Milk for an adopted stray cat

[PBY Catalina]

We have just acquired a five-year-old male that we are calling Toby. He's huge.

He has remained silent until he saw me with a milk carton in my hand and for the first time, meowed.

He lapped 3 table spoonfuls full-fat milk up with eagerness.

Should I continue giving him milk and if so, how much per day?

Naturally he has 24 hour access to water and we have not worked out the sensible amount of sachet food we should give him per day.

Thank you in anticipation for your suggestions.

[Hreow]

We have just acquired a five-year-old male that we are calling Toby. He's huge.

He has remained silent until he saw me with a milk carton in my hand and for the first time, meowed.

He lapped 3 table spoonfuls full-fat milk up with eagerness.

Should I continue giving him milk and if so, how much per day?

Naturally he has 24 hour access to water and we have not worked out the sensible amount of sachet food we should give him per day.

Thank you in anticipation for your suggestions.

Best not to give him cow's milk as a regular thing - most cats are lactose intolerant so it is likely to give him an upset tummy. You can buy milk designed for cats in the shops here, found in the same shelves as the cat food, if you want to give him something really nice more than once in a while.
The occasional lick of your milk/icecream/cream isn't too bad, though. :)

Does the box which the satchets come in not give a rough idea of how many per day? If he's not a greedy cat, he can probably decide the amount himself. If he's a stray, he may need reining back a bit - they tend to eat all the food when there is any for the long spells of no food to follow and it will take a good while for them to realise that there is always enough food. Are you feeding him dry food as well?

Also - congratulations on acquiring what seems to be a lovely cat and may we please see a photo? :mrgreen:

[Velvet]

We have two younsters aged 10 & 12 months & they eat 3 sachets of Felix wet food a day each, plus we leave two dishes of dry food down all the time for them to graze on :p The hard crunchy food helps keep their teeth in order & ours just love their Felix:)

Yes we definitely need photos:-D

Welcome to Catsey.

[PBY Catalina]

Are you feeding him dry food as well?

Also - congratulations on acquiring what seems to be a lovely cat and may we please see a photo? :mrgreen:

Brekkies in a bowl during the day.

Waiting for friend's visit with digital camera.

[fancyabrew]

go and get some cat milk, whiskas do it as do felix

[PBY Catalina]

go and get some cat milk, whiskas do it as do felix

Which of the two do you recommend?:smt102

[Velvet]

Which of the two do you recommend?:smt102

Either - both the same. Its Whiskas i see most often in tbe shops. :)

[Rachaellincoln]

You could also try some feeder balls, or activity boards to put the cat biscuits in, some of the online vet/pet stores sell them - it just means they have to work a little harder to get their dinner - also keeps them occupied!

[dandysmom]

I'm a believer in 4 smaller meals a day rather than 2 large ones; also I don't feed dry except as a rare treat because it has been implicated in cases of cystitis.

Welcome to Catsey!

[angieh]

Although I would agree that some cats are lactose intolerant, if your Toby has no stomach problems and is interested in having some milk, I'd give him some. My dear old Merlin had no intolerance and loved his saucer of milk - but it was a bit of a treat!

I like the idea of a treat ball - I bought one for Pip, although I have to say he's not really persistent enough with it to get the treats out and then forgets about it - silly boy.

I look forward to photos in due course.

[Hreow]

Brekkies in a bowl during the day.

Waiting for friend's visit with digital camera.

Sounds like he's eating now and then from the brekkies during the day? Likely you have a cat that will eat enough to do well but not too much, which means you can feed him the amounts the feel right to you and go from there.

Rover ate four to five satchets a day on demand (didn't touch dry food - never saw it as food and only food he didn't eat) which was more than the recommended on the box, plus the roast turkey he got for doing as he was told. :-D He was a part-time outdoor cat so had enough exercise climbing fences & trees, and chasing other cats to work the energy off. He was lean and fit so his diet was right for him - you'll find the balance that works for your cat.

Toffee is still a kitten and still on the breeders' regime of wet food morning and night, and as much dryfood as he wants inbetween. He loves playing with water so the risk, for him, of cystitis shouldn't be more than average as he's getting enough fluids inside (and outside, and on the walls, and on us, and... ^^).

Digital camera may be part of the basic equipment you need for keeping cats. :D

[dandysmom]

My tortie wasn't lactose-intolerant either, and had a small saucer of milk every day till she went to the Bridge at 20.

Yes, pics, please!!

[Velvet]

If I gave ours a treat ball the dogs would go after the treats too! :(

[Velvet.Tears]

See which one the cat prefers. Sachets are normally 4 per day