Should Kittens Drink 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.
Should kittens drink milk. There should also be free access to fresh water for their mother and kittens will start to lap this too. Kittens should be drinking water by the time they are 4 to 6 weeks of age. The aspca states that this milk provides all of a kitten s required nourishment. Cow s milk can upset a kitten s stomach and should be used as a last resort.
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. Fizzy drinks alcohol juice tea coffee etc should never be given to your cat. The chemicals in the water are not good for your cat. A kitten should weigh about 14 to 16 oz.
Young kittens will drink their mother s milk until they are weaned. For instance people increasingly ask whether goat milk for cats is an acceptable treat. 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. Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned.
By the time it is 4 to 5 weeks of age if it is eating enough food. Milk is a food not a beverage female mammals produce milk to feed their own offspring. Goat milk for kittens is a little more salutary than cow s milk but the difference between them is. From around 4 weeks of age they will start to explore solid food and drink more water alongside their mother s milk.
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. It goes without saying that cats should not be given anything to drink other than water or the appropriate type of milk.