How to give my cat a choc ice

October 24, 2022 7:14 AM

My cat is obsessed, to the point of assault, with ice lollies, particularly milk based choc ices or mini milks. I want to make an ice lolly I can actually let her have. Can I just freeze some lactose-free milk or is it still really bad for her? Alternative suggestions? I did try freezing wet cat food and chicken stock and she had no interest in either.
posted by stillnocturnal to Pets & Animals (17 answers total)

Best answer: You can find raw goats milk in the freezer section at most pet food stores. I feed it on a daily basis to my dog, but it's supposed to be good for cats, too. Every dog that's ever visited our house loses their minds over a bowl of goats milk. They sell doggie ice creams made with goats milk so I'd give frozen goats milk cubes a try.
posted by shornco at 7:22 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Try the special "Cat Milk" sold here at most places that sell cat food? I don't buy it, as my cat shows no particular interest in any type of milk and i think it is ultraprocessed food, but for a treat maybe okay?
What mine liked when it was hot, was a frozen liquid cat treat, they come in small sqeeze tubes. Also for sure ultraprocessed but again as a treat i feel it is okay.
posted by 15L06 at 7:32 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

Small half-and-half ice cubes were pleasing to our popsicle-seeking Arlo. (He is no longer with us; sweet boy was sick with leukemia so we were keen to indulge him.) I'm sure other forms of dairy would work as well. Small round ice cubes, not fully filled, were perfect. I'd give it in a little dish that had an upturned edge so the ice didn't go rocketing out when he licked it.
posted by tomboko at 7:46 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

I gave my cat a spoonful of vanilla ice cream every couple days (or a chunk of my ice cream bar, but with no trace of the chocolate part or any other ingredients) and he lived to be almost 20.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:55 AM on October 24, 2022 [7 favorites]

Best answer: There's a lady on TikTok who makes lattes for her cat out of the whiskas cat milk because her cat was so obsessed with her own lattes.

(And don't dead goat this, it was literally just foamed cat milk, no one's giving the kitty espresso, just like I'm sure OP is not literally going to give their cat chocolate.)

I vote for purpose-formulated cat milk frozen into small mouse molds.
posted by phunniemee at 7:56 AM on October 24, 2022 [8 favorites]

Best answer: Maybe try freezing some yogurt? My cat loves plain yogurt and it doesn't seem to cause her any digestive upset. I give her a small spoonful right out of the tub, never thought of freezing it.
posted by zadcat at 8:07 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

My cat loves vanilla ice cream. I eat the sugar-free kind, so I checked to see if sweeteners were ok for cats and apparently they are fine in small amounts. She only eats just a little bit, and not every day. I put a dab in a little dish and then mush it up a bit with my finger as she doesn't like it too cold (probably gets brain freeze.)

I don't know how she'd feel about something I made myself specifically for her. I'm thinking she'd almost certainly turn up her nose, as I think having the same thing I'm having is part of the appeal. I can say that she did seem to like the Cat Milk I bought her, so it might be worth a try freezing a bit of it.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 8:41 AM on October 24, 2022

Response by poster: I should maybe add that my cat has a delicate stomach and normal people ice cream DOES seem to give her the shits. Even in small finger blob amounts.

I am intruiged by the goat milk though! And I will hunt down some cat milk. I may have to pretend to eat it myself so she thinks it's desirable (is cat milk human safe? Maybe?)
posted by stillnocturnal at 9:00 AM on October 24, 2022

I had a cat who loved licking ice cubes. Maybe Kitty would like a plain watersicle?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:00 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

You could also try frozen broth cubes, if it's the cold that appeals. I've also noticed that since it's the lactose that's usually the problem, a bit of heavy whipping cream has very little lactose (since it's mostly fat), might try that.
posted by The otter lady at 10:15 AM on October 24, 2022

Also carob is a good alternative to chocolate for critters. Both cats and dogs can have a little carob--so you could mix that with goats milk to make a faux chocolate ice.
posted by agatha_magatha at 10:26 AM on October 24, 2022

It's the milk fats she's after, that's why broth won't cut it. Cats actually can't detect sweet, just the delicious fat. Lucky cat.
posted by iamkimiam at 10:52 AM on October 24, 2022

Checking with vets revealed that SOME CATS can tolerate yogurt, so try that first, just make sure it's not sweetened by Xylitol. Greek yogurt is preferred, supposedly. Some recommend blending it with canned cat food (with a blender) then pipe it onto a baking sheet and frozen.

Otherwise, organic goat's milk is recommended. Just fill up a ice tray that makes small ice cubes and pop out small cubes as needed.

If you can't DIY, Instinct makes frozen raw meals for cats. which won't be mlik, but it'd cool her down, and you can probably just keep bag around and dole out some cubes as treats.
posted by kschang at 12:33 PM on October 24, 2022

I am sure the commercially produced cat milk is human safe, ingredients of a popular Brand here
I have also seen powdered milk for raising motherless kittens, in pet stores, and assume it would be better quality than the supermarket stuff.
posted by 15L06 at 1:12 PM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

Kitten formula for feeding orphaned kittens is extremely expensive (same as human baby formula is way more expensive than regular milk) and contains lactose, because kittens can digest lactose just fine. The lactose is what causes the stomach upset in adult cats because they lose the ability to digest it. "Cat milk" like the whiska's product is designed to be digestible by adult cats. So don't waste your money on kitten formula!
posted by 100kb at 1:44 PM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

I eat plain goat or sheep's yogurt for breakfast every morning, and our cat begs to lick out the bowl when I'm done. The yogurt made from full-fat goat/sheep milk, so I'm sure that's a big part of the appeal. (Interestingly, cat has zero interest in cow's yogurt.) You could easily freeze some yogurt cubes if you can find it. Goat/sheep avoids the lactose-intolerance issue cats have with dairy. Be aware of the added calories, though.
posted by amusebuche at 3:18 PM on October 24, 2022

Best answer: Don't rule out the possibility that the entire appeal is in stealing something while you try to stop her.
posted by foursentences at 7:33 PM on October 24, 2022 [10 favorites]