Milk has a very important role for kittens, and kittens are required to suckle mother's milk for at least the first 24 hours of life for the body to have resistance. However, there are also kittens who refuse to drink milk. So how should this case be resolved?
What milk should kittens drink?
1. Choose milk for kittens
The best milk for kittens is the mother's milk. However, if they can't suckle their mother's milk, then formula for cats is the most reasonable, can't give them cow's milk because kittens lack the enzymes needed to digest lactose in cow's milk, so if they drink cow's milk, they can't drink cow's milk. not digestible.
Especially raw milk, giving kittens raw milk can cause diarrhea, dehydration and fatigue. And with kittens' sensitive stomachs, other milks like soy, sesame, or almond milk won't provide the nutrition your cat needs. Because these types of milk have a different ratio of amino acids and are not suitable as the main milk for cats
2. Kitten Formula
Kitten milk replacer (KMR) is a formula that contains essential ingredients for a kitten's growing body. The type of replacement formula for kittens is completely different from milk for humans, because the digestive system of kittens and humans is completely different.
How to give kitten formula milk: You need to prepare a baby bottle with specially designed nipples. In an emergency, an eyedropper bottle or a small syringe can be used to place the milk replacer powder into the kitten's mouth. But be careful because kittens will easily choke, which is very dangerous. Mix milk according to the ratio stated on the bottle, if temporarily using milk for people who need to add digestive enzymes, but only mix when the milk is warm, not adding digestive enzymes to boiling water will reduce the effect.
3. Do adult cats need milk?
Many people think that adult cats can drink human milk, but this is not the case. Some cats may have no problem drinking milk, but most cats can experience diarrhea and abdominal pain when drinking raw milk. In fact, there are many ways to supplement calcium for cats, not necessarily giving adult cats milk to supplement calcium.
Why kittens refuse to drink milk and how to fix it
1. Milk is not suitable for cats
If you give your cat raw milk that is difficult to digest, or the milk has an inappropriate temperature (too hot or cold), or the milk has gone bad after being left outside for a short time... then the cat may refuse this milk because they can have diarrhea and very easily die after drinking milk.
The best milk to feed kittens is formula milk that replaces mother's milk. In addition to formula, you need to limit your kittens drinking other types of milk. Note when giving kittens formula milk:
The temperature of milk when cats start drinking is from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius.
The excess milk should be completely discarded within 48 hours.
2. Kittens can't drink milk yet
There are kittens that have been breastfed, and they are used to it but do not know how to lick milk from the bowl. The fact that cats are not used to drinking milk from a bowl can make them Remove the whole bowl of milk.
In this case, you can bottle feed the kitten and train it to drink milk:
- If the kitten doesn't know how to lick its paws yet, mix milk in a bottle and hold the kitten to nurse.
- Once the kitten has learned to lick its paws, you can mix the formula in a shallow dish, and place the cat's head in the dish for them to smell and drink on their own.
- Milk can be applied to the back or soles of the kittens' front paws to get them used to the milk through the paw licking reflex.
If in special cases you do not have a substitute for feeding your kittens, you can use unwashed/washed rice water. This is the water you get when you cook rice. Cook white rice in water and discard the residue to get only the rice water. Rice water contains starch (energy) and is not laxative, so this is a temporary solution when there is no milk substitute.
3. Cats are not used to drinking milk
Some adult cats have a habit of drinking plain water, and then they may refuse milk. Because cats are creatures of habit and routine. And because of this instinct, they will not be willing to accept when approached with milk, juice or any other strange-tasting drink other than water.
Above is the solution when Kitten refuses to drink milk that we want to share with you. Wish you have healthy and lovely cats. If you need to know more about other ways to take care of cats, contact http://vanchuyenchomeo.com/ for advice.
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