Crème de Meow: A delicious probiotic yogurt for cats!

My life hack for long shiny coats, bright eyes and happy kitties? A daily dose of homemade yogurt! My cats love this stuff and it saves me a ton of money because I don't have to buy probiotics anymore.

This is a modified version of Dr. William Davis' recipe from his book Super Gut. If you are interested in making yogurt for your human family and would like to learn about the science behind it, I highly recommend his book!

"But isn't milk bad for cats?"

You wouldn't want to give your cat a saucer of store-bought milk on a daily basis because pasteurized milk has been heated to a point that destroys the lactase, the enzyme that breaks down the protein lactose, leaving the cats, and many people, unable to tolerate it. However, raw milk is a different story. It is alive and packed full of the good bacteria and enzymes that are required to digest it. Not to mention it's a great source of vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, CLA, and omega-3 fatty acids. I use raw milk, but I will use pasteurized milk if that's all I can get my hands on as the fermentation process breaks down most of the lactose and my cats don't have any trouble with it. But monitor your cats closely and start them off slowly.

Crème de Meow: but how?

Ingredients:

Sourcing the raw milk will be the hardest part, but like I said before, you can still use pasteurized milk, you just won't be getting all the benefits this yogurt can offer. You will also need a programmable yogurt maker or a sous vide. I use a sous vide so I can make bigger batches, and it's more versatile.

• 1 quart whole milk, with cream top if raw

• 5 servings lactobacillus reuteri, or probiotic of choice.

• 2 tablespoons potato starch or inulin

• 1 quart mason jar with lid

  
  

Directions:

1. Fill the jar a quarter of the way with milk.

2. Add potato starch and probiotics and shake vigorously until there are no clumps.

3. Add the rest of the milk and shake again.

4. If using a sous vide loosen the lid and place the mason jar in a large pot of water, the water should come up to the milk line but do not submerge the jar.

5. Set up your sous vide or yogurt maker to run for 36 hours at 100 degrees.

6. After 36 hours, remove and set aside two tablespoons of the yogurt and freeze. Keep the rest refrigerated.

When you make your next batch instead, of using the probiotic powder, you will use the two tablespoons of yogurt you set aside, this is your "starter." do this for every batch. Its important to take your starter out with a clean spoon, you don't want to contaminate it with outside bacteria because you will be growing whatever it comes into contact with.

"Which probiotic do you use?"

HouseLynx Clyde eagerly awaiting his yogurt!

Well that depends! I give lactobacillus reuteri daily, I purchase a feline strain through BlueGrass Animal Products and I use FortaFlora if my cats are ever experiencing gastrointestinal upset, or if they've been treated with antibiotics, in this case I also sprinkle saccharomyces boulardii yeast on top which helps pave the way for the bacteria. You could use any daily probiotic as long as its specifically formulated for cats.

Serving size:

Start slow! When starting a probiotic, there's a shift in the balance of the gut microbiome, pathogenic bacteria begin to die, releasing toxins that can temporarily cause side effects or worsen symptoms. As the good bacteria propagate in the gut, these symptoms will lessen over time, but it can mostly be avoided if you start slow. For my cats starting on the yogurt I let them lick a little off my finger daily, and increase over the course of two weeks until I'm giving my adult females 2 teaspoons and my males 1 tablespoon daily. Keep in mind these are Maine Coons and my females are 10-15lbs, males 20lbs and up. If they were smaller domestic house cats I'd give them about a teaspoon daily. Do not overfeed the yogurt! The long fermentation process increases the potency and bioavailability of the probiotic, so a little goes a long way.

Don't forget to let me know how your first batch turns out!