Can Baby Kittens Drink Milk

However kittens who are old enough to separate from their mothers are old enough to drink water instead of milk.

Can baby kittens drink milk. Cats that aren t lactose intolerant can be given a small amount of cow s milk but it s still better to give them yogurt kefir or goat s milk instead. They no longer need milk to survive. Although water is essential to keep cats healthy and strong they don t need it straight out of the womb. While a newborn kitten can digest lactose which is also found in a mother cat s milk kittens lose that ability shortly after they are weaned.

Cow s milk can cause tummy upset and diarrhea and contains too much lactose and not enough protein fat and energy. Although most cats can digest at least one type of milk that doesn t mean it s particularly good for their health. Newborn kittens are able to get all of the nutrition that they need from their mother s milk. For this reason a kitten or cat should also not be given 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. During the lactation period infants produce a large amount of the enzyme lactase responsible for digesting the lactose that makes up milk. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat. If mama cat isn t around then a kitten milk replacer shall do too.

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. Because human baby formula is made from cow s milk it is high in lactose. A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat. There are other varieties of milk.

Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but. As weaning progresses and milk intake is reduced a kitten s digestive tract decreases its lactase production which can sometimes develop into a lactose intolerance. Cow s milk is inappropriate for newborn kittens. The only type of milk that is suitable for managing the specific nutritional demands of kittens is milk from lactating cats period.