Can Kittens Have Milk
Typically kittens are eating solid foods by 8 to 10 weeks old.
Can kittens have milk. However remember this is only complementary to its diet and cannot be considered a main ingredient. Standard cow milk has much more lactose and casein than many dairy loving kitties can digest. Since cats don t have the enzyme necessary for digesting lactose drinking milk can lead to gastrointestinal issues such as an upset stomach diarrhea vomiting loss of appetite and weight. If the kitten does not present any health or digestive problems you can offer this kitten some milk in moderation.
Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat. Yes some cats can drink a very small amount of cow s milk but you should be careful. Now if the kitten has already been weaned.
In general you should avoid giving cats whole cow s milk or cream because of the higher fat and sugar content. However as we discussed there are many factors to take into account when deciding to supplement your kitten s diet or use goat milk as an alternative to commercial kitten milk replacement formula. It is extremely important that you do not give a young kitten cow s milk. Can kittens drink milk.
Lactose free cow s milk is also a safer option. The amounts of lactase the enzyme that digests lactose that the body produces declines after weaning. 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. Have you ever given a kitten goat s milk.
Kittens drink their mother s milk until the mother gradually weans them as early as 4 weeks old. Most adult mammals have at least some degree of lactose intolerance and cats are no exception explains dr. In summary the broad answer to our looming question is yes kittens can drink goat s milk. Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the.
You can offer it small amounts of milk to see if its body digests it correctly. Kittens need milk for the first several weeks of their lives. Organic skim milk or milk with a 1 fat content is preferred. All young kittens must have milk in order to survive.
The weaning process begins around 4 5 weeks of age but prior to that their only source of nutrition is milk. However you may feed orphan kittens goat s milk available at many large grocery stores or supermarkets. There are other varieties of milk.