Can Kittens Eat Milk

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.

Can kittens eat milk. Basic kitten feeding guide. Although most cats won t eat it on their own they can be coaxed to eat it by owners and others who think they are giving the cat a treat. Even specially formulated kitten milk should be treated as a food or treat not a drink if you do give them specially formulated milk make sure it s designed for kittens delicate stomachs. Mother cats typically begin weaning their kittens when they are around 4 weeks old and complete the process between 8 and 10 weeks.

Kittens don t need cow s milk despite those charming storybook illustrations cow s milk is completely inadequate for kittens wynn says. After that you may begin adding canned food to their diet. What milk can kittens drink. Though kittens have lactase in.

While your kitten may seem perfectly content lapping up a bowl of milk it s not good for him or her. Kittens are essentially baby carnivores with specialised needs. You can begin incorporating very soft solid food as your kitten is weaned and can introduce a full diet of solid food when the weaning process is completed. When young cats are old enough around 8 weeks old they start to eat food on their own whilst simultaneously decreasing the amount of milk they suckle from their mother.

Cats and dairy fact 4. Kittens have an enzyme in their stomachs that allows them to break down lactose from their mother s milk but adult cats don t have this enzyme and lose the ability to digest milk sugars. For the first weeks of their lives the diet of kittens consists of mother s milk only. Starting at around 6 or 7 weeks most kittens can switch over to solid food completely and no longer need to drink from their mother.

Kittens don t need milk after weaning so don t use milk as a water substitute. However being a good kitten parent means not making this a part of your feline s regular diet. In fact kittens and older cats can be intolerant to the sugars in milk and this can cause diarrhoea. In many ways milk can become your kitten s comfort food that is reminiscent of their mother s milk.

Are lactose free milks okay for kittens. Orphaned kittens should get kitten formula not cow s milk. Mother s milk will do for the first 3 to 4 weeks. Kittens naturally wean off their mother s milk at around 8 12 weeks of age.

The toxic agent in chocolate is theobromine. Instead the lactose in the milk may cause an upset stomach when it begins to ferment.