What Milk Can Baby Kittens Drink
The only milk that is healthy for kittens to drink is either their mother s or they will need a kitten milk replacer which can also be called kmr or kitten milk formula.
What milk can baby kittens drink. Cow s milk can cause tummy upset and diarrhea and contains too much lactose and not enough protein fat and energy. The weaning process begins around 4 5 weeks of age but prior to that their only source of nutrition is milk. Cow s milk can upset a kitten s stomach and should be used as a last resort. The best possible milk is from the kitten s mother.
Young kittens need milk either from their mother or if orphaned rejected a milk supplement if a foster mother can t be found. Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the difference between them is. It is extremely important that you do not give a young kitten cow s milk. The following nutrients are found in regular cow s milk.
No other sustenance not even water is yet required. A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat. This applies only to mom s milk though as cow s milk can often lead to tummy distress and diarrhea troubles in kittens so be careful and keep it away from them. You can also feed them kitten milk replacement formula.
Milk does contain some beneficial ingredients but it s not necessary to give your cat milk. Feeding the wrong sort of milk such as cow s milk can have short term and long term effects including diarrhea dehydration nutritional deficiencies and long term health problems due to poor growth. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat. Kittens drink milk from their mothers but adult cats do not need any form of milk to thrive.
However you may feed orphan kittens goat s milk available at many large grocery stores or supermarkets. The aspca states that this milk provides all of a kitten s required nourishment. Water makes up 70 of a cat s body and is vital for survival. These formulas come in either canned liquid or powdered form.
The only type of milk that is suitable for managing the specific nutritional demands of kittens is milk from lactating cats period. Kitten milk replacement kittens orphaned prior to 4 weeks old need to drink a kitten milk replacement formula. You can find these formulas in pet supply stores along with the other items necessary to feed your little one such as nursing bottles and nipples.