As A Milk-Processed Food, Can Cats Eat Cheese?

Illustration of a cat can eat cheese or not (Freepik)

YOGYAKARTA – Cats are carnovians that need nutrition throughout their lives. Not that they have to eat meat, but also need to meet the needs of carbohydrates as much as 12 percent of their food needs. Reported by research, shows that a cat's daily diet consists of 52 proteins, 36 fats, and the rest carbohydrates. But is it safe for Anabul to eat cheese which incidentally is dairy?

Given that the cat's digestive system does not have the ability to digest lactose in milk, the owner of the anabul needs to know an explanation from an expert. Cheese is a dairy product, containing the milk sugar lactose. Reported by The Spruce Pets, Tuesday, June 21, when new kittens are born, they have the enzymes to digest lactose from their mother's milk. When weaned breast milk, their production of lactulose begins to decrease. In fact, most kittens will stop producing lactulose by one year of age. This means that most adult cats cannot completely digest lactose.

So when anabul (nickname for furry cats in Indonesia) eats anything that contains lactose, i.e. dairy products in any form, instead of being digested, the lactose is fermented in the intestines. This causes bloating and diarrhea. For owners of anabul at home it is worth noting that the response of the urinary tract to dairy products is not the same as that of actual food allergens.

Illustration of cats can eat cheese or not (Freepik/Master1305)

When they ingest the food to which they are allergic, the physiological response is mediated by immunity. Well, when they consume milk, they experience GI disturbances not because of a food allergy but because they can't digest it.

In cheese, for example, produced in America, it contains between 0.5 to 4 grams of lactose. While in fresh cow's milk or skim milk contains between 9-14 grams of lactose. So is it okay to eat cheese? Research shows that the average adult cat can eat 6 grams of lactose a day without any problems. But if you eat between 10-16 lactose in a day can cause diarrhea.

So even though cats can't digest cheese, they can tolerate it in small amounts. But keep in mind, cheese is a calorie-dense food. Giving just a little can meet the caloric needs throughout the day. So that the anabul at home is not obese, take into account the number of calories, especially from cheese.

If you find vegetable cheese, it turns out that the effect is no better than cheese from cow's milk. Even though they are made from non-dairy products, it is still possible to contain lactose. It is like garlic and onions which can be toxic to cats.