Nothing is more iconic than a cat drinking a dish of cream like Half and Half.
If you have some in your refrigerator for your coffee, you might make the connection that your cat should have some too.
And although they might look really cute while they lap it up, it might not be the best thing for them. Today’s creamers tend to have a lot of additional sugars and additives in them, and thus your car is not getting all natural cream, but a more synthetic substitute instead.
Can I Give My Cat Half and Half? Answer: Not Recommended
Since half and half is half milk and half cream it contains a lot of dairy in it and should be avoided since most cats are somewhat lactose intolerant.
If you happen to spill some, or give them some to try it out, they might be okay in small bits, but anything more than a little could lead to a bout of diarrhea. There’s no reason why you should give your cat half and half, since they are not getting any health benefits from it, and they only require fresh water daily.
Cats and Milk
It is unclear how the thought of giving cats a saucer of milk originated, but for many people it seems alright for them to have milk, it seems natural.
You would also suspect that since cats drink milk from their mothers when they are kittens, that they would be able to handle milk when they are older.
But the milk that is used by humans is derived from cows, which is another species than cats, and there really isn’t anything natural about a cat drinking cow’s milk in any form. They would never do it in the wild, the opportunity would never present itself.
Cats Need Water
Anything other than water will only lead to dehydration in your cat. They will be able to drink just the right amount of water as long as they have a bowl that is consistently replenished. Unlike humans cats do not ignore their desire to take a drink when they are thirsty, and so they naturally remain well-hydrated.
You should never withhold water from your cats in an attempt to reduce the amount of times you have to change their litter box. This could be hazardous to their health and lead to massive dehydration and a trip to the vet. Keep your cat well watered, and avoid giving them any other liquids because you think they will enjoy them.
Lactose Intolerance
Just like some people, many cats exhibit signs of being lactose intolerant when they drink milk or cream like Half and Half. If you’ve noticed that your cat has stomach trouble after they have some milk or cream they probably cannot process it correctly and they are having trouble moving it through their system.
Big Cats
One need only look at their big cat relatives to realize how silly it is to give a cat a dish of milk or cream. Lions and tigers would look rather funny if they were found in the wild drinking milk from another animal, especially a cow. Instead they would simply kill the cow in an instant and eat it on the spot.
That’s all a cat really needs, large amounts of protein and water. In the wild they would hunt their food and find natural sources of flowing water to drink from like a river or a stream.
Lucky for your pet cat they don’t have to run too much to catch their prey. They just have to wait for you to deliver it to their dish daily. And they don’t have to worry about finding a naturally occurring water source because you’ll keep their water dish full.
They really do have it made, and they don’t need any special perks like Half and Half to be happy. Those are the kinds of things that we as humans need to perk ourselves up from time to time.
So get that iconic image of a cat drinking milk out of your head and avoid giving them anything to drink besides water. It’s really the best thing you can do for your beloved pet.
Heavy whipping cream is very low in lactose, lower than all other milk products and will not hurt cats. My geriatric kitty, 25 years old, is not eating much any more and loves to drink the cream every day. He does fine with it. Whipping cream is high in calories which is good for my cat. He liked the cat milk for a while but now turns his nose up to it.
Our cat loves and begs for it, we’ve been giving him a tiny amount for about a year and he’s skinny and seems very healthy! “Moderation” for cats and HUMANS.
My wonderful feline loved cream and half and half. It didn’t seem to give him any problems and he lived to be about 20 years old.
Often he would lick the cream so enthusiastically, there would be butter at the bottom of the bowl.
I limited it to a couple of tablespoons, and often thought since lactose is a sugar, that it had none. Heavy cream is high in fat and little or no carbohydrates (sugars).
Is organic half and half OK for my cat?
My cat was diagnosed with herpes. I guess it just means she has a low immune system. The vet recommended giving her Lysine. I’ve been putting it in a little half and half so she’ll drink it. Is that OK?
We also are providing meds crushed in Half n Half to our recently diagnosed 20-year old cat. He has a thyroid issue, and won’t eat anything but his dry food, so a tablespoon of Half n Half is the only way to deliver his twice daily pills. No diarrhea yet. Fingers crossed, we’re not doing more harm than good.
My cat takes food she does not like that she can pick up to her litter box. I noticed that when she swiped my 1/2 sandwich of sour dough-bread.
I know a ton of cat owners and I don’t know one that has a lactose intolerant cat.
Our cats drank ultra-pasteurized Land of Lakes and only that kind of half and half for twenty years. We also placed six bowls of water near the small bowl of half and half. Every morning when making coffee one of them would position themselves by the frig demanding fresh half and half and would follow the container until some was placed into the small glass bowl – still eyeing the container until I put some in my coffee and only then began to sip some of it up.
I give my two cats a small dish of half and half each day. They love it and they have no problems. In fact, both are very healthy.
My cat drinks half and half – a small bit really whenever he asks for it. Very healthy cat. I’ve had cats that drink it and others that do not for personal, cat reasons. I think this lactose is bad for cats is about as true as lactose is bad for people – some yes – but not all.
I give my cat 1/2 and 1/2 or cream anytime I make a cup of coffee for myself. I ask him if he wants coffee and give him a little cream. He looks for it almost every morning! He does not have any potty issues from the 1/2 and 1/2.