Can Cats Drink Oat Milk? Know Here

Drinking milk is one of the most familiar images that can come to your mind regarding cats.

It is one of the most common foods that humans give to cats, and we have an opportunity to know about the actual need of cats.

Throughout history, people have given milk to cats as a drink. However, scientists have made it very clear that dairy products are not suitable for cats.

Generally, cats cannot break the complex protein structures found in dairy products into simpler molecules.

The type of milk is also a factor, and the effect will vary from one source of milk to another. So, you might wonder whether cats can drink oat milk or not.

In this article, we will delve deep into the topic at hand and provide you with every piece of information that you might need to know. Let us start by discussing if they can drink oat milk.

Can Cats Drink Oat Milk?

 

If you ask whether cats can drink oat milk, then the answer is yes, they can drink it. But there is no apparent reason for which they should drink oat milk.

Oat milk does not contribute to the essential nutrients for a cat’s growth and sustenance. It will fill their stomachs, and they will not be able to eat or drink anything more.

That is why you should always keep oat milk as a reward.

You can give oat milk to a cat in moderation, and cats will not have any problem ingesting it. However, you can always consult your veterinarian to know how much oat milk is allowed for your cat.

How Safe Is Oat Milk For Your Cat?

A less processed version of oat milk will not cause any harm to your cat. However, it will not help it in any way as well.

Oat milk might contain some high-quality protein for the cat, but that kind of diet will only give them a minimal amount of amino acids.

As you know, any animal needs a few specific amino acids to survive naturally.

The primary source of these essential amino acids is high protein food. That is why we claim that a protein-rich diet is pertinent to constant and healthy growth.

When you are forcing the cat to drink oat milk as its main diet, you restrict the cat from having access to other essential amino acids. Hence, a strict oat-milk diet will harm the cat without actually damaging them directly.

If you compare the effects of oat milk with regular cow milk, oat milk is better than cow milk.

Cats, which are on a regular cow milk diet, can suffer from indigestion and vomiting. Hence, you will avoid such problems with oat milk.

Also, you have to avoid using highly processed oat milk for your cat.

Manufacturers can use harmful chemicals for processing oat milk, and these chemicals can harm the cat’s digestive system. Hence, heavily processed oat milk can also cause vomiting and indigestion.

Will Oat Milk Hurt Your Cat?

Oat milk is not damaging for your cat until you are giving it a rare gift. Oat milk should not be the whole diet of a cat.

As long as you don’t make the cat drink oat milk all the time, it will not hurt the cat’s health. If you find oat milk that is not very processed, it will not harm your beloved furball.

Is Oat Milk Toxic?

No, oat milk is not toxic for the cat. The cat can drink it with ease, and it will not develop any form of the disease if it continues to have a regular diet.

You can give oat milk as a reward or as a break from the routine.

You cannot provide only oat milk and expect the cat to be healthy. The lack of nutrients will cause malnutrition, and it is detrimental to the health of the cat.

Is Oat Milk Better Than Regular Milk?

 

Before deciding whether oat milk is better than regular milk for cats, we need to understand these two kinds of milk’s fundamental differences.

So, we will first explore the differentiating factors and later determine the effects on a cat.

First of all, regular milk comes from cows, signifying that the milk contains some of the complex proteins.

It also contains a sufficient amount of fat. The sugar content of regular milk is also relatively higher than oat milk.

So, these properties make regular milk have a lot of calories in it. Despite that, cow milk does not have the necessary proteins needed for a healthy lifestyle of a cat.

One of the most significant factors of regular milk is that it contains a high level of lactose. Even the processed cow milk can have a concerning amount of lactose in it.

On the other hand, oat milk is a plant-based protein. Hence, it is free from any lactose.

As it is plant-based milk, you cannot find high levels of sugar in it. The caloric value of oat milk is at a moderate level. We should also clarify that oat milk does not have sufficient amounts of nutrients in it as well.

Keeping these properties in mind, let us look at the effects of these two kinds of milk on a cat’s body. As we have stated previously, regular milk is not lactose-free.

