If you've found a kitten and you're thinking of feeding her cow milk--don't do it!
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I think the idea that cat’s drink cow’s milk is just a misunderstanding we’ve all grown up with from pictures of cats with a bowl of milk, lapping it up - good to know the real scoop !
We're not even supposed to have it. The idea comes from a few dudes in ties, sitting around a big table.
Never liked milk, myself
I have seen like cartoons like Tom and Jerry. Seeing Tom drink milk. And like children’s books to seeing a cat drinking a bowl of milk. And now we know not to feed cows milk to kittens. Thanks to Hannah (Kitten Lady)
Cow milk is perfectly healthy for cats. AS LONG AS it is not packaged milk and is A2. Milk from Desi Cows is especially healthy. When I fed my kitten packaged cow milk she got diarrhoea but when i switched it with Desi cow's milk she is passing very healthy stools and growing at a good rate. We even feed her RAW desi A2 milk and she perfectly digests it. We get the milk directly from the cows in the neighborhood. There a few cats there who drink straight from the cows as well and they are very healthy and virile. My own experienced Vet recommended cow's milk to feed her saying that it's good for cats. Heck, we even feed her raw pasteurised buffalo milk (which is A2) without diluting and she digests it good too. Creamy buffalo milk is now her favourite and she prefers it the most as my two other adult cats. Cats have been drinking cow's milk for thousands of years and it has helped them in their evolution. Being picky eaters cats still crave milk so much, which says a lot. It's the packaged A1 milk that's to blame, it's bad even for us humans.
@@rohanmaghadedude get with the times. All current science says it isn’t good for cats, especially kittens. Full stop. Just because you have survivor’s bias, doesn’t change a thing. And your cats in the neighborhood who drink from the cows are most likely gonna live shorter lives since they’re outdoor cats, so that doesn’t really mean much. Cows milk has nothing on cats’ evolution.
I was working the late shift at a store when a couple of guys came in at like 10pm and bought everything from wet food to kitten formula because they'd found a kitten, clearly orphaned/abandoned, and didn't know what to give it for the overnight until they could take it to the shelter the next morning. I think they actually just bought one of everything we had that had the word "kitten" on it! I figured their approach was a fairly sound one for people who didn't know what type of food to get and didn't have the resources to find out: get a range and see what the kitten wanted. They were only looking after it for one night, after all. ... Three weeks later, they were still coming in to buy their new kitten its favourite food.
I love this so much! I hope the kitty continues to do well.
That is one of the cutest things I have ever read.
Cat distribution system never fails
Aww.. sounds like they kept or fostered a bit longer. That's great!
As someone with severe Lactose-intoleranz, i can just imagine their pain. Poor 3 baby, rest in peace :/.
I'll need this the next time my mom disagrees with me about kittens can't have cow milk. You say it so well and it's very educational and extremely helpful❤
awe his lil ears when he was drinking
also dont feed your adult cats cow milk, giving an adult cat a little milk as a treat is a far less severe problem than feeding a tiny baby kitten cow milk, but you do *not* want to have to clean that litter box later.
I found out that one of my cats was lactose-intolerant when she got into some ice cream, projectile vomited for 45 minutes, and then had explosive diarrhea that didn't *quite* make the litter box. Never again.
@@evansquiltPoor baby..
Cow milk is perfectly healthy for cats. AS LONG AS it is not packaged milk and is A2. Milk from Desi Cows is especially healthy. When I fed my kitten packaged cow milk she got diarrhoea but when i switched it with Desi cow's milk she is passing very healthy stools and growing at a good rate. We even feed her RAW desi A2 milk and she perfectly digests it. We get the milk directly from the cows in the neighborhood. There a few cats there who drink straight from the cows as well and they are very healthy and virile. My own experienced Vet recommended cow's milk to feed her saying that it's good for cats. Heck, we even feed her raw pasteurised buffalo milk (which is A2) without diluting and she digests it good too. Creamy buffalo milk is now her favourite and she prefers it the most as my two other adult cats. Cats have been drinking cow's milk for thousands of years and it has helped them in their evolution. Being picky eaters cats still crave milk so much, which says a lot. It's the packaged A1 milk that's to blame, it's bad even for us humans.
