Can Kittens Drink Milk

Small kittens do drink milk but it is not cow s milk but milk from their mother cat.

Can kittens drink milk. When kitties are first born up until they wean they re able to drink milk from the mother cat. The natural weaning usually occurs about 3 weeks old and thereafter the cat would stop drinking milk. Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the. They no longer need milk to survive.

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. The aspca states that this milk provides all of a kitten s required nourishment. The main reason for this is that kitties posses a special enzyme called the lactase enzymethat allows their bodies to break down the lactose in milk so it. There are other varieties of milk.

Milk contains calories water doesn t it should be an occasional treat only. However kittens who are old enough to separate from their mothers are old enough to drink water instead of milk. Milk from their mother or kitten milk supplement is vital to young kittens but once a kitten has weaned he doesn t need to drink 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.

Now what about the orphaned kittens. Can kittens drink milk. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat. Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned.

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.