Can Kittens Drink Milk
Unfortunately research shows that this may not be the best thing to give them due to several reasons.
Can kittens drink milk. Where the myth originated from. Kittens drink their mother s milk until the mother gradually weans them as early as 4 weeks old. Although kittens can drink their mother s milk many cats lose the ability to process it after being weaned. When people think of cats popular lore has them drinking from a small saucer of milk.
This is why it is important to avoid feeding cow milk to kittens. 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. 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. This is the very definition of the weaning.
Barn cats used to love to drink the fatty cream that rose to the top of milk pails not the milk itself. If it appears that your cat does not suffer from any intolerance or allergy to lactose you can offer a little milk. In general it is usually advisable to provide your cat with skimmed or semi skimmed milk although some cats tolerate whole milk without problems. Mother s milk provides essential building materials for a kitten s developing body and prepares the cat to transition from milk to a mature diet.
Can cats drink milk.