@@rohanmaghade Stop spreading this false information, please.
@@zammmerjammer what false information? I've only shared my experience. You're close minded and brainwashed, I can't do anything about that.
Human babies can’t have cow milk until they are 1 year old, because they would also fail to thrive on it. Makes sense to me! But I didn’t know you could just buy kitten formula in US pet stores. Thanks for all the great info!
Yes, unfortunately humans domesticated the animal with milk that is almost the worst possible replacement for human milk. Goat milk is significantly better and apparently horse milk is the closest to human nutrient balance out of any of the domestic animals.
In the US you can buy KMR at the grocery store too
Said it before I was so grateful for your tips when my dauhter came with the babies. They are now 3 weeks old, are all alive. I am tired, since I also work and had to take them with me. but my senior citizens understood and love watching them nurse (through a wiindow). They can not wat until I allow them to handle the kittes in a few weeks.
A few months ago, a neighbor found a very young kitten that was about 10 days old, at a gas station. She moved the kitten to a safer place nearby as it was in the middle of the parking area. She watched from her car for while, hoping Mama cat would appear to get her baby. She asked the gas station attendant about the kitten and if there might be a mom cat. They had no knowledge of there being a cat near by. She took the little one home when no momma cat appeared. She didn't want to wait too long and risk the kitten's health further. She did the sensible thing and immediately posted on the neighborhood Facebook group if anyone knew how to care for baby kittens. I told her what I knew she needed, including kitten formula- not cow's milk, and shared a few of your videos. She now has a very fluffy tabby kitten that is healthy and thriving.
After 60+ fosters, I lost my first one this week. Your video about loss really helped me.❤
I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for continuing to foster despite this and know that sometimes everything we do simply is not enough to save them. From one foster to another, you are wonderful.
Thank you for doing this important PSA. This needs to be shared widely to counteract all those children’s stories we grew up with.
I’m from Saudi and we found a kitten in our yard stuck under a sofa at first we thought its bird up there till we realized its a kitten down there, so we lift the sofa up put the kitten in cardboard box and waited for 8 hours for the mom to come but nothing, the kitten was meowing non stop and it was late at night and the pet shops and vet stores were closed so i rushed to the pharmacy and grabbed human lactose free milk powder and bought a syringe but found no nipple, so i would literally put the milk on my finger and let the kitten suckle, trying to do anything so the kitten doesn’t dry out, the kitten finally had some sleep. Then i went to the vet store got the kitten a bottle and kitten formula then immediately started watching your vids so i can know the right amount of meals and my kitten age etc,i knew your channel for years cos i love cats in general just never thought i’ll be in a situation were i’ll apply your instructions, you’ve been a great help god bless you!🤍 and to give guys the happy news after 9 days of taking care of this kitten in the yard ( i never let the kitten home cos my family doesn’t like animals in general) mama cat finally took her baby she might’ve been observing all these days waiting for the right opportunity, i was a bit sad at the moment not gonna lie cos i got so attached 😢 but its for the best no better care than a mama care.
Great job! Thank you for loving that kitten and caring for it until momma was ready for it! God bless you!
God bless you for caring for his creation.
❤ you can help still mommy and baby and provide food, water and shelter for them. Well done 👍 cats are great. Remind your family even the holy prophet saw loved cats. 😻 and in Islam it is considered a good deed to care for animals in need and you will be rewarded.
@@mamazockt yes! islam encourages doing good to animals specifically cats are mentioned, and unfortunately mommy cat took her baby and never came back, I’ve informed every one of my household members to tell me if they see the mama cat at our yard but its been 7 days and no signs of her. i’ve seen mama cat once she’s “the scared of humans” type not the “wipe your legs with my head to get food” type hopefully they’re both doing fine and mama cats knows how to get food in her belly since she survived all this long in the streets
@@kimdawcatgirl thank you🤍 i actually didn’t think the mama cat will comeback for her since i’ve heard many times that when a kitten is in so much human contact feral mommy cat would reject them, but fortunately thats not what happened, she did not only accepted her baby but she herself is the one who came back for her baby.
