Can Kittens Drink Milk

They no longer need milk to survive.

Can kittens drink milk. Small kittens do drink milk but it is not cow s milk but milk from their mother cat. 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. However kittens who are old enough to separate from their mothers are old enough to drink water instead of milk. Can kittens drink milk.

Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the. 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. There are other varieties of milk. Chances are you imagined a kitten drinking from a bowl of milk possibly with a bow around her neck.

Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned. Milk contains calories water doesn t it should be an occasional treat only. The natural weaning usually occurs about 3 weeks old and thereafter the cat would stop drinking 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.

A cat s fluid intake should be predominantly from their food and water. When kitties are first born up until they wean they re able to drink milk from the mother cat. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat.