If you are a cat parent, do cats like milk – normally this question can arise in your mind as well. Especially, if you like to bring a newborn kitten to rear at your home from the beginning of its age.

Because it has some sort of significance to rear your kitten from an early age of life. One major reason could be, this helps you become familiar from this age by which a deep love can grow within your heart when it starts to grow up gradually.

However, in that case, like every newborn mammal, providing milk can also be a common practice for cat parents normally.

But, the question is, do cats like milk to drink really, or is there any side effect that can show within your beloved kitten if you provide it milk?

To get answer these questions, you came to the right place. Keep reading the content up to the end.

Okay, let’s get started.

Do cats like drinking milk – this a fact to know!

Do cats like milk to drink?

As I mentioned above, as like every mammal, newborn cats like milk for their survival which is why nature kept the provision for the mom cat to develop her mammary gland from its late pregnancy so that she can provide ready feed for its baby after birth.

But, the question is, can there be any side effects if you continue to allow your cats to drink milk after its growing stage? The reason behind this question is – experts say that your cat is lactose intolerant. I mean, cats don’t have the necessary enzyme to digest it. The name of that enzyme is lactase.

The miracle is that, after birth, kittens are given the power to produce this enzyme in their intestinal tract for digesting lactose present in milk drunk from the mammary gland of its mother.

This enzyme breaks down the complex sugar lactose into glucose and galactose which are readily absorbable from your newborn kitten’s gut. After that, the broken compound mixes with the bloodstream of the body to produce energy for sustaining their life.

I just discussed the issue from another angle. Hope you got the answer – do cats like drinking milk?

Now, the next point is why cats like milk. Let’s have a look in the next paragraph.

Why do cats like milk?

There are a few reasons why cats like milk. The first one could be by nature. I mean, after birth, the first liquid food which is provided to the newborn kitten is his mother’s cat milk. As the kitten becomes habituated to milk sourced from its mother, ultimately kitten-like human children start to love it.

Another reason why kitten loves to drink milk is the nutritional ingredients present in milk. More preferably its fat content is responsible to provide a special taste to any milk drinkers.

However, though I discussed above in terms of the lactose intolerance issue of cats, cats don’t understand it. Because they are animals like children who don’t have the capability to understand the better choice.

So, if you put a cup of milk in front of your cat, the cat becomes attracted to this. They will start to drink it though it can cause digestive disorders to them like indigestion, inappetence, diarrhea, or even vomiting.

This is why it is your duty as cat parents to prevent your cats from milk.

No way to get confusion – then why do cat mothers provide milk naturally? Because this is another issue, I talked about earlier

Please keep in mind that cats’ mother milk and that cow milk have a great difference in composition regarding beneficial aspects for the cat.  They are not the same.

After weaning the cat’s mother’s milk, if you try to provide cow milk in a good quantity or any milk replacer, health complications will arise soon.

What kind of milk is safe for cats?

Nothing can be compared with mother’s milk. This is undoubtedly an unparallel gift by the nature. This is absolutely true for every animal as well as a human being.

So, after weaning your kitten, if you can provide a kind of milk that has a major similarity with its mother’s milk; this could be safer. This statement is logically acceptable.

Therefore, think about the composition of the cat’s mother’s milk, if you don’t have to try to collect this from experts. Then look for your nearby pet store whose substitute has got comparatively more similarity.

Anyway, I like to add one more thing which is no-fat milk which could be a good substitute as well. But why?

Say, for example, 1-2 weeks after giving birth, mother milk is known as colostrums. Do you know the characteristics feature of colostrums?

Yes, I‘m telling. This kind of milk, colostrum, looks very thin which tells us that its fat content is very low.

The good news is that science is advancing continuously every single day. So, you will get a good number of quality cat milk products in the market which is found okay experimentally.

Now, another relevant question is coming – how much milk is ok for cats?

Let’s see it in the next paragraph.

Read more – what cats love to eat?

How much milk is ok for cats?

It’s a good point regarding the quantity of milk that can be okay for cats. As we know a proverb, excess of anything is bad so giving the optimum amount of milk sounds better. This optimum amount could range from 2-3 tablespoons of milk powder.

I understand this might have seemed a very low quantity to you. But, be kind in mind that, milk is not a regular feed for your cats. You are feeding this as extra.

So, if you remain frugal about the quantity of milk you will be providing to your cats, this will bring a better result.

Be serious; never allow your cat to drink as much milk as she can.

Otherwise, some adverse health conditions can grow.

When do cats stop drinking milk?

One important term to know is weaning. What is this? Weaning is the process of changing the feeding habit of your kitten from mother milk or milk to solid food.

So, the question is, when do cats stop drinking milk, I mean when the process of weaning will start?

This is when your cats will be at around three to four weeks old. The massive growth of your kitten will occur during this time.