You are here:

Cats/Milk from Mother Cat

Advertisement

Expert: - 7/11/2010


Question
My kittens are 1 day old.My family and me are feeding the kittens milk from the kitten mother.We are letting the kittens nurse but I read from one of the answers that milk causes daiarrhea which as you said was fatal.My question is that does the milk from the mother prove to healthy? Or are they like regular milk that causes diarrhea?Please read this question quickly because i need help!

Answer
Hi Madison,

This is a very good question!  It gets a little scientific.

There is a sugar in all milk, called lactose.  Perhaps you have heard of people who are "lactose intolerant"?  Well, almost all cats are lactose intolerant, because, like lactose intolerant people, they have difficulty digesting the lactose in milk.  Cats who drink too much of any kind of milk will usually end up with diarrhea.

As it happens, cat's milk has lots of lactose, even more than cow's milk.  But newborns kittens can safely nurse, because they are born with the ability to produce an enzyme in their intestines called lactase.  Lactase digests the lactose in mom's milk, and the milk doesn't cause them any problems.  When the kittens are around 12 weeks old, they begin losing the ability to produce much lactase, and that's when they become lactose intolerant.

Milk from mom is very healthy, as long as the babies don't nurse until they're 5 months old!

Good luck with your new babies!

Jessica  

Cats

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.