Are Kittens Able To Digest Cows Milk?
Posted by: Alan in Cat Health Problem, tags: Able, Cows, Digest, Kittens, Milk
My friends young has had a litter of six kittens, as they are getting older she is struggling to feed them all so my friend is supplementing them with cow milk mixed with cat meat,she started this when they where 3 weeks old and now they are 4 week old, so they have been having it for 1 week (and still having there mothers milk also) they seem to be thriving on it so far,i am having one of the kittens and i have told my friend that cows milk is really bad for them but she wont listen, she says she knows what she doing and has done it before.I have done some research which does initially say ‘never give a kitten cows milk’ but also have found some other information that says kittens are born with an enzyme to help digest lactose,whilst they continue to have milk there body still produces the enzyme until they stop having milk which is when they become lactose intolerant,the mother of the kittens also was weaned on cows milk and has had it for a year now and seems healthy.Does anybody have any experiences with this, is it true,im worried the kittens might have long term health problems.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Go to a reputable pet store or to a vet and get kitten replacement mix; it’s the equivalent of formula for human babies.
Cats can digest lactose (which is the same sugar in any mammal) for a time as kittens; most will lose the ability to digest it by adulthood, usually around the time they are weaned.
As long as you don’t STOP the milk (from whatever source) they will continue to produce the enzyme (lactase) necessary to digest lactose. It’s sort of a feedback mechanism that causes it to be produced. Most adult cats haven’t had a continuous diet that includes milk, so they no longer produce lactase, but a kitten can certainly be fed it for a time. The real problem arises because cow’s milk has different levels of sugars, fats, carbohydrates, etc., than the queen’s milk; a good-quality kitten replacement mix is better for the kittens, but they will do ok for a short time on cow’s milk, and certainly fare better than starving!
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Cows milk is the worst thing you can give kittens. It gives them BAD diareahea and doesnt sit well with their stomachs. If thats all shes feeding them, they can get sick and even die from a poor diet like that
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Please go to walmart and in the pet section there is kitten milk. It’s in a powder form and you add water. It’s cheap. This would be best for them.
December 24th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Cow’s milk really is not good to use – its a lot better to get some special Kitten Milk (KMR) then to use cow’s. Most kittens will get sicker using cow’s milk then milk that is made FOR kittens.