The idea that cats love cow milk is likely the result of cats always being fed cow milk at cattle farms before anyone even realized (or cared to realize) they cannot digest it well a lot of times. And the media doubled down on that stereotype through animated movies, TV shows, you name it.
I have also used goat milk for raising a baby squirrel who fell out of his nest. We had no idea where he belonged so we took him home. He did very well on it.
Thanks again Hannah for providing more education on how to take proper care of our fur babies. I'm 64 and never knew any of this. I did know it wasn't good for adult cats to consume dairy products but not the why behind it.
4 weeks ago today we adopted a 6hr old kitten after catching a very young cat and sending it for spaying. Unknown to us she was carrying a kitten and after a c section she produced a premature kitten. The vet would not terminate and said it was up to us to decide what to do. Thankfully went to KZhead and found your channel. I’ve subscribed to many channels over the years but have never been more impressed and educated. Thank you for your effort and knowledge sharing as without you this little kitten would not have survived. Many thanks and we’ll be watching as it gets bigger.❤
IIRC, even humans originally weren't meant to drink milk; all mammals tend to become lactose-intolerant as we grow up, which makes sense since milk is meant for babies. It was a mutation that allowed some humans to drink milk into adulthood, and most of us still lose the ability to digest it as we age. This was a very helpful video. I'm sure you saved the lives of many kittens with this PSA.
The ability to digest lactose into adulthood spread very quickly in the human population around 7000 years ago, suggesting there was very strong selection pressure in favour of it.
@@zammmerjammer It missed a lot of populations, though. But yes, there was a huge advantage to being able to gain calories from other animals' milk in people who kept nomadic herds.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the local Walmart in my small town carried cat milk. My hope is that if they stock it here, it should definitely be in stock in other bigger cities. Definitely try your local grocery stores if you don’t have a close pet store!
The "cat milk" you'll find at Walmart is not actual milk from cats, nor is it the same as kitten formula. It's a lactose-reduced milk-flavoured product intended only as an occasional treat. It would not be a good choice to feed nursing-age kittens with.
@@zammmerjammerWalmart does carry KMR, which is kitten formula 😊
@@jjbee11 Good to know!
I work for a Kroger owned grocery store and we also carry KMR. So Kroger owned stores around the country might also have it.
A couple of years ago now I got obsessed with your videos, i love learning about animals and animal care even when I thought I would never need to use them.. Little did I know my dog would bring a two week, bloated and sickly kitten to us playing with it in the grass. According to my grandma he recently had found another kitten as well who had passed on seemingly way before the dog found it. Its been something having all these facts and knowledge come back and relearning some things, learning new things as well as I stalk your website trying to make sure this kitten gets its best life. Thank you for doing what you do and helping so many people and kitties out there !!
🩷🩵 yeahhhh grover!! Thanks kitten lady for your pure soul in saving these precious little darlings ❤❤
Also people, Please don't feed your baby calves kitten milk !
We just rescued three kittens who were left up underneath our rv. The boys seem good the girl I’m having issues with I hope we can save her. Your channel is a great help. Ps. We just walked around the area and rescued 10 other kittens all are so skinny and in need of help. Wish me luck I can’t leave them. I’m a dog mom this is my first five into kittens especially rescuing.
Well stated and presented. One of my senior cats had a dental procedure done, so I bought ready to feed kitten formula to make sure she got some nutrition in her. I had to syringe feed her a couple times, which she didn't like, but at least she got something in her.
YOUR BOOKS ARE AMAZING PLEASE MAKE MORE SERIES
I'm so grateful I had your videos when I found a 2 week old kitten - I would've tried to feed her lactose free milk otherwise 😢 Luckily with your education I was able to get kitten formula and care for her until she was big enough to go to her forever home ❤️
I just learned you are Tommy Shaw’s daughter 🤯 Styx is my favorite band! I’ve followed your work for years and never knew this connection!
Your videos are really informative and helpful 👍
thanks for what you do. God bless. cute . thanks for helping them out
thank you for the PSA about cow’s milk, for kittens and humans alike!
