Cheese is the treat people reach for without thinking: the corner of a sandwich, the thing a tablet goes inside, the bribe that works when nothing else does. It isn't toxic to either species. But it is, by a distance, the most calorie-dense everyday food in this series, and for a cat there is a second reason to be careful.
- Not toxic to dogs or cats. Cheese appears on neither species' list of toxic food ingredients.
- The number that matters: 120 kcal per ounce. WSAVA puts 28 g of cheddar at 120 calories - the highest entry on its everyday-foods table apart from chews.
- For a cat that is more than four days' treat allowance in a single ounce. The maths is below, and it is not close.
- Dairy is on WSAVA's avoid list for cats specifically, because many cats are lactose intolerant.
- Swap, don't stop: cottage cheese is 25 kcal for the same 28 g.
Why cheese is the treat that busts the budget
The governing rule, from the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, is the same one that runs through this whole series: treats should always make up less than 10% of daily calorie intake, and should never replace a meal.
Here is WSAVA's own calorie table for foods people commonly hand to a dog, with cheddar in context:
| Food | Measure | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Ham | 28 g (1 oz) | 46 |
| Lean cooked chicken breast, no skin | 28 g (1 oz) | 47 |
| Lean turkey breast, no skin | 28 g (1 oz) | 50 |
| Lean cooked beef | 28 g (1 oz) | 64 |
| Digestive biscuit | 17 g (one biscuit) | 75 |
| Peanut butter | 1 tbsp | 81 |
| Cheddar cheese | 28 g (1 oz) | 120 |
Gram for gram, cheddar carries roughly two and a half times the calories of lean chicken. An ounce of cheese does not look like a lot of food. In treat-budget terms it is more than a digestive biscuit and a tablespoon of peanut butter combined.
A worked example, which is our arithmetic on a stated assumption rather than a WSAVA figure: a moderately active 10 kg dog eating in the region of 600 kcal a day has a treat budget of about 60 kcal. That is roughly 14 g of cheddar - a cube, not a slice - for the entire day, and that budget is meant to cover training treats and anything that came off a plate as well.
Cats: the number is much smaller than you think
This is where cheese stops being a rounding error. WSAVA publishes a daily treat allowance for cats by bodyweight, and it is measured in tens of calories:
| Cat's bodyweight | Daily calories from treats |
|---|---|
| 2.5 kg | 18 |
| 3 kg | 20 |
| 4 kg | 22 |
| 5 kg | 25 |
| 6 kg | 26 |
| 7 kg | 28 |
Set 120 kcal of cheddar against a 4 kg cat's 22 kcal a day and the result is stark: one ounce of cheese is more than five days' worth of that cat's entire treat allowance. Not five days of cheese. Five days of everything.
A cube the size of a dice is a more realistic unit for a cat, and even that is a meaningful share of the day. WSAVA's own table offers a much better swap: cottage cheese at 2% fat is 25 kcal per 28 g, against cheddar's 120. Same food group, roughly a fifth of the calories, and it happens to sit almost exactly on a small cat's daily allowance.
WSAVA's cat guidance lists milk and dairy products among its toxic food ingredients, with a footnote that explains the reasoning: "Many cats are lactose intolerant, therefore consumption of these products should be avoided."
That is a digestive problem rather than a poisoning one - the likely result is loose stool or vomiting, not an emergency. Hard aged cheeses like cheddar contain less lactose than milk does, which is why some cats tolerate a nibble perfectly well. But "some cats tolerate it" is a weak basis for a routine, and the saucer of milk remains one of the most persistent bad ideas in cat ownership.
The other things cheese brings with it
- Fat. Cheese is high in fat, and some dogs develop pancreatitis after a particularly fatty meal - although pancreatitis has many possible causes and in many cases no specific trigger is identified. A whole block raided off a counter is the scenario worth ringing about, particularly in a pet with a previous history of it or other risk factors.
- Salt. Halloumi, feta, parmesan and most processed cheese slices are considerably saltier than cheddar. There is no reason to choose those.
- What's in it. Cheese with onion, chive, garlic or herbs is a different food. Onion and garlic are genuinely toxic to both species - see the allium article - and a cheese-and-onion anything should be treated as an onion question.
- Blue cheese. We have deliberately not written a verdict on blue cheese. It comes up constantly, and we could not find it addressed in a source we have actually read, so we would rather leave a gap than fill it with a guess.
- Size and shape. WSAVA asks that any treat be an appropriate size and shape to reduce choking risk. A large lump of rubbery cheese swallowed whole by an enthusiastic dog is worth thinking about; small pieces are not.
Cheese for hiding tablets
It works, and for a cat it often works where nothing else does. Two things make it a better habit:
- Use the smallest piece that does the job, and count it. The daily pill-cheese comes out of the same 10%, and for a cat it may be the 10%.
- Ask whether the medication can go with food at all. Some can't, some shouldn't be given with fat, and some shouldn't be given with dairy specifically. The dispensing label or your vet will say.
If your cat is lactose intolerant and cheese is the only thing that gets a tablet down, that is a conversation worth having with your vet rather than a trade-off to make alone - there are pill pastes designed for the job.
Which pets should skip cheese entirely
WSAVA is explicit that if a pet has a medical condition, dietary sensitivities, or is on a veterinary-prescribed diet, conventional treats may not be appropriate at all. That covers most of the cases here: a dog or cat that is overweight, one on a prescribed low-fat or therapeutic diet, one with a history of pancreatitis, and any cat that has reacted badly to dairy before. Ask before adding it, rather than after.
Not sure about something else your pet got into?
Check any food instantly in the Supernormal app's food safety checker - or try the Pet Food Safety Checker for the foods we've covered so far.
Related guides: Pet Food Safety Checker · Can Dogs Eat Eggs? · Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter? · Can Cats Eat Dog Food?