Cats and Milk

"Katrina" wrote

consumption of wet milk by adults is still a rare behavior in humans when
we look at the entire human population.

And no wonder. Most of the entire human population - still unmesmerized by
dairy industry propaganda - retain enough common sense to intuitively
understand that milk is a transitional food for the immature digestive
systems of infants and is SPECIES-SPECIFIC in its composition.

"Yowie" wrote:
Shmogg loves it and begs for it, but it gives him the runs something aweful.

When we get the lactose-free milk for Joel I give Shmogg as much as he
wants, but if its the normal milk I have, I give him a splash on the rare
occasion, but not a whole bowlful as he'd like.

That reminds me of that cute story of when Joel was sneaking lactose
free milk to Shmogg. He gets rice cream for you, salami for Fluffy,
and milk for Shmogg. He seems to take care of the snacks for everyone
in the family.

"Pat" wrote in message
...

"Katrina" wrote

consumption of wet milk by adults is still a rare behavior in humans
when
we look at the entire human population.

And no wonder. Most of the entire human population - still unmesmerized by
dairy industry propaganda - retain enough common sense to intuitively
understand that milk is a transitional food for the immature digestive
systems of infants and is SPECIES-SPECIFIC in its composition.

Most 'native' diets took advantage of what was around, and adapted to cover
the rest. Those who had dairy producing animals and land that was suitable
to dairy producing animals took advantage of the high protein and nutrient
source (milk) rather than killing the animal for its meat. A carcas can only
give its protein once, but a dairy animal (cow, sheep, goat, horse, yak,
whatever) produces much more of a high nutrient, high fat, high protein food
source if its kept alive and milked regularly that its carcas would.
Therefore, it made economic sense (in terms of getting the most value out of
your environment, not money) to use the milk of the animal rather than the
meat (which you could have once the animal stopped producing milk anyway)
and thus it was that much of Europe and the Middle East became dairy eaters.
The consumption of milk, cheese and curds of both cow and sheep are
mentioned in the Old Testament, which predates the dairy industry and its
propaganda by several thousand years, and is very much part of the culture
of many people (Italy comes straight to mind, but the Middle East makes
yummy halal white cheeses too). Now us westerners depend on dairy for
sources of trace elements such as calcium, because our diets no longer
include the foods which other cultures use to get their calcium and other
nutrients from, like soybean sourced foods and fish bones, which are
culturally unpalatable to us.

"Native" diets tell us alot about the environment people evolved from. My
parents, for example, love liver & kidney, and my father thinks crumbed
lambs brains are delicious. Both love rabbit stew. They also mention a
hankering for bread & dripping on occasion, and only roast a cicken for
special occasions. They had never had roast lamb until they came to
Australia. From this, I can tell that they were living in a culture that was
very poor in terms of quality muscle meat from big herd animals (like cow
and sheep and pig), and that their main protein came from offal as they were
too poor to have the good cuts. They used to eat alot of 'greens' as their
main vegetable, brussel sprouts & cabbage were treats.

Me, I *hate* offal, cabbage & brussel sprouts. But I live in a culture where
cow and sheep muscle meat is plentiful, and cabbage & brussel spouts are the
cheap end of the veggie market. I don't ever wantto eat lamb again,because
whenIwas a poor starvign student, that was the only meat I could afford. The
only exception is roast leg of lamb :-)

But my parents laugh at me because I love pumpkin. Pumpkin here in my
culture is stil something you do for a roast dinner - its a 'premium"
vegetable. My parents still see it as something only to give to the cattle
if the grass has died, and don't like eating it.

Food is very important, culturally. I'd be as lost in USA supermarkets as
you'd be here. Even though our diets are similar enough, you southern folk
eat "grits" (you'd be hard pressed to find them here) and our breads are
different tasting. I'd be stuck without my vegemite too.

Even though we are now quite affluent as cultures, our food choices and
preferences (and indeed intolerances) reflect the environments from which we
came. And dairy eaters came from a place where dairy animals could be kept
alive and productive. Those who don't tend to eat dairy came from places
where dairy farming couldn't happen.

Yowie

"Katrina" wrote in message
...
On 2007-01-07 12:37:00 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
said:



jmcquown wrote:

I know I've posted about this before but just curious. I keep hearing
that
milk is bad for cats, yet I grew up hearing about "cats and cream" (or
milk). I know lots of people buy special "milk" for cats; goats milk
and
soy milk. When Persia first came to me I asked the vet about giving
Persia
milk. He said no problem, just not in large quantities. It's the one
"treat" I can give her.

I drink low-fat milk. When Persia sees the milk jug come out of the
refrigerator she starts yowling until I pour a couple of tablespoonfuls
in a
bowl for her. She's never had any adverse reactions to milk.

How about your cats?

Of course, when I was growing up, people just ASSUMED you fed cats
milk. (along with table left-overs, largely - who could afford to buy
special food made just for cats?) Considering all the thousands of
generations of barn cats who have lined up at milking time, hoping for
a squirt or two direct from the source, I wouldn't hesitate to feed it
to a cat who liked it, and had not exhibited a bad reaction.

Frankly, I am astonished by the number of HUMANS who seem to be
allergic to milk, nowadays. I don't deny the allergy exists, but WHY,
when milk used to be the "normal" beverage for children (and even many
adults) at mealtime? What has changed in the human gene-pool, to make
what was once a rare condition so commonplace?

Actually, lactose TOLERANCE is NOT the norm for most adult humans.
Virtually all mammals (including humans) lose the ability to digest
milk once they're weaned (it's a metabolic waste to continue to produce
enzymes that are no longer necessary). Only a relatively few human
populations (mostly from northern Europe, but a few from parts of
Africa) who have a mutation which allows them to continue to digest
milk into adulthood. This mutation arose in a number of human
populations at various times, but only in those groups that herded
cattle did it give a selective advantage by allowing those individuals
who had the mutation to consume a food source that made everyone
without the mutation sick. In cats, the same thing applies. Most get
sick from milk. Those cats who are part of a barn population where milk
is a regular treat are more likely to carry the mutation than those who
are part of a barn population where cattle are raised for meat because
those who can't tolerate it get weeded out through natural selection.
What you're percieving as a change in the human gene pool is the effect
of a *mixing* of different gene pools- those from areas where milk is
not part of the normal adult diet are migrating to areas where it is.
This migration contributes to gene flow and spreads the non-mutated
gene back into populations which *do* normally consume milk. Isn't
evolution neat?

Had to mention that there is now a product on the Australin market called
"A2" milk. Apprantly there are various different forms of the milk protein
casein, some forms which seem to be more easily digested than others. The
'A2' milk has far more of the A2 form of casein in it than regular milk
(which has more ofthe A1 variety) with he A2 form of casein in it, which,
according the the blurb, makes it better option for those with food allergy
related problems.

http://www.a2australia.com.au/

Joel did try it, and the symptoms seemed to be less, but it wasn't ablind
study, andhe just finds it easier tostay away from dairy foods altogether
now.

Yowie

John F. Eldredge wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 18:11:39 -0600, "jmcquown"
wrote:

Jo Firey wrote:
"Matthew" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
Matthew wrote:
I can't have a bowl of cereal or my nightly milk and cookies
unless rumble shares. Some the others tend to ignore it unless I
rub some on their lips Ka' Shay is hit or miss.

But I do remember the barn cats coming in every time we milked the
goats or the cows for their fair share. When we churned butter we
had a audience at all times

Butter is best! LOL

Jill

No real churned butter is the best none of this crap in it like
today's choices have


LOL. Kids now don't even know that butter used to be yellow. Really
yellow. So were egg yolks. Egg yolks now are so pale you can't even
make yellow and while scrambled eggs by not over stirring them
anymore.

Jo

I'm WAY not an expert on nutrition, food, the benefits of outdoor
nudity, or just about any other subject under the sun, and don't
pretend to be...but here's a personal observation. Yard chickens still
have dark yellow yolks. So I'm assuming it's got something to do with
what they are fed, or not fed. Game hens have *really* dark yolks so
I"m assuming it's the breed. And while I'm on a roll, if that whitish
blob always stuck to the yolk really *isn't* what my sister told me it
was when I was 10, then I've been spending a lot of time picking it out
with a fork all these years for nothing.
Jersey cows have yellower butter than Holsteins. That piece of useless
and unscientific trivia comes from helping churn butter when I was a
kid.

Sherry

"Yowie" wrote

The consumption of milk, cheese and curds of both cow and sheep are
mentioned in the Old Testament, which predates the dairy industry and its
propaganda by several thousand years

It also predates refrigeration by approximately the same number of
millennia.

