What Milk Can Newborn Kittens Drink

Cow s milk is inappropriate for newborn kittens.

What milk can newborn kittens drink. Colostrum the first milk that newborn kittens receive in their first day or so after whelping is responsible not only for providing nutrition but also for the transfer of crucial maternal. When kittens are born they are tiny and helpless. The stomach capacity of a newborn is about 50 ml kg usually a single kitten absorbes about 10 20 ml of milk so the concentration of the replacement milk is essential to meet the kitten s needs. You can find these formulas in pet supply stores along with the other items necessary to feed your little one such as nursing bottles and nipples.

If she only just now gave birth don t give up keep trying to get her to nurse them. Note that it s cow s milk that cannot be given to cats nor kittens. That gives most kittens diarrhea. Or you can make homemade kitten glop with recipes usually including things like evaporated milk and plain yogurt.

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. Goat s milk is almost the universal supplement when mom isn t producing milk and formula isn t available. Formula that is made for human babies also is not suitable as it too has insufficient amounts of fat and protein. Their mother s milk provides them with all the nutrition they need for the first month of their.

Kitten milk replacement kittens orphaned prior to 4 weeks old need to drink a kitten milk replacement formula. Feeding the wrong sort of milk such as cow s milk can have short term and long term effects including diarrhea dehydration nutritional deficiencies and long term health problems due to poor growth. These formulas come in either canned liquid or powdered form. A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat.

Under normal circumstances this is not a problem because they are cared for and fed by their mothers. Cow s milk can cause tummy upset and diarrhea and contains too much lactose and not enough protein fat and energy. A mother cat s milk and kitten formula are the only ways to go. Kitten formula like kmr comes in cans or powder.

It is most often used with orphaned kittens but if you find yourself with a hungry newborn kitten you ll need to know how and what to feed it.