Give me a nice cold, chocolate mint ice cream any day of the week. But what about your cat? Can cats eat mint ice cream? You may think so. They do eat a lot of things. A lot of things which we will never eat. Like, rats, lizard and insects. And if you watch TV, you are probably thinking, “I’ve seen many people giving their cats milk on TV. so, why wouldn’t my cat like ice cream? It is made of milk, right?” If you have been reading my articles, you should know that ice cream and cats do not really go well together. . . for the cat that is.

Are you surprised? Most likely. Well, read on to learn more about mint ice cream and cats.

Do cats like mint?

Yes, for the most part. But it really depends on the cat and the mint. There are some mints, like peppermint and spearmint, among others, which some cats don’t like. And for good reason. They contain salicylate, which is toxic to cats if eaten in high concentrations like in an essential oil form. Their keen sense of smell and natural instincts tell them to steer clear of it. The garden variety, while not good for your cat, will make it sick if it eats a lot of it. Oddly though, those previous mentioned mints also contain a chemical compounds similar to one of their favorite mints which will make them go looney tunes for a while.

Catnip is a kind of mint which cats love and generally has a hilarious affect on them. Your cat may be very calm and even quiet, but one whiff of catnip and your cat’s mouth may drop open and he/she may even appear drunk. And as is the case with most cats, your will run around the room at high speeds like it has lost its mind. Now, even though they go crazy when they get a whiff of it, rest assured, it is not a mint toxic to cats.

Cats and mint, especially catnip, can be fun for both cat and cat parent (to watch). However, any mint if ingested in large amounts can be dangerous, so make sure to keep all essential oils, which can be high in concentration, away from your kitty.

Should cats eat ice cream?

Cats and ice cream can be a digestive nightmare for most cats even though they may love it. Yes, they may paw at you. Meow up a storm and even try to lick milk from your cup or cream from your bowl of ice cream. But it can cause abdominal discomfort, bloating and diarrhea afterwards, especially if you are eating normal store bought milk which comes from a cow. This is simply because after being weened, they stop producing lactase, which is a necessary enzyme for digesting lactose. In other words, most cats are lactose intolerant.

So, the answer is very clear. No, cats should not eat the same kind of ice cream we eat. But don’t worry. There are alternatives which cats can enjoy. Check out my link below for more information.

Related: Can cat have ice cream?

Is mint ice cream bad for cats?

The only mint safe for cats, is catnip or catmint. And as we talked about earlier, most cats love it and it freaks them out. In a good way, of course. However, ice cream is generally not good for cats and can cause gastrointestinal issues, which is a fancy way of saying they’ll wish they weren’t born. And so will you if you are the one who has to clean it up. So, as for normal store bought mint ice cream, the answer is no.

A lot of mint ice creams are made with crème de menthe which is made from alcohol. While alcohol may have a catnip type effect on some people, it doesn’t have the same effect on cats. Not nearly as fun, nor safe. In fact, alcohol can kill your cat.

Now if you wanted to make a mint ice cream which is safe for cats, you’d have to use catnip or catmint, and use a formula which does not contain milk in it. However, I have never heard of catnip ice cream for cats and assume that only a little catnip should be used, because too much catnip can make your cat sick.

Can cats eat mint chocolate chip ice cream?

Ah, now we are getting into more and more dangerous areas here. As we discussed earlier, ice cream, if it is from a cow, like the type which you and I have most of the time, is not good for your cat. It will cause them abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas and diarrhea.

Mint of any kind is not good for cats, especially in large doses. Quite frankly, they don’t even like the smell of most mints like spearmint or peppermint, but do go crazy over catnip or catmint. And if it has creme de menthe, that is even more dangerous.

And the last, and maybe one of the worst of the three is chocolate. You may have read “The darker the chocolate the darker your cat’s future will is” in one of my previous articles. Well, that is certainly true here as well. If you would like to read more about cats and chocolate ice cream, click the link below. FYI, there is also an article about cats and strawberry ice cream.

Related: Can cats have chocolate ice cream?

The Bottom Line

Can cats eat mint ice cream? Not really a good idea. Is mint poisonous to cats? You bet, especially in large doses. However, there are some good ice creams for cats out there. You just have to make sure it does not have milk or chocolate. And don’t forget mint or cream de menthe. Any of these can cause your cat to feel very ill, so be careful.