Will yogurt make your cat sick? Will yogurt — considered healthy for people — cause your cat to vomit?
Many people will give their cat milk without a second thought, and milk is a dairy product as much as yogurt is.
So it’s always interesting when people wonder if yogurt can harm their cat.
The answer to the question?
“No. Too many carbohydrates, and not enough probiotics to make a difference,” says Jean Hofve, DVM, who has 20+ years’ experience in both conventional and alternative veterinary medicine, and author of the eBook, “What Cats Should Eat.”
Dr. Hofve continues, “If your cat needs probiotics, use a good quality human probiotic supplement.”
These can be found in the supplement section of a conventional grocery store, as well as in a health food store.
They can also be ordered online.
To get your cat to consume the supplement, you can opt for chewable flavored tablets or mix the supplement in your cat’s food.
If your cat loves yogurt, however, there is no harm in feeding your pet unsweetened plain. Your pet does not need the added sugars.
An alternative is to mix the yogurt with the milk that you normally give to your cat.
You may also want to consider kefir, which is a dairy product that can accurately be described as a cross between yogurt and milk.
It’s thick like a shake. Pour this into your cat’s bowl and see what happens.
Make sure you give your pet unsweetened plain rather than fruit flavored.
Now retired from veterinary medicine, Dr. Hofve has researched pet nutrition and the pet food industry since the early 1990s. She has written dozens of articles and has been interviewed for print, radio and television around the world.
