What Milk Should Kittens Drink
Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned.
What milk should kittens drink. Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the. 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. Young kittens need milk either from their mother or if orphaned rejected a milk supplement if a foster mother can t be found.
Kittens will drink their mother s milk for the first few weeks of life or a specially designed kitten formula milk if necessary. After that you may begin adding canned food to their diet. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat. No other sustenance not even water is yet required.
The kittens mother provides the best milk for their needs at that age. When a cat drinks milk undigested lactose will stay in their intestines rather than passing into the bloodstream and end up fermenting says dr. 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. However you may feed orphan kittens goat s milk available at many large grocery stores or supermarkets.
In the case that your nursing kitten happens to be an orphan then it necessary for you to substitute mother milk using kitten milk replacers. For the first weeks of their lives the diet of kittens consists of mother s milk only. Whole 2 percent and skim cow s. There are other varieties of milk.
Mother s milk will do for the first 3 to 4 weeks. During the nursing phase most of the kittens drink exclusively milk ideally from their mom. You can also feed them kitten milk replacement formula. Water makes up 70 of a cat s body and is vital for survival.
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. Clean fresh water for cats and kittens who have weaned. Cow s milk can upset a kitten s stomach and should be used as a last resort.