Cats can be fed with cow milk - this statement is believed by millions of people around the world. While veterinarians warn, and sometimes even completely prohibit this product for tailed pets. We will try to find out whether it is possible for the kitten to give milk and whether it is suitable for feeding adult animals.
The right diet
In a natural environment, kittens feed on mother's milk. On the hunt, teenage cats usually go out at the age of three to four months. For a newborn kitten, his mother's milk fits perfectly. By its chemical composition, it is significantly different from the cow's. It is in feline milk that there are all the necessary nutrients and trace elements for the growth and development of the kitten. This food is fully digested and can not harm the baby's immature organism. But what if the cat-mother can not feed her babies? Can a kitten be given cow's milk? In fact, this is not the best option for nutrition. Cow milk is high in lactose - milk sugar. For cats, it is too sweet, and if this product becomes the basis of the diet, it can harm the health of the pet.
What to feed the kitten in the absence of mother's milk?
In life, there are different situations. Sometimes cats refuse their own offspring, abandoned kittens, we sometimes find on the street. Also an adult animal can die, having recently acquired cubs. If the kitten for some reason was left without a mother, his life depends on the person. The most important thing is to correctly solve the problem of feeding. Can a kitten be given cow's milk as a substitute for the mother? This product is not recommended to enter in the diet of animals under 1 month. The best option for feeding very young kittens is a special substitute for mother's cat milk. You can buy this mixture in any large pet store. If the substitute for feline milk is not found, you can arrange for the infant to feed the baby food.
We plot the feeding schedule
Have you decided to feed the kittens with baby food? Choose milk mixtures for the youngest children. How correctly to organize artificial feeding of caudate babies? Kittens aged under three weeks should receive food every 2 hours. For feeding, use a small nipple, pipette or syringe. When the kids are three weeks old, you can go to the feed every three hours. As soon as the kittens celebrate a month's birthday, you can enter the lure. Start with a moist feed. Choose a product on the packaging of which there are indications of the permissible age of the animal. Can you give a kitten to a month's milk from a human table (cow's)? This is permissible, but the product should not be the main one in the diet. The standard scheme for feeding kittens is older than 1 month, provided that they live without a mother: 2 times a day - cow milk and 2 times a day - wet food. Two month old caudate babies can be given dry food. Cow's milk should be gradually eliminated from the diet.
Is it possible to give milk to a lop-eared kitten, will it not hurt him?
A popular horror story, which can sometimes be heard even from the breeders: if you feed the lop-eared kittens with cow's milk, their ears can "stand up". This warning is argued that kittens with omitted ears should not receive too much calcium. All this is not true, tailed babies of any breed need all the useful nutrients. As for the shape of the ears, sometimes they do rise as the kitten grows. However, this does not depend on food. It is about the marriage of the breed and the individual physiological characteristics of a particular animal. Accordingly, and the answer to the question, whether it is possible to give milk to the Scottish kitten or not, is positive. This product can be present in the diet of caudate babies up to 4 months of age.
Milk in the diet of adult cats
Many cats over the age of 4 months like milk and beg for it from their owners at any convenient opportunity. Experts do not recommend giving this product to adult animals. In a natural environment, no mammal does not drink milk after stopping natural feeding. Despite the usefulness of the product, there is a high probability of problems with its assimilation. The thing is that the organism of an adult cat does not produce a sufficient number of specific enzymes involved in the cleavage of this product. But what if the animal is actively begging for a delicacy? Is it possible to give the kitten milk when he was 4 months old? Try a simple lactose intolerance test. Treat the pet with milk and watch the reaction of his body. Normal stool, absence of bloating and good health of the cat - the indications that the product does not cause negative reactions. And this means that from time to time in a small amount of milk can be given as a treat.
What to give instead of milk to cats?
If your pet eats natural products, it can be fed with sour-milk products. Low-fat cottage cheese, sour cream, fermented baked milk and yogurt - choose what you will taste for a particular animal. You can try to introduce into the diet natural low-fat cheese cheeses. The most important thing is to give unsalted varieties. The listed products are suitable for feeding of kittens older than 2 months. When you enter them into the pet's menu, consider the calories of each treat.
Now you know whether it is possible for a kitten to give milk and how to properly introduce it into the diet. Observe all dietary recommendations, and then your tailed baby will grow up healthy and beautiful.