Can A Baby Kitten Drink Cows Milk

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

Can a baby kitten drink cows milk. While kittens naturally have more of the enzyme lactase which helps them digest their mother s milk they can still suffer the effects of intolerance. The reason for this is because the composition of cow s milk is different from breast milk and therefore the animal would not be receiving the nutrients lipids and proteins that it really needs. However you may feed orphan kittens goat s milk available at many large grocery stores or supermarkets. Don t give your kitten cow s milk as it can cause him to have an upset tummy and diarrhea.

In some cases feeding baby rabbits cow s milk can be fatal. This is why it is important to avoid feeding cow milk to kittens. 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. Instead of cow s milk you can try goat milk from meyenburg goats.

The hormones chemicals and medications in cow s milk make it unhealthy for us people to drink. If they drink too much milk most adult cats will experience some level of indigestion which could develop into full blown diarrhea. Many bunny owners prefer kitten milk replacer or kmr over all commercial milk products. Cats don t need dairy milk and.

Even though some cats can tolerate milk and seem to enjoy it cow s milk just isn t good for cats says dr. Cats can and will drink cow milk if it is offered to them but much like ice cream it s not actually very healthy for them. Kittens lack the proper enzymes to digest the lactose in cow milk and feeding cow milk to kittens can cause diarrhea and dehydration very quickly in very small kittens. Gary richter a veterinary health expert with rover.

If unfortunately you are in the care of a kitten that has been orphaned we do not recommend giving it cow s milk. 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. Kittens should be drinking water by the time they are 4 to 6 weeks of age.