Question about cat milk

New poster here for the first time. I love this site and I have learned so much. I adopted a 3 month kitten and we just love her to pieces. My question is......is cat milk good for the kitten and what exactly is it made of since cats are mostly lactose intolerant? I have looked for this at Petsmart but have only found KMR.

One more question. I feed my kitten Nutro wet food packs and was wondering how long should i let her feed on that until that goes bad?......Thanks so much for your help.

Originally Posted by Cali's Mommy

New poster here for the first time. I love this site and I have learned so much. I adopted a 3 month kitten and we just love her to pieces. My question is......is cat milk good for the kitten and what exactly is it made of since cats are mostly lactose intolerant? I have looked for this at Petsmart but have only found KMR.

One more question. I feed my kitten Nutro wet food packs and was wondering how long should i let her feed on that until that goes bad?......Thanks so much for your help.

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Hello & welcome to TCS!! For the wet food I would take it away after a couple hours!! It is not necessary to give kittens milk!

Cats that age dont NEED milk any longer, she can drink water. And if she eats mostly wet food, she will not drink much at all - there is much water in wet food.
But milk is a good food, yes it is.

If you want to give her milk - get her: a possibility is low-lactose (lactose reduced) milk for humans. You do have it probably in your food shop. It lasts longer, you can have it in your own coffe too! (or in your tea if you english!). There is cat milk - but it costs more. The kitten milk KMR is excellent, but it is for small kittens without mom or who must get extra mom-milk. Or sometimes useful for sick cats needing special nourishment, for example if you must forcefeed them.


Wet cat food is like fresh human food: if the can opened it should be eaten in a couple of days (- you should keep it cold in refrigerator), and when portioned out to the cat - a couple of hours, not much more - preferably less. Bacteria grow even before it gets foul.

Lucky is cats usually feel if food is getting bad. *smile*

Whiskas do a great cat milk that Alfie loves, although I've also heard that goats milk is ok for cats

I second the whiskas milk if you do want to feed it - mine have had no problems with it at all.

They do sell it it petsmart, it looks like this:

Oh yes, this Whiskas is surely good, one of their better products I think. But it isnt cheap. It is why Im talking about low-lactose /lactose reduced for humans. Or water.

As others have said, cat milk isn't necessary for kittens of this age or cats but is fine to be given as a treat once in a while. You can also make up a home-made version that gives lots of vitamins and minerals:

Home-made kitten formula (Kitten Glop)

8 ounces water (boiled then cooled)
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
8 ounces whole evaporated milk (not skim)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (not low fat)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (not low fat)
1 large or 2 small eggs yolks (raw)
1 teaspoon clear Karo syrup
* 1-3 drops liquid pet vitamins
* 1 capsule acidophilus
* 1 drop Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)

* Optional, though very beneficial.

Boil the water, add the gelatin and mix well. Add the following ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition:

1/2 of the canned milk
Mayonnaise and Yogurt
Rest of the milk
All other ingredients

You can substitute canned goat's milk for the canned evaporated milk, if you prefer it. This mixture will keep in the fridge for up to four days. It is jello-like in consistency in the fridge so you can just scoop out as much as you need and warm. It can also be frozen in ice cube trays and defrosted as needed. You can find pet vitamins at a pet store or your vet, and acidophilus and GSE in the liquid form at a good health food store.

SInce KMR etc does not exist here I have always given mine goats milk, which they love, as kittens and then later as a treat.