What Milk Can Kittens Drink
Kittens drink their mother s milk when they are young so drinking milk probably brings back feelings of comfort safety and protection.
What milk can kittens drink. 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. There are other varieties of milk. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat.
However they will be fully weaned by around 8 9 weeks of age. The aspca states that this milk provides all of a kitten s required nourishment. Young kittens those under 4 or 5 weeks old need to nurse from their mom to get nutrients and hydration. Whole 2 percent and skim cow s.
Older already weaned kittens just need water to stay hydrated. No cow milk for kitties. If unfortunately you are in the care of a kitten that has been orphaned we do not recommend giving it cow s milk. Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the.
Yes some cats can drink a very small amount of cow s milk but you should be careful. 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. This milk is of course compositionally different from cow s milk and is specifically tailored to provide all the appropriate nutrients that a growing kitten will need. In general you should avoid giving cats whole cow s milk or cream because of the higher fat and sugar content.
Lactose free cow s milk is also a safer option. Also milk is 85 water so cats who enjoy wet food may instinctively be drawn to milk. 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. Newborn kittens should ideally feed through their mother s breast milk.
Kittens like all mammals subsist entirely on their mother s milk for the first few weeks of life. Organic skim milk or milk with a 1 fat content is preferred.