Kittens and Milk

Is it okay to give kittens, 7 months old, milk? I don't give him a lot, just the last couple of tablespoons full after my morning cereal. I have done this three times with noe problem that I can see, I just don't want to cause issues that I can't see right away.

Thanks for any advice.

 

Cats should not be given cow milk. I have heard that they are lactose intolerant. You should be able to find a substitute cat milk at the pet store.

I'll try to find some links for you.

 

halaroo is right, should never give a cat cows milk, it can cause violent diarreah which can lead to death.

Cats dont need milk, water is just fine.

 

http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-45.htm

 

Many adult cats are intollarent as well. Milk is not a good option for cats nor kittens even though they may like it...it makes them sick.

Booger loves to try and lap up the last of my tea (with milk) that I leave in my cup on my desk. And every time she drank even the littlest amount, she'd get butt-liquid LOL

 

You can purchase KMR at petstores if you like giving them a little milk. :mrgreen:

 

I've read that kittens are born with an enzyme that will digest milk, but as they get older this enzyme disappears and they're unable to digest it. Whiskey has his bowl of milk every morning, however, and suffers no ill effects - I do if I don't give it to him.
If you can't get the KMR then the Whiskas cat milk is an option, but they might get the runs from that as well. Fact is they love it but don't *need* it - just try to convince THEM of that fact! :shock:

 

kittens are born with the enzime to digest CAT milk, NOT cow milk.

Just like humans are born with the similar enzime to digest HUMAN milk.

Some ppl can drink cow milk with no problems... but those without the enzime are lactose intollerant and it is a very horrible thing

 

Ya know, when I learned here (you folks ar the best!) about cats being lactose intollarant and then did some research, I was so surprised. Except for the past 12 years, I had always had multiple cats all my life and never knew that. I only had one cat that I noticed a reaction to milk. But in hindsight, I probably just didn't notice the other kitties having problems because the entire family would take care of feeding and litter cleaning. To this day, I feel so guilty about that. We just never monitored things like that. But on the up side, I'm super careful with my baby now.

 

Isn't it something about cats that grow up with milk can tolerate it?
Kinda like for humans: it's not natural for us to drink cow milk, but most of us tolerates it b/c were used to it...

I don't give kyrre milk, to be on the safe side. But my grandmother told me that all the cats they have had before has gotten milk,
and they never had a problem with it...

:0011:

 

I don't know, but I think cats and milk is similar to dogs and chocolate, where they say dogs/cats can't have chocolate/milk. when really 99% of dogs/cats can'T have chocolate/milk but then there is that 1% that can have it no problem. Because as a kid I can remember giving my dogs chocolate, and my cats milk (stupid kid I thought I was giving them treats). But now that I am sole caretaker of my pets, I don't give my cat or dog milk or chocolate, although my stinking mother in law sees no problem with giving Luther chocolate (although she has gotten better after I yelled at her a bunch) but he doesn't have a problem with chocolate at all(but I still don't want to take chances. And while I was gone she came over to take care of Dale and later she told she fed her everyday and put milk out for her because she noticed we had so much milk in the refrigerator. When she told me that I realized it wasn't stress or anxiety that made Dale have terrible gas and diarhea, it was the milk, I wasn't very happy. But she doesn't get it, she really thinks she is being nice, because that is what the animals got when she was a kid.

 

I tried to give Kyrre a mixture of sourcream, water and egg b/c i read
somewhere that it was good for their fur...
But naha! That wasn't too smart...
That's when he did the "butt scootin' boogie" :0024:

:mrgreen:

 

:-& \/ :m39:

 

i hate that movies and cartoons automatically associate lil kittens with BIG bowls of milk...when i was lil and had my first kittie...first thing when i got home...big bowl of milk...what did i know? i was nine.

i learned never to do that again....ugh