Can cats eat cheese?

In small amounts, most cats can eat a little cheese without immediate harm, but it is not a good regular treat. Cats lose most of the enzyme that digests lactose after kittenhood, so dairy products including cheese commonly cause diarrhea or digestive upset, and how much is “too much” varies a lot between individual cats. Cheese is also fairly high in fat and salt relative to how little of it a cat needs. A pea-sized piece as an occasional novelty is unlikely to cause harm in most cats; a regular cheese habit is more likely to cause GI upset than it is to be a meaningful treat.