Kitten Lady, you indirectly saved the life of a Kitten we found outside a few weeks ago. Mom ran away, this one and one of its siblings were too cold (the rest we left in a heated box hoping mom would come back), we got Kitten formula and I remembered something you said about them not having a gag reflex. We did eventually catch mom
Very informative! ❤
I’m so glad i came accidentally your channel I’m going to be getting a kitten soon and I know nothing about cats thanks to you I will
Brilliant Tips Thankyou 🙏❤️
Great video, super informative.
Thank you.
His Little ears 😍
If that can help anyone, my local shelter often advises people to feed the orphaned kittens they found with honey diluted in water (even those who don't need to be bottle-fed, if the person doesn't have anything safe for them), when they call too late for any other solution to be available and have to feed them through the night. So far none of the kittens I cared for afterward had any health issue related to that, so I guess it's at the very least not bad for them, and it helps keeping them fed for one night.
I never feed my kittens cow milk when they were young. I fed them KMR (kittens milk replacement). Sadly kittens mom went into labor again had 6 kittens sadly 4 made it out. She gotten better with her 2nd liter. Instead of her first.
I don't even drink cows' milk as a human, and I have never fed cow milk to my cats. Great point regarding what different milk was literally created for. I will admit, though, I do like cheese and other dairy foods ( working on it lol). Cows' milk is not good for any species other than the baby cows, as it was created ❤
Except for the millions of people who consume cows' milk every day with no problems, since they possess the genes for lactase persistence, as they were created.
@zammmerjammer Human milk contains lactose, too. Cow's milk does not perfectly provide for the nutritional needs of human infants, but I agree with the point you see to be making -- that's a long way away from saying that "cow's milk is not good for any species other than baby cows." Throughout human history, we have adapted the milk of other mammals to feed human infants if there was no (or insufficient) human milk available. Human milk does not perfectly provide for the nutritional needs of human infants beyond 6 months of age -- human infants need a supplemental source of iron by 6 months, and almost always need a supplemental source of Vitamin D well before they hit 6 months. There is no one perfect food!
@@zammmerjammer I'm not lactose intolerant either. That doesn't make milk good for me. Studies show that it isn't healthy for human beings to consume dairy. Look it up.
@@CiarraiAnn I'm not talking about being lactose intolerant. I'm talking about its effects on the human body.
@@IK_4Studies show no such thing.
Yay Hannah!
I had to bottle feed 5 kittens. I was happy to be able to buy formula. All 5 made it!
When I got my cat when she was a kitten I was told not to give her cows milk because it wasn't good for her & since she was already weened off of her mothers milk she didn't need milk anymore
Hiii Hannah!!! I love you so much and I’ve never been this early to a video :)
Yes, animals produce what is needed for their own babies.
I would have thought buffalo and cow milk would be basically the same. The more you know.
When I was twelve I worked at a farm in my neighborhood. One of the farm cats gave birth and abandoned the kittens. As she did with all her litters before. I tried so hard to care for them but I didn't have the resources or support. All I had was cow milk. They didn't make it and I cried for two days. I still feel bad about it, but I know I was young and uneducated. Now I know what to do though, if something like this ever happens again.
Just because it may help someone, here in Argentina we call it "leche maternizada" or "substituto lácteo para gatitos"! 😊
Yeah Grover❤❤❤❤❤
My mom feeds our stray cat cow's milk and rice. She won't listen to me say otherwise because she has raised cats and kittens ever since she was a teenager and fed all of them milk and they didn't have such issues. Then again, they were stray cats for whom milk was a small part of the diet.
I would show her this video, and maybe some scientific articles supporting your point ❤ we know so much more about how to properly care for animals now than we did even 5-10 years ago!
Real hero
My cat is convinced that you're incorrect, doesn't matter how many times I tell her she can't consume it. she tries to drink it from my cereal all the time. Needless to say, I eat my cereal fast
the little ear wiggles 😭
50 years ago the only milk that exist has cow milk. We had a 4/5 days old kitten with no mother and we give her cow milk 50/50 water and she lived until 19 years. All her live she drink our milk many times with Milo or Ovomaltine.