Cats are mostly lactose intolerant, and they cannot digest it properly. Apart from that, the high fat, sugar, and calories make it almost hazardous for any cat.

You cannot even give cow’s milk in small quantities as it results in indigestion and an upset stomach

Whereas oat milk is completely lactose-free, you are not at the risk of giving undigestible ingredients into the cat’s system.

Hence, cats can drink oat milk. However, as oat milk does not have much nutrition value, it is possible to leave the cat on a strict oat milk diet. You have to provide necessary nutrients through other designated cat food.

So, in conclusion, we can say that oat milk is better than regular cow’s milk in every way possible for a cat. However, you have to stick to oat milk only as a reward and not as an actual diet.

Does A Cat Like Oat Milk?

Cats are incredibly particular about their eating habits. If they do not like something, they will let their grievances known to you.

The preference for oat milk entirely depends on the cat. There is no surety that a particular cat will like having oat milk, and another will not.

We can say for sure that you should not give cow’s milk to cats as it is harmful to them.

However, if your cat has an old habit of having regular milk, it will be hard to get rid of the habit. Hence, some cats may not like to switch to a substituent product such as oat milk.

Oat milk is not a good substitute either as it does not have the necessary nutrients. Several cat formula milk is available on the market, which takes away the shortcomings of oat milk.

However, it can never be the only item in the diet as you have to provide a complete meal to the cat. And cats know these factors without actually knowing these.

So, we would recommend that you can try giving oat milk as a reward to the cat. If it does like it, you can give oat milk as a treat once in a week or so. If not, the cat is better off without it.

How Often Should You Feed Your Cat Oat Milk?

Your cat does not require oat milk for any particular reason. So, there is no need to give oat milk to your cat.

However, if you decide to provide the cat with some oat milk, you have to stick to a minute amount of oat milk and make sure that it rarely happens.

Oat milk does not contribute to health or growth, and it does not have any other effects.

Avoid giving oat milk to the cat as its main meal. Commercial oat milk is generally highly processed, and it can have similar effects as regular milk.

If you are willing to feed milk to the cat, you can try the cat-formula milk that you can find at any pet store. But never make it the only diet for your cat.

Can You Use Homemade Oat Milk?

By making oat milk at home, you can be sure about the ingredients you put inside the milk.

The main problem with commercially available oat milk is that they contain several additives that can become detrimental to the cat’s health.

If you keep the oat milk consumption to the absolute minimum, it is safe to feed homemade oat milk to the cat.

However, you have to make sure that you do not put any color, sugar, or fat into the mixture.

These ingredients will be harmful to your cat, and you have to avoid them at all costs. Homemade oat milk is also good because you can feed it right after you make it.

Necessary Ingredients Of Oat Milk:

Several brands produce oat milk in the United States.

Although it is tough to find a golden standard for such commercial products, we will provide you with a list of all the materials you should expect in oat milk.

You can also find our take on those ingredients in terms of their effects on a cat.

Ingredients	Our Take
Water + Oats (10%)	Oats are a great source of protein, fat, fibers, and minerals. All of these nutrients are essential for cats. The amount of fat can be too much if taken in large quantities.
Canola Oil	It is a source of Omega 3 fatty acid. Generally, this oil is suitable for cats in small quantities.
Calcium Carbonate	Calcium is an essential part of the diet because of its versatile benefits. But oats can cross the daily requirement of calcium and cause kidney failure.
Calcium Phosphate	Phosphates are also essential, but the dose can become detrimental to the health of the cat.
Iodised Salt	Any kind of salt in large doses is hazardous for cats.
Vitamins	Oat Milk also contains required vitamins. But the necessity is much more than we find in this product.

 

Conclusion:

In summary, we can say that cats can drink oat milk without many health complications. However, any kind of milk in large quantities is not suitable for cats.

Oat milk is not an exception either. It would help if you never fed it as the only food for the cat because of the deficiencies. Oat milk in a small amount and on rare occasions is perfectly okay for the cat.