We often think of our cats and kittens as more resilient than they are, particularly when it comes to their digestive system.
It’s critically important you not overestimate how well your cat can handle oat milk.
Yes, your cat might be able to drink oat milk now and again – but it isn’t going to give them any real health benefits.
Read the guide below before leaving out a saucer of oat milk for your cat.
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Can Cats Have Oat Milk?
Yes, you can give your cat a little bit of oat milk now and again – but not just any oat milk.
Ensure that the oat milk you give cats is always as close to raw as it gets. We are talking about nothing more than whole grain oats and water.
Unsweetened, no extra flavors, no extra additives at all.
When you give cats oat milk with emulsifiers, natural flavors, and other additives, you risk giving your cat something their digestive system can’t handle.
That could end up causing nothing more than a little bit of gas and discomfort for your animal, or it could end up causing a whole host of health issues that you have to fight through with them.
Is Oat Milk Good For Cats?
There aren't many health benefits to giving your cat oat milk.
Sure, it’s safe enough (when it’s not filled with additives) for them to handle. But it’s not like oat milk will deliver a flood of vitamins and minerals for your cat, especially if you are giving it to them only now and again as a treat.
Remember, your cat's diet should primarily focus on protein and fats.
Carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals are also essential. But very little of that will come from oat milk (and certainly not from oat milk alone).
So while oat milk isn't bad for cats, it's not necessarily improving their health either.
Related: Can Cats Have Almond Milk?
How Much Oat Milk Can Cats Have?
It’s tough to give you a “hard and fast” rule for how much oat milk you can give your cat – or even how frequently you can give it to your cat, for that matter.
The best we can tell you is to make sure that this is a treat (something not given to them every meal or even every day), and it’s something that you take the time to introduce to your cats.
A little bit – maybe a splash or two – in their bowl (or in a saucer) every couple of weeks is usually enough of a treat.
Get a little more heavy-handed than that, and you risk causing your cat digestive problems you probably would have loved to avoid.
Do Cats Like Oat Milk?
The trouble with sticking to a “treat focus” with oat milk for your cats is that these fuzzy little family members usually go crazy for the stuff, almost begging us to give it to them more frequently.
This is where you have to practice self-control and discipline.
Those beautiful little feline eyes will look up at you every time you reach for oat milk, especially if you are a fan of the stuff yourself.
It’s not going to take them long to figure out which carton has that “liquid gold,” – and many cats will get pretty vocal about wanting to have it ASAP every time you do.
Stay strong, though, and stick to oat milk as a treat, and you won’t have to worry about anything going sideways with your cat’s health.
What Happens If a Cat Drinks Oat Milk?
If your cat drinks oat milk (just a little bit), you’re not going to notice anything crazy happening.
They aren’t going to go wild, start screaming around the house or rush right off to the litter box.
Your cat will likely drink the oat milk and go about their day.
Sometimes (if they’ve gotten used to you going to the refrigerator and getting the oat milk), they’ll do a quick scream, rub up against your leg, or even try to climb up your body to get you to give them a splash or two more.
You don’t have to worry about your cat undergoing some crazy transformation because they had a couple of mouthfuls of oat milk now and again.
Related: Can Dogs Drink Oat Milk?
Will Oat Milk Hurt Cats?
Oat milk treats aren’t going to cause any harm to your cat, provided that you are serious about portion control.
The sugar content in oat milk isn’t extreme, but it can become a problem if you give dishes worth of oat milk to your cats every time they eat.
Diabetes is a real thing that you have to worry about regarding felines.
You also have to worry about diarrhea, bloating, vomiting, and lethargy, all caused by excessive sugar intake.
Don’t go overboard, and you’ll be all right.
Can Cats Have Vanilla Oat Milk?
Vanilla oat milk is usually made with either vanilla extract of vanilla flavoring.
Vanilla extract contains alcohol, which cats can't have. And vanilla flavoring (aka natural flavors, vanilla flavoring) is often far from "natural".
As a result, it's best to avoid giving your cat vanilla oat milk.
Can Cats Have Chocolate Oat Milk?
Chocolate oat milk is to be avoided 100% of the time for cats.
Your cats don’t have the digestive system necessary to handle chocolate, even in the tiny amounts that make their way into chocolate-flavored oat milk.
DO NOT give your cats chocolate oat milk.
Can Cats Drink Oat Milk as a Treat?
Sure, we recommend that if you give your cats oat milk at all, you only try to give it to them as a treat every so often.
Oat milk isn't a replacement for water for cats.
As a treat, though, oat milk knocks it out of the park!
Is Oat Milk Better Than Regular Milk For Cats?
Most cats are lactose intolerant. As a result, you shouldn't give cats dairy milk at all. Oat milk is a much safer option.
Best Oat Milk Brands For Cats
Thrive Market Organic Oat Beverage
Thrive Market’s oat milk is as good as it gets, especially since it’s made only out of two ingredients – 100% organic whole-grain oats and filtered water. You’re not going to find better commercially available oat milk than this one!
Rise Oat Milk
Rise Oat milk is another great shelf-stable oat milk with simple ingredients, including organic oats and sunflower oil which can be beneficial for cats.
Elmhurst 1925 Milked Oats Unsweetened Oat Milk
You can’t go wrong with Elmhurst Oat Milk for your cats.
It has one more ingredient than Thrive Market's oat milk (just a little bit of salt), but that’s not going to be a problem.
The only other wrinkle is that this isn’t 100% certified organic.
The last option is to make homemade oat milk. All you need is organic oats, water, a blender, and a nut milk bag for straining.
