Can Cats Eat Cheese?

Cheese isn’t poisonous to cats, but it isn’t a good treat for them either. Many cats are lactose intolerant, so dairy can give them diarrhea or an upset stomach, and cats get nothing from cheese that their regular food doesn’t already provide. If your cat stole a small bite of plain cheese, don’t panic. Just don’t make it a habit.

Why cheese isn’t a great choice for cats

Many cats can’t digest dairy well

Milk contains a sugar called lactose. Breaking it down takes an enzyme called lactase, and pets don’t make much of it, according to the ASPCA. Kittens live on their mother’s milk, but by around 8 weeks old they’re weaned onto solid food, and as adults many cats are lactose intolerant. The Cornell Feline Health Center warns that dairy can cause stomach and gut problems in cats, and the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that milk can upset a cat’s stomach.

Cheese has much less lactose than milk, as the AKC notes, but there’s no reliable way to know how much any one cat can handle.

Cats don’t need it

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they depend on nutrients from meat and can’t thrive without it. A complete and balanced cat food already gives your cat the protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals it needs. The Merck Veterinary Manual’s advice for cat owners is to avoid table scraps and skip dairy.

Treats add up

Cornell points out that treats usually aren’t a complete and balanced source of nutrition, so they should only be an occasional extra. Every bite of cheese takes the place of food your cat actually needs.

Signs your cat’s stomach didn’t agree with it

If your cat ate some cheese, watch over the next day for diarrhea or other signs of an upset stomach, which the ASPCA lists as the usual problems dairy causes in pets.

Mild tummy trouble from plain cheese isn’t a poisoning, but call your vet if your cat vomits repeatedly, the diarrhea doesn’t settle, your cat stops eating, or seems lethargic. Call sooner for kittens and cats with health problems.

Watch out for cheese with garlic, onion, or chives

This is the real danger. Some cheeses, spreads, and dips are flavored with garlic, onion, or chives. These Allium plants damage red blood cells and can cause anemia, and cats are the most sensitive species of all. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that cats have been poisoned by less than a teaspoon of cooked onion. Powdered and dried forms are especially concentrated.

Signs often don’t appear until a few days later: weakness, lethargy, pale or yellow gums, fast breathing, red or brown urine, not eating, and collapse.

Keep the package so you can tell the vet exactly what was in it.

If you still want to share a bite

Some cats beg for cheese. The ASPCA lists dairy as a cause of digestive upset rather than poisoning, so a tiny taste of plain cheese isn’t an emergency for a healthy adult cat. If you do share:

• Make it tiny, a crumb or a pea-sized piece, not a slice.
• Keep it plain. No garlic, onion, chives, herbs, or seasoning.
• Try it once and watch. If your cat gets diarrhea or vomits, cheese isn’t for them.
• Skip it entirely for cats with sensitive stomachs or other health conditions, unless your vet says it’s fine.

Better treats for your cat

• Treats made for cats
• A few pieces of your cat’s regular food, given as a reward
• A small piece of lean cooked chicken or turkey with no bones or seasoning, which the ASPCA lists as a pet-safe snack

Treats of any kind should stay at about 10 to 15% of your cat’s daily calories, according to Cornell, with the rest coming from a complete and balanced cat food. For the people foods that are truly dangerous, see our guide to foods that are toxic to cats.