Can cats eat ice cream?

Surely you will have seen circulating on the Internet various videos that show cats tasting hand ice cream of their human friends.After a few seconds, the felines show the characteristic expression of what we call "frozen brain."

Before running to try it, you should also ask yourself if you can give ice cream to the cats.Although ice cream is irresistible to humans, they are harmful to cats.Keep reading this article from Animals and Pets Online and discover why cats shouldn't eat ice cream .

Can cats be given ice cream?

Eating a delicious ice cream and feeling like you are "freezing your brain" is not pleasant, and you know it.When you watch the videos of cats having the same reaction, you will wonder, what happens ? Cats also freeze their brains? The truth is that yes, felines have a similar response because in their organism the same thing happens in ours when they eat something too cold very fast.Well, what exactly happens? Here we explain it to you!

By eating a very cold and high-speed food, the body is "taken by surprise", so the arteries expand at high speed and affect the trigeminal nerve, called the fifth cranial nerve, which, among other functions , is responsible for bringing to the brain information about the stimuli received at the oral and mandibular level.The discomfort begins in the mouth, passing to the throat and all the nerves in the surroundings.This is what gives the sensation of frozen brain, which in medicine it is called ganglioneuralgia sphenopalatine .Therefore, and other reasons such as the amount of sugar, it is not recommended to give cats ice cream.

The result of sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia is not just a confusion general of the senses, but also acute and migraine pain.In conclusion, something not pleasant at all.The same thing happens to your cat, so this pain is the first reason why you should not give it ice cream.

Cats hate the cold

Anyone with a cat at home knows how much they enjoy spreading all their legs and lying on their stomachs towards the sun's rays.They love it and can spend hours in this position.In autumn and winter, and in the absence of Sun, cats snuggle in the hottest places in the house, near stoves, appliances, or simply among the hottest and most warm blankets they can find.

This is because to the felines really is unpleasant cold .Their body temperature is a little higher than ours (between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius), so they easily feel cold.So, although for you eating ice cream is something delicious , It won't be exactly your cat's favorite activity!

Problems with sugar?

The taste buds of the felines do not detect the sweet flavors and sugary, so if you think that when you give ice cream your cat will think that it is very rich, the truth is that neither You will not even be able to perceive its true flavor.The reasons that explain why cats do not have the sense of sweetness are not very clear, but it is believed that it may be a natural safety mechanism, because the treats wreak havoc on the feline organism.

What happens when you give something sweet? Well, it will have colic, gas and stomach upset.Even it is possible that eating ice cream produces the cat diarrhea, so sweets are prohibited for your cat and, therefore, also ice cream.

Lactose intolerance?

The cartoons have been in charge of introducing us to cats as milk lovers.There are countless scenes of kittens stealing bottles of milk, or waiting anxiously to refill their dishes with this food.It is true that the milk that humans consume, which mostly comes from cows, contains too much fat for the stomach of the felines , so that when they drink it they easily become indigestible and suffer from diarrhea and gas.Discomfort is prolonged, the cat becomes dehydrated, putting his life in serious danger.Of course, this situation does not happen in all cats, since those cats that have consumed milk since childhood and have continued to do so during adulthood may not develop intolerance to lactose or show any type of negative singo.More information in our article "Can cats drink milk?".

Milk and dairy products are part of the main components with which the ice cream, so this is another reason not to give your cat ice cream, especially if it shows symptoms of intolerance.

What if it's chocolate?

Chocolate is the delight of the gods for most people, and it has even been seen that many cats like to steal a piece of something full of chocolate.However, did you know that it is toxic for cats? That's right!

Chocolate contains theobromine , a compound found in the cocoa shell and that stimulates the nervous system of similar to caffeine.The cat's organism is unable to process this substance, so if you let it consume it frequently it gradually accumulates in the body.The discomfort includes stomach problems such as diarrhea and colic, as well as vomiting and polydipsia.A prolonged and excessive consumption causes the death of the animal.That if, in case of consuming a small dose of chocolate, the animal does not have to show signs of intoxication, the problem lies when the amount ingested is very large or, as we say, it is consumed frequently.

After seeing these 5 reasons It is, you know that cats can't eat ice cream! But there are exceptions? Then we tell you.

And if it's natural, can cats eat ice cream?

If the ice cream is homemade and has been made with natural fruit, lactose-free milk and no sugar, it is possible that a cat can eat it .Now well, to avoid it Produce sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia it will be essential to remove the ice cream from the freezer in advance and offer it to the animal much less cold.Likewise, it should be given as a prize or treat and, preferably, during the hottest times, since it can be another form of combat dehydration.

To know which fruits can be used to make homemade ice cream for cats, we recommend reviewing the article on "Recommended fruits for cats".

If you want to read more articles similar to Can cats eat ice cream? , we recommend that you enter our section of homemade diets.