A piece of cheese wrapper can delight your cats. After all, they love to taste the cheese. But many cat owners often face a dilemma regarding whether cats can eat cheese or not.
So, you might be thinking the same. According to many experts, ragdoll cats can eat cheese only if given moderately. Too much cheese might harm them as some cheese kinds are not safe.
If your lovable kitten has a milk allergy, then you should avoid it. Besides, there are multiple factors associated with this question. Therefore, read the below segments if you want to learn them in detail.
Can ragdoll cats eat cheese?
As you have learned from the above section, ragdoll cats can eat cheese in moderation. Therefore, you can give them cheese once in a while as a special treat.
Many cat owners often use cheese to hide a pill. But if your cat has a dairy allergy, you should restrain yourself from giving them cheese.
It is so because a small amount of cheese might lead to digestion problems. Not only this, but it also harms their immunity system.
But you might be wondering how to know whether your cat has a dairy allergy or not. To learn this, you have to look at a few signs. Inspect this after giving them any dairy products. These indications include the following
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Skin irritation
- Red skin patches
If you see your ragdoll cat is suffering from the above issues, you should immediately stop feeding them dairy products, especially cheese, and consult a vet to avoid further complications. You can feed your ragdoll cats the below types of cheese once in a while in very little quantity.
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Swiss
You can share a tiny piece of Swiss cheese as these are healthy. Though it contains high protein, Swiss cheese has less fat and sodium compared to other types. It also holds a low amount of lactose.
Cheddar
When you feed your ragdoll cat Cheddar cheese once in a while, it does no harm as it contains less lactose. Besides, as it is a semi-hard type cheese, it does not affect cats’ immune and digestive systems if fed in a low amount.
How much cheese is bad for your cat?
Many ragdoll cat owners often cannot determine how much they should feed their cats? As a result, they accidentally give a massive amount of cheese, leading to many complications.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand their diet. As cheese has a lot of protein and fiber, it is wise not to offer your ragdoll cat this food item. It is so because it does more harm than good.
You have to understand that cheese that originates from cow milk holds lactose. This element is dangerous for cats as they cannot tolerate lactose to some extent.
Besides, your ragdoll cat might be intolerant to lactose. Thus, feed your cats meat-based diets, not dairy products.
It will never immediately harm them. But if fed excessively, it will result in severe complications. If you still do not get what we are saying, read the below section for how cheese can be bad for your ragdoll cat.
- As you might know, cheese contains a lot of fat that results in many problems in every cat breed. So, if you feed cheese excessively, it will lead to health complications like obesity, diabetes, heart issues, and many other critical illnesses.
- If you give your cat salted cheese, too much salt might lead to issues like increased thirst and abnormal urination. Besides, your cat might face kidney problems, hypertension, and others hindrances.
- As you have learned from the above discussion, your cat might not tolerate lactose. Therefore, if you feed your cat any cheese type, it might face health complications like vomiting, upset stomach, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal problems.
So, when feeding cheese, always remember the above things and feed only a small amount.
After all, eating anything in excess is not best for animals and humans. In addition to this, you should also restrain yourself from offering your ragdoll cat the below cheese types.
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Mozzarella
Mozzarella is a soft cheese type. Thus, whether you have cooked it or kept it raw and fed your cat, it might lead to health complications. It is so because mozzarella is high in lactose.
Brie
It is also a soft cheese type that is produced from raw milk. This cheese contains listeria and salmonella-like pathogens that might affect your ragdoll cat negatively.
Apart from the above, also avoid cheese like cottage, cream, blue, and other raw soft cheeses.
When is it safe to give cheese to your cat?
If you want to feed your ragdoll cat cheese, the first thing to do is consult your vet. If the doctor exclaims affirmatively, you should give your cat a tiny amount of cheese to verify whether your kitten is lactose tolerant or not. In this way, you can also learn whether your cat has a dairy allergy.
But if your ragdoll is lactose tolerant, you can feed small pieces of cheese frequently. A tiny bit of cheese is beneficial for them, especially while feeding a pill. You can use the cheese piece and hide the pill, so your fur baby eats it.
However, though it is the best approach, you should overlook this if your ragdoll is under regular medication. It is so because excessive cheese might make your cat more ill.
Apart from the above, some kinds of cheese are safe. Cheese with less lactose and salt content is not as harmful as other types. Hence, you can feed your cat cheddar, swiss, and Parmesan cheese once in a while as a special treat.
Though you can feed the above cheese types, you should restrain yourself from offering softer cheeses as they contain more lactose.
You can give them cheese that comes from goat’s milk. Besides, there are other options as well. You can provide cheese that is produced from soy and hemp.
Cheese alternatives for your cat
So, after you have learned all the information regarding is it safe to give your ragdoll cat cheese, you might be wondering about feeding other food items as cheese alternatives, right? Fair enough, as you can share multiple human foods with ragdoll cats.
However, you need to consult with a vet before feeding these, and you should also consider your cat’s nutritional requirements before sharing.
You can share your cooked egg, carrots, broccoli, salmon, tuna, and different types of meats like beef, lamb, chicken, and fruits like watermelon, bananas, and blueberries.
But remember that while feeding them meats or eggs, you should cook these without extra salt, spices, or sauces. In addition, remove the watermelon seed before sharing it with your coveted ragdoll cat.
Therefore, if you want to give your cat some food items as cheese alternatives, you can consider the above healthy foods. But bear in mind that never gives them a massive amount of these foods, as it might harm their health.
Conclusion
So, after reading the above segment, we can claim that you have got some valuable information regarding whether your ragdoll cat can eat cheese or not. You can feed your cat cheese in little quantities.
But always consider the above-discussed aspects to avoid problems. Besides, if you cannot determine what to do, you should consult with a vet to get suggestions.
In addition, you can also feed them the above cheese alternatives to your cat. So, we hope you have got your answer which will help you clear your doubts and make the perfect decision.
Hi There, AJ Oren here. I am the founder of this amazing pet blog & a passionate writer who loves helping pet owners to learn more about their pets through my articles. I am also the content manager of this blog. I have experience in pet training and behavior, sheltering, and currently working for a veterinary clinic.