What Kind Of Milk Should Baby Kittens Drink

Cow s milk can upset a kitten s stomach and should be used as a last resort.

What kind of milk should baby kittens drink. Cow s milk is inappropriate for newborn kittens. Kittens should be drinking water by the time they are 4 to 6 weeks of age. If you really want to give them milk then you can purchase special cat kitten milk which is lactose free from your pet food store vets or supermarket but they really don t need it. A kitten should weigh about 14 to 16 oz.

By the end of week 5 a kitten should only be nursing three times a day but at each meal it should be consuming about 3 tablespoons of milk or formula. Cats and kittens do not need to drink milk and can live their entire lives without having one lap of milk. By the time it is 4 to 5 weeks of age if it is eating enough food. A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat.

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. Water makes up 70 of a cat s body and is vital for survival. 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. Also if you give a kitten cat cows milk it can.

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. Water is all they will ever need. Bottles with faster flow could endanger the kitty by causing her to aspirate milk into her lungs. Young kittens need milk either from their mother or if orphaned rejected a milk supplement if a foster mother can t be found.

Cow s milk can cause tummy upset and diarrhea and contains too much lactose and not enough protein fat and energy. To properly feed a newborn kitten purchase either liquid or powdered kitten milk and a bottle designed especially for feeding newborn animals. The only type of milk that is suitable for managing the specific nutritional demands of kittens is milk from lactating cats period. However you may feed orphan kittens goat s milk available at many large grocery stores or supermarkets.