Saturday, March 7, 2009

Cats LOVE Raw Milk!



Some kitten buyers come to me and ask, "Aren't cats lactose intolerant?".

And to this I reply, "Absolutely not! But they do have an intolerance to unnatural milk.".

Well, what is unnatural milk? That's easy, pasteurized milk. Milk heated to such a level that the proteins are denatured, the good and beneficial probiotics and enzymes in the milk are destroyed and a void is left for bad bacteria to proliferate at an alarming rate! But don't take my word for it, the Weston A Price Foundation, and www.RealMilk.com have been spreading the word about the dangerous of pasteurized milk for many years.

Now, I must stress caution. As with any food there are important safe handling procedures that must be strictly followed by your local farmer. And of course when you get the milk home care must be taken to properly store and care for it. But this is true of ALL foods!

And it gets even better with the correct methods you can make a healthy and delicious fermented milk product that is even BETTER for your cats and for you as it is easily digestible and chock full of probiotics and enzymes. But that's a story for another day.

If you are interested in learnig more about raw milk please visit these websites.

www.RealMilk.com
Weston A Price Foundation
Raw-Milk-Facts.com
Image of Dairy crow enjoying the green grass.  Grass-fed cows produce the best raw milk for your cat
Did you know that clean, raw milk from grass-fed cows was once used medicinally? It's true! It acts like a "stem cell" food with all the nutrients needed to fully support life. It was used to treat, and even cure, many diseases up until World War II when mass pasteurization became the norm in order to increase shelf life for soldiers and food shortages.

Then the big dairy industry, and other interests, created a campaign to malign raw milk products and local farmers in order to increase profits.

And remember, opt for grass-fed cows or pastured goats (or sheep) for your milk source and preferably from a farmer practice organic standards (even if they do not have the funds to get certified with the USDA organic program).

We hope this article will have you thinking about Real Milk for your family, and your cats (dogs too of course!). For those with blood sugar problems and lactose intolerance issues (developed from years of pasteurized dairy products poisoning our systems) it is important to consume in moderation. And it may even be better to start out with a raw milk fermented product such as Kefir or home-made Yogurt.

We love raw milk. It feeds our family, nourishes our pets including our cats and our Anatolian Shepherd Dog. And it has saved the life of one of our most beloved cats, Sonja.

We have used Real Milk to rehabilitate Sonja after we nearly lost her to a birthing problem. The ER vets gave up on her, the local vet told me to take her home where she was comfortable and prepare for her loss as she would not eat. But she would drink raw milk from pastured goats and gained back her strength and her appetite within a day!

May you and your cats be healthy, always!

Dawn Campbell
--
Pendraig Siberian Cats
Breeding Naturally Healthy Siberian Kittens since 2005

4 comments:

Falling Down Laughing said...

I was told that Goat's Milk is okay for cats and they sell that at my local grocery store and Elphie seems to like.

I use it in recipes when I decide I don't want to take lactaid.

Have you heard the same?

Dawn Campbell said...

Goat's milk is often easier to digest, especially when comparing pasteurized cow milk to pasteurized goat's milk. However in the raw form, from grass-fed or pastured animals they are both nutritious and indeed the cow's milk is higher in many key nutrients that cats need.

Our formula for bottle feeding orphaned kittens (or supplemental feeding for big litters) is made with a cow's milk base. If we were to use goat's milk we would need to add raw liver from pastured cattle or lambs to make up for some of the nutrient loss.

This can be blended together to make it smooth and pass through a bottle or feeding tube. - Dawn (Pendraig Siberian Cats)

Anne said...

We are raising some orphaned 4-week-old kittens and are wondering what your formula is.

Our family gets raw cows milk from a local farm.

I'd like to use the raw milk since KMR from the vet is so expensive. Also, how long do they need to be on milk or milk replacer?

Dawn Campbell said...

First i'd like to thank you for raising orphan kittens!

I apologize for not responding sooner but we've just moved and have no internet until today.

The raw formula I use i will be publishing in my book but basically it's a slightly modified version of the infant formula in the cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon available on Amazon.com I modify it a bit adding a bit more Cod Liver Oil. At 4 weeks they can be weaned onto raw though so you can easily just mix some high quality ground raw food with a bit of raw milk and transition them.