Jo Firey wrote:
One of the things we were told to expect when we adopted a child from Korea
thirty years ago was an aversion to milk. Tara disliked milk as a child and
still avoids dairy products for the most part.

It does make getting enough calcium interesting with a western diet,
especially when you are dealing with a child that is already severely
malnourished.

I am lactose intolerant. On the suggestion of a dietician, I now drink
fortified soy milk instead of
milk. I checked the nutrition labels, they are similar. Soy is a food
stable in Asia. You can feed
your child fortified soy milk if you are concerned about her getting
enough calcium.

Another alternative is to put lactase enzyme drops in milk before
drinking it. But you have to wait
24 hrs for the enzyme to break down the lactose and the milk tastes
sweeter than untreated
milk. Of course you can buy lactose free milk. But I found it cheaper
to add the lactase. There are also lactase pills that you take before
drinking milk.

It is so much easier for me to just drink fortified soy milk now. I use
it on cereal too.

Winnie



I for one am very glad that things like orange juice now can be purchased
with added calcium.

Jo

Pat wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote

Pat wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote

I do get occasional sinus and ear infections (the two go hand in
hand thanks to the eustachian tube) but those are bacterial, not
viral infections and cannot be transmitted person to person.

I would offer that your infections are not caused by bacteria or
virus, but rather by your consumption of dairy products
(snip rant)
Not going to get into a nutritional debate with you, Pat. It's
obvious we don't see eye to eye. I don't walk around nude in my
garden, which might result in some unpleansantness with the
neighbors. You're welcome to, just
not my cuppa tea. Take care of your cats

Of course it stands to reason, now that I am living in town am not
free to be nude in my garden, I will start to suffer from ear and
sinus infections! What precautions shall I take??? Maybe eating bacon
will solve the problem....

Bacon and eggs are certainly delicious... Just had a nice omelet made with
the same. I add just a splash of milk to the beaten eggs along with pepper
and salt. I also had some nice wheat bread brushed with butter and toasted
under the broiler. Persia begged for a dash of milk, which she got. And
no, I wasn't walking around nude, not even inside the house.

Pat wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote

I do get occasional sinus and ear infections (the two go hand in hand
thanks
to the eustachian tube) but those are bacterial, not viral
infections and cannot be transmitted person to person.

I would offer that your infections are not caused by bacteria or
virus, but rather by your consumption of dairy products - along with
other gargage like refined sugar and flour

By the way, I don't eat sugar. I don't drink soft drinks and only use flour
as necessary for baking. Yes, I eat baked yeast bread. And you wonder why
I didn't want to meet you when you came to Memphis. Mizz picky picky picky.
Cant't/won't eat anything but at a Vietnamese place in midtown. Excuse me
but the Viet's SHOT my father a few times, so sorry I don't want to eat
their food.

wrote:
John F. Eldredge wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 18:11:39 -0600, "jmcquown"
wrote:

Jo Firey wrote:
"Matthew" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
Matthew wrote:
I can't have a bowl of cereal or my nightly milk and cookies
unless rumble shares. Some the others tend to ignore it unless I
rub some on their lips Ka' Shay is hit or miss.

But I do remember the barn cats coming in every time we milked the
goats or the cows for their fair share. When we churned butter we
had a audience at all times

Butter is best! LOL

Jill

No real churned butter is the best none of this crap in it like
today's choices have


LOL. Kids now don't even know that butter used to be yellow. Really
yellow. So were egg yolks. Egg yolks now are so pale you can't even
make yellow and while scrambled eggs by not over stirring them
anymore.

Jo

I'm WAY not an expert on nutrition, food, the benefits of outdoor
nudity, or just about any other subject under the sun, and don't
pretend to be...but here's a personal observation. Yard chickens still
have dark yellow yolks. So I'm assuming it's got something to do with
what they are fed, or not fed. Game hens have *really* dark yolks so
I"m assuming it's the breed. And while I'm on a roll, if that whitish
blob always stuck to the yolk really *isn't* what my sister told me it
was when I was 10, then I've been spending a lot of time picking it out
with a fork all these years for nothing.
Jersey cows have yellower butter than Holsteins. That piece of useless
and unscientific trivia comes from helping churn butter when I was a
kid.

Sherry


From: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking...mposition.html

CHALAZAE: Opaque ropes of egg white, the chalazae hold the yolk in the center
of the egg. Like little anchors, they attach the yolk’s casing to the membrane
lining the eggshell. The more prominent they are, the fresher the egg.

Randy


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