Parmesan Cheese Ok For Pilling?

[Lenox]

Is it ok to use parmesan cheese to get a cat to take their pill? I tried it last night and it worked amazingly.

Backstory:

Cat has UTI. Two weeks of antibiotic pills (ending this Friday PM). 2x a day. First week was easy. Pill in treat and she ate it up quickly. 2nd week and she wouldn't even have the treat by itself!! So we've had to resort to other methods.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Due to the fermentation process by the starter cultures, harder cheese, like Parmesan and Cheddar don't have much lactose at all, so you don't have to worry as much about lactose intolerance when feeding it. Parm is relatively high in protein (36%) and fat (26%), so don't feed a ton of it, but I don't think it will hurt as a way to pill your cat. If she starts to have tummy troubles or litterbox issues, then don't use it anymore.

 

[LTS3]

A small amount won't hurt. If it gets the pill in with minimal stress, use it I personally use pill dough for my cat's pills. Not the Pill Pockets one since both those varieties have chicken in it and my cat is apparently allergic to chicken. I'm currently using Earth's Balance bacon flavored pill dough.

 

[Lenox]

Due to the fermentation process by the starter cultures, harder cheese, like Parmesan and Cheddar don't have much lactose at all, so you don't have to worry as much about lactose intolerance when feeding it. Parm is relatively high in protein (36%) and fat (26%), so don't feed a ton of it, but I don't think it will hurt as a way to pill your cat. If she starts to have tummy troubles or litter box issues, then don't use it anymore.

A small amount won't hurt. If it gets the pill in with minimal stress, use it I personally use pill dough for my cat's pills. Not the Pill Pockets one since both those varieties have chicken in it and my cat is apparently allergic to chicken. I'm currently using Earth's Balance bacon flavored pill dough.

Right on. Thank you both for the responses. What do you consider a small amount? I use a pinch.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Right on. Thank you both for the responses. What do you consider a small amount? I use a pinch.

General rule is that treats shouldn't exceed 10% of your cat's daily calories. So if your cat needs approximately 200 calories a day (10lb cat), then the maximum treat allowance in around 20 Cal. Parmesan has 22 Cal per 5g (1Tbsp). So as long as you're under that amount (for a 200Cal diet), and you don't feed many other treats, you should be fine!

 

[Lenox]

General rule is that treats shouldn't exceed 10% of your cat's daily calories. So if your cat needs approximately 200 calories a day (10lb cat), then the maximum treat allowance in around 20 Cal. Parmesan has 22 Cal per 5g (1Tbsp). So as long as you're under that amount (for a 200Cal diet), and you don't feed many other treats, you should be fine!

Good formula. Thanks. It definitely was less than 1 tbsp. It was probably 1 tsp.

 

[laura mae]

As someone with a tremendously difficult and skittish cat who will reject all disguises for his medication, it's great that you found something that works.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

A teensy sprinkle of parmesan atop food can also help a cat to eat. The fresher the parmesan the better (freshly grated from a brick of parmesan).

 

[Lenox]

A teensy sprinkle of parmesan atop food can also help a cat to eat. The fresher the parmesan the better (freshly grated from a brick of parmesan).

Is it necessary/better to find parmesan cheese that is unsalted? I just noticed that the one I have does list salt as an ingredient.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Is it necessary/better to find parmesan cheese that is unsalted? I just noticed that the one I have does list salt as an ingredient.

To fit the SOI (Standard of Identity) Parmesan must be either salted in brine or dry-salted. You won't find a Parm without salt. Anyway, there's only 1.3g Na/100g Parm, and if you're only feeding a few g of Parm, then it's practically negligible. I wouldn't worry about it.

You can look up 'Title 21 § 133.165 Parmesan and reggiano cheese' in the CFR if you're interested in the SOI of it (or any other cheese/food)!

 

[Lenox]

To fit the SOI (Standard of Identity) Parmesan must be either salted in brine or dry-salted. You won't find a Parm without salt. Anyway, there's only 1.3g Na/100g Parm, and if you're only feeding a few g of Parm, then it's practically negligible. I wouldn't worry about it.

You can look up 'Title 21 § 133.165 Parmesan and reggiano cheese' in the CFR if you're interested in the SOI of it (or any other cheese/food)!

Thanks!