I gave my 10 month old kitten the tiniest piece of cheese and next day she had horrible diarrhea. It was a piece the size of my baby fingernail! She was ok but I felt so guilty! Now, shes 2 and no matter how hard she begs, she gets no cheese!
Ooh, thanks, gonna adopt a cat in the future
I remembered from school that babies aren't supposed to drink cows milk as well but our health instructor had some old recipes that were used to adapt cows milk to better fit the human profile. Made me curious and there are several recipes on some cat rescue pages to adapt some in my country readily available everyday milk products. (I think I even had everything at home to make one vision). They even advise against pre made 'cat milk' since it's supposed to have added sugar and is geared towards older kittens as a treat. Though I'm pretty sure I could find a proper product online, this might do in a pinch. (In my country stores are closed on Sundays and vet's might be hard to reach )
Kitten milk replacer/kitten formula is different than “cat milk”- cat milk is indeed a treat for adult cats, kitten formula is specially made formula for kittens. Homemade recipes can be very dangerous, as it is very hard to make sure it’s nutritiously complete
2:40 that passed out chubby tummy 😍😍😍
IKR. Precious. ♥️
When they get that chubby it’s actually hard for them to turn over. ♥️
Hannah I've rescued so many kittens with your advice and help! Right now we're fostering a momma cat and her five kittens! Thankfully mom is doing a wonderful job with feeding and caring for them. We have KMR just in case, but every kitten we save owes you a little bit for your knowledge and help.
I foster for a rescue and there has been SO MANY KITTENS coming in and we (fosters) are at our max or past our max. We’ve started giving out syringes and nipples and cans of the premixed formula if people find kittens and can bottle feed them until someone is found. I am fostering a nursing mama and she adopted a couple orphans. But I can’t take anymore
Im genuinely shocked that I everyone I have talked to has said they thought cats could drink cow milk.. like no, they are lactose intolerant like every other animal wtf
@@rohanmaghade Baby mammals can process lactose. Adults (with the exception of humans) cannot.
Idk how you are shocked with the amounts of children (and even adult aimed media) instilling into us since toddlers that cats LOVE milk.
Cow milk is perfectly healthy for cats. AS LONG AS it is not packaged milk and is A2. Milk from Desi Cows is especially healthy. When I fed my kitten packaged cow milk she got diarrhoea but when i switched it with Desi cow's milk she is passing very healthy stools and growing at a good rate. We even feed her RAW desi A2 milk and she perfectly digests it. We get the milk directly from the cows in the neighborhood. There a few cats there who drink straight from the cows as well and they are very healthy and virile. My own experienced Vet recommended cow's milk to feed her saying that it's good for cats. Heck, we even feed her raw pasteurised buffalo milk (which is A2) without diluting and she digests it good too. Creamy buffalo milk is now her favourite and she prefers it the most as my two other adult cats. Cats have been drinking cow's milk for thousands of years and it has helped them in their evolution. Being picky eaters cats still crave milk so much, which says a lot. It's the packaged A1 milk that's to blame, it's bad even for us humans.
@@EspeonMistress00 No. LACTOSE is the milk sugar that is contained in dairy. LACTASE is the enzyme required to properly digest it.
@@rohanmaghade You're confusing multiple issues here. Kittens can digest lactose. Adult cats cannot. The reason not to feed kittens (or human infants) cow's milk is not because they will have difficulty with the lactose, but because it is not nutritionally suited to them (too many proteins and minerals) and may actually damage their guts. Also, there is no substantial evidence for your claim that A1 milk is "bad for humans" or that there is a discernible difference between A1 and A2 milk when it comes to digestion in humans or cats. The evidence is simply not there, and this subject has been widely studied and tested. Meanwhile, there is definitive evidence that adult cats lack the ability to synthesize lactase, thus they cannot properly digest milk beyond kittenhood. You're claiming something uproven as fact, and denying something else that is proven. You need to stop that.
My cat is now jealous because I've been watching this video for hours.
Letvthem know😢😮
There seems to be a trend on KZhead and TikTok to give cats and now also kittens a puppocino. Whipped cream is cows milk too. 🤔
For adults cats a little cow milk or whipped cream as a treat is normally safe. It’s not the main source of nutrition.
The funny this is I think they think of cow milk because kids tend to drink so much, completely forgetting that newborn human babies can't survive exclusively on cow milk either.
❤
Me as a percy jackson fan hearing Grover and Zoe (iykyk) Also poor kitties we tried to feed our kitten cow milk (we didn't know) and luckily he was too old for it (again didn't know)
Great recommendation. I don't know why people keep feeding cats with milk even though they must have noticed that it makes them vomit.
I'd love a video about Birdie. We haven't seen her story yet.
Hannah has made lots of posts on her story on her other social medias 😊
Hey, my name is Zoe!
I rescued some kittens a few months ago and I wish I’d known about goat milk. I ended up surrendering them to a 24 hour vet. I know they ended up doing well but I was heartbroken that I didn’t have the resources to save them myself 😢
Thank you for the video. Would you consider doing a video about not feeding human tuna to cats? Tuna that is specially for cats is okay, but human tuna is too high in polyunsaturated fats that cats can't digest well. It can deplete the vitamin E in their bodies and lead to disease.
😻
💕🐱
That Every stray cat on TV got a bowl of milk probably contributed to people thinking it was ok.I've seen people give strays pizza and fries.
💖💖💖
Can You Use Can You Use Canned Pet Milk It's Been Around For Ever I've Used It For Kittens Before And Never Had A Problem With It , Just Wondering What You Think About This
It should specifically say “kitten formula” or “kitten milk replacer” on it. They do make a “cat milk”, but it’s meant to be for adult cats as a treat
who does???
Hello 😢😭
Are you there
God created all things to function perfectly according to His will. How absolutely beautiful ♥️
😂❤
How about we just leave animals' milk to their own species offspring? 😀 Great video! It's wild we humans, as a collective, are still not intelligent enough to understand something so basic. At least some of us evolved common sense! 😁
Well, you go back in time 10,000 years and tell pastoral humans that they shouldn't take advantage of dairy as a food source.
Her age is 4 weeks 😢
Would lactose free cow milk be ok in an emergency? I think that's available in most countries
No
Hello, i need help, My kitten is 8-9 day old, She doesn't poo Only pee Is it normal, Her mom abandoned her Or am i stimulating wrongl??
Is there a sweat shop where they milk momma kittys to get the formula base?
No
I got a rejected stray kitten and i putted it outside of my door i dont know much about kittens how to feed and what duration they need milk please guide me. ❤
Emergency 🦺 for my cat 🐈😺
dang good info😻👍👍
Just like adult cats, they cannot drink cow milk.
I have kittens at my home
Hello I have some kittens that I found near a dumpster tho I can't keep them due to I really need to find someone as soon as possible they seem to be newborns to 3 weeks olds and I have tried animal shelters though they seem to not be accepting anymore and having some trouble finding a foster as well pls help
Try to find local fosters on social media in your area
@@jjbee11 been trying to found one tho she may not be able to for another 2 months not sure if she knows any fosters as well since I haven't gotten a reply as of yet tho she may reply sometime this morning hopefully
In a late night emergency, could a bottle of filtered water be appropriate for an orphaned, nursing kitten, simply to provide hydration?
Yes, just warm it up ❤
goat milk is ok or mom milk you can get
I have been thinking of getting a kitten but I'm confused as to which gender I should adopt. My friend said males are usually more affectionate and social than females. Is that really true?
No, every cat is an individual
So cute Freebie
Freebie isn’t in this video, she was adopted out a long time ago
As cow lactose intolerant I know all to well this is not meant for me.
How do I store the milk replacer for kittens at
If it’s premade, in the fridge, the powder can be kept in a cool, dry place
Ok, heres a question that pops on my mind every time I find a hungry kitten (which happens to me a lot for some reason).. what's better to do, to feed the kitten cow milk or not to feed it at all? 🤷♂️
She explains in the video what you should do. If you have cows milk you most likely have water- warm water is an alright alternative until you can get kitten formula, or goat’s milk if you’re in a country without it.
Cow milk is terrible for kittens
Hi supporter here since 2021🫶🏻