It's no surprise to my friends that I'm writing this article. I've been lactose intolerant since I was about 12 years old. I started noticing that ice cream and milk would cause my stomach to cramp up like no other pain I've ever had before (and ladies, even my period cramps were NEVER as bad as dairy cramps. That's saying a lot.) When I would eat ice cream it felt like it was carving a hole in my stomach. It would take days to recover. Now I can eat a little cheese here and there but that's about it. I've learned to cut out ice cream, yogurt, milkshakes etc. Boy do I miss mint chocolate chip ice cream. I've never found a suitable replacement. :( BUT what I DID learn in my dairy research is that I'm more like a kitty than I thought!
In cartoons cats are always shown with a saucer of milk or cream, but in reality most cats are lactose intolerant! It's more common than you think. Sure they'll drink it, but just because they like it, doesn't mean it likes them.
Let me explain, to digest their mother's milk sugar or lactose, kittens need the enzyme lactase. As babies we have this ~ and kittens do too. As we get older, lactase production slows down, and just like people, kittens can become lactose intolerant. Don't worry though, cats can live completely healthy lives without milk. You can find milk replacements for cats, just like people they make soy products or lactose-free treats, but it's really unnecessary. They need water more than milk.
When a lactose intolerant kitten drinks milk, you'll know it. Within 12 hours it will show signs that it can't be absorbed. Just like a horror movie it will either throw up or have loose diarrhea. So please think before you give your kitty milk. And remind them that they are not alone, I'm more than willing to cuddle with them and explain why they are feeling sick. :)
0 comments: