Until What Age Should Kittens Drink Milk

When do kittens start eating solid food.

Until what age should kittens drink milk. Weaning can take place later if a kitten is underweight or ill and it is important to use your best judgement when weaning. Up until kitties reach approximately 1 month in age anything other than their mother s milk is totally unnecessary. The only time in a cat s life when their body has enough of the enzyme lactase to properly digest lactose is at birth and during the first 12. Though kittens have lactase in their system there s just not enough of it to tackle the lactose overload found in cow s milk.

However they will be fully weaned by around 8 9 weeks of age. If you really want to give them milk then you can purchase special cat kitten milk which is lactose free from your pet food store vets or supermarket but they really don t need it. Kittens derive far more than simple nutrition from their mother in the eight to 10 weeks that they spend nursing. Once weaning is complete and cats move on to more adult foods and water dishes.

But lactose isn t the only problem. If you choose to give your cat milk it is still important to provide him with fresh water in addition to the milk and only give milk as an occasional treat. In general kittens need their mother s milk until they are a minimum of 4 weeks old. The milk that the kittens take both by natural breastfeeding and artificial feeding is rich in fatty acids colostrum antibodies and vitamins.

Cats and kittens do not need to drink milk and can live their entire lives without having one lap of milk. Breastfeeding a kitten lasts about 9 weeks and when their teeth begin to come in after about four weeks they can begin to eat food. Cats and dairy fact 4. The aspca states that this milk provides all of a kitten s required nourishment.

The complete weaning process generally takes about a month meaning that the wee kittens are usually fully weaned when they are between 8 and 10 weeks in age. Kittens don t need cow s milk. Fresh clean water is the only drink a cat over 8 weeks of age requires. Water is all they will ever need.

However this isn t a hard and fast rule. No other sustenance not even water is yet required. Most kittens need to be nursed by their mother or fed kitten formula from a bottle until 4 5 weeks of age. Cats feed on their mother s milk after they are born.

Kittens will drink their mother s milk for the first few weeks of life or a specially designed kitten formula milk if necessary.