{"id":9530,"date":"2020-09-01T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T15:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=9530"},"modified":"2023-10-11T23:59:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T04:59:55","slug":"feeding-milk-to-kitten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/culture\/myths\/feeding-milk-to-kitten\/","title":{"rendered":"Debarking Pet Myths: Kittens Love Milk so I Should Feed It to Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another installment of \u201cDebarking Pet Myths,\u201d our monthly series that addresses common myths, misconceptions and old wives\u2019 tales about dogs, cats and their nutrition.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic image: A cute little kitten, contentedly lapping at a saucer of milk. It\u2019s almost engrained into our collective consciousness, like a Norman Rockwell painting. If you get a kitten, it\u2019s darn near an instinct to offer them milk in a little bowl.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, reality shatters the romance of a kitten and milk. Like all mammals, kittens are born able to drink their mother\u2019s milk, which means that they begin life with the ability to break down lactose, the sugar found in milk. But as cats get older, their bodies lose much of the ability to produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose. Once they are weaned (this often coincides with the kitten coming home with you, at 6\u20138 weeks of age), many kittens cannot digest cow\u2019s milk, which is generally higher in lactose content than other milks.<\/p>\n

While not all cats become entirely lactose intolerant, it\u2019s just not a great idea to give them milk. If they have trouble digesting lactose, the sugar can ferment in their gut, resulting in uncomfortable bloating and gas at best, vomiting and severe diarrhea at worst.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s a bummer to shatter the idyllic idea of the kitten and milk, the news is not all bad. The important thing to remember is that adult cats don\u2019t need <\/em>milk.\u00a0 They get everything they need from eating a high-quality, nutritionally balanced cat food. You can give your feline friend treats on occasion, but the Cornell University Feline Health Center recommends that treats don\u2019t exceed 10 to 15 percent of the cat\u2019s daily caloric intake<\/a>. When choosing a treat, it\u2019s a good idea to check the label to ensure that it is approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the organization that sets pet food manufacturing standards.<\/p>\n

No substitute for mother\u2019s milk<\/h3>\n

Kittens that haven\u2019t been weaned still need milk; if not from their mothers, from a milk replacer. Milk replacers are easy-to-digest, nutrient-dense meals in liquid form that are vital for young kittens who would still rely on mother\u2019s milk if available. Milk replacers come in a variety of formulas \u2013consult your veterinarian for the right one- but they are not<\/em> just regular milk.<\/p>\n

Water is vital<\/h3>\n

Kittens that are<\/em> weaned need food formulated for kittens and plenty of clean, fresh water. Cats sometimes aren\u2019t eager to drink water, but they need it all the same. Water helps cats and kittens regulate body temperature, digest food, pass salt and electrolytes through the body, and is considered an essential nutrient. If you suspect that your cat isn\u2019t getting enough water, consult your veterinarian. But do not offer milk as a substitute.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So while it\u2019s a romantic notion, you should refrain from offering your new little fluff ball that saucer of milk. The reality isn\u2019t good for anyone, least of all his or her little digestive system.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another installment of \u201cDebarking Pet Myths,\u201d our monthly series that addresses common myths, misconceptions and old wives\u2019 tales about dogs, cats and their nutrition. It\u2019s a classic image: A cute little kitten, contentedly lapping at a saucer of milk. It\u2019s almost engrained into our collective consciousness, like a Norman Rockwell painting. If you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Should I Feed My Cat Milk?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Is it true that you can feed regular milk to a kitten? Read on to learn more about this myth and find out what is actually healthy for your feline friend!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[158,275],"tags":[12,382,134,393,471,472,396,470],"class_list":["post-9530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-myths","tag-cats","tag-debarking-pet-myths","tag-diamond-pet-foods","tag-kitten","tag-kitten-care","tag-kitten-diet","tag-kitten-food","tag-pet-myth"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}