Do Kittens Drink Milk

The aspca states that this milk provides all of a kitten s required nourishment.

Do kittens drink milk. This is why it is important to avoid feeding cow milk to kittens. Young kittens need milk either from their mother or if orphaned rejected a milk supplement if a foster mother can t be found. Newborn kittens should ideally feed through their mother s breast milk. Up until kitties reach approximately 1 month in age anything other than their mother s milk is totally unnecessary.

Water makes up 70 of a cat s body and is vital for survival. 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. According to purina senior nutritionist jan dempsey cats generally lose their ability to digest the sugar found in milk after weaning because solid food takes its place and they no longer need this ability. During the first several days after giving birth mother cats give off colostrum which is a watery and yellowish substance that is full of maternal antibodies proteins and minerals.

Can kittens drink milk. If unfortunately you are in the care of a kitten that has been orphaned we do not recommend giving it cow s milk. 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. Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned.

It is vital for newborn kittens to begin drinking milk soon after birth in the span of 24 hours at the latest. 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. Kittens lack the proper enzymes to digest the lactose in cow milk and feeding cow milk to kittens can cause diarrhea and dehydration very quickly in very small kittens. Kittens will drink their mother s milk for the first few weeks of life or a specially designed kitten formula milk if necessary.

No other sustenance not even water is yet required. The first food that a kitten takes as soon as they are born is their mother s milk. However they will be fully weaned by around 8 9 weeks of age. If we have adopted a kitten of lactation age or their mother rejects them we must bottle feed them every two hours with special cat milk.