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Cats often lick the milk from the saucer. But is drinking milk safe and healthy for them?

The popular image of cats drinking milk probably appeared in the 19th century, when cats and dogs became popular subjects for artists. As the industrial revolution progressed and more people migrated to cities, more people had cats and dogs, and artists were increasingly asked to paint charming pet works. It is for this reason that French artist Alfred-Arthur Brunel de Neuville often painted cats drinking milk from bowls.

However, according to People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, the UK's leading veterinary charity, giving adult cats milk may do more harm than good. Like most humans, cats typically lose their tolerance to lactose (the sugar in milk) as they grow older. "For most cats, the ability to digest lactose decreases after weaning," Nathalie Dougary, president of the International Cat Medical Association in the United Kingdom, said in an interview with Live Science. "As a result, milk can cause digestive problems in cats, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting."

Dougary noted that some cats may retain the ability to digest lactose into adulthood, as some people do. Nonetheless, "there is no additional nutritional benefit to giving your cat milk if you feed him a high-quality, complete and balanced cat food," she says.

In addition, milk is rich in fat. People's Dispensary for Sick Animals notes that giving a cat a dish of milk is "like eating a whole 12-inch slice of pizza. Therefore, milk can cause cats to become overweight.

In addition, "milk contains high levels of phosphates," Dougary said. This means that if a cat is diagnosed with kidney disease, it's best to avoid milk, she notes. According to a 2017 study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (opens in new tab), phosphorus can damage kidney health in cats with chronic kidney disease.

Hastings Veterinary Hospital in Burnaby, B.C. (opens in new tab) says cats may still crave milk despite the problems it can cause because they may associate it with positive memories of kitten-hood. They may also just like the taste of the fat in milk, notes People's Sick Animal Pharmacy.

Kittens usually drink their mother's milk until they are completely weaned at a few months of age. In the case of kittens that need to be raised artificially in cases such as illness or loss of their mothers, "they should be fed a carefully formulated alternative to cat milk that meets their nutritional needs."

Other types of dairy products, such as cow's milk or goat's milk, are not suitable substitutes for cat milk because they do not contain enough protein or fat to meet the kittens' growth and development needs. She noted that veterinarians can recommend high-quality, safe and properly formulated alternatives to cat milk. Kittens need to be weaned gradually from three to four weeks of age until they accept a fully solid diet."

Supermarkets and pet stores sometimes sell milk specifically for cats, Dougary says: "Instead of buying dairy products for cats that have no additional nutritional value, we recommend that owners concentrate on making sure their cats have plenty of fresh, clean water to drink every day."