Hi there, I have recently received a 5 week old kitten and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how much milk I should be giving her. She is eating solid food but she prefers the milk. She is really small because her mother stopped feeding her so she has lost quite allot of weight. I would really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks

Hi,

First and foremost, what kind of milk are you feeding her? If it is regular "human" milk... STOP!! It's going to give her diarrhea. Kittens are intolerant to the lactose in regular milk, (even though they've been loving it since they came into existence). Most pet stores will sell lactose-free pet milk, and this is a better option for that milk-lovin' cat.

I give my cat about half a cup to a cup everyday, but for a