What Kind Of Milk Should Baby Kittens Drink
Mother s milk is best for any baby mammal and prior to attempting to bottle feed a kitten with supplemental formulas it is recommended to seek out nursing cat that could take the place of the absent or unable mother.
What kind of milk should baby kittens drink. Can you give kittens soy milk or almond milk. The cornell book of cats says that human baby formula can be used if made up to double the normal strength although human baby formula is normally not nutritious enough for kittens. Kittens that are bottle fed should consume about a tablespoon or 15 ml of special kitten formula at each feeding. Some kittens and adult cats are lactose intolerant and get sick when fed cow s milk and other dairy products says drew weigner dvm board certified feline specialist.
The probiotics in fermented products may even help. If your cat enjoys the taste of milk there are some options. Cow s milk can cause tummy upset and diarrhea and contains too much lactose and not enough protein fat and energy. This is why it is important to avoid feeding cow milk to kittens.
Mix the milk egg yolk and syrup well and store it in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. Be aware that even if you find a cat able to nurse the young kitten she may not accept the kitten. At feeding time mix half of the estimated feeding amount with an equal amount of boiling water. Human grade lactose free milk and goat s milk may be digestible for lactose intolerant cats but should be introduced.
Fermented milk products yogurt sour cream may be digestible. The only type of milk that is suitable for managing the specific nutritional demands of kittens is milk from lactating cats period. 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. 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.
For the first month of life newborn kittens eat only the milk their mother produces. Homemade formula 1 1 quart whole goat s milk 1 teaspoon light karo syrup. Cow s milk is inappropriate for newborn kittens. Find cat s milk at your local pet store or veterinary office where it is sold as cat s milk or kitten milk.
If the mother cat doesn t produce enough milk for all her kittens or if your newborn kitty is a rescue you may need to obtain cat s milk for her. This is very time consuming for someone who is bottle feeding a newborn kitten so if at all possible you will want to try to keep the kitten with its mother or a surrogate lactating cat who can nurse it. Because kittens have. How do you feed a newborn kitten.