Bad for Cats?
In theory, ice cream is harmful to cats. Many adult cats have some degree of lactose intolerance. It is probably not very kind to feed a cat something that might make them ill because dairy products of any kind can upset those cats’ digestive systems.
If you did this without considering the possible consequences, don’t be too hard on yourself. Ice cream, along with cookies and chocolate, is for many of us the definition of comfort food. It makes sense for you to want to tell your friend about how you’re feeling.
You might decide to continue sharing if your cat can tolerate the occasional bowl of milk or spoonful of plain ice cream without any negative consequences.
However, in actuality, your cat is more likely to experience the same “buzz” of happiness and contentment from a piece of raw steak than from consuming your frozen dessert.
Conclusion
Cat can have ice cream in a small amount (except chocolate ice cream). If you want to give your little cute cat some surprise, it’s okay to share them with ice cream, sharing is caring, after all. But please keep this in mind! Don’t give them too much, your friend won’t feel well with too many unhealthy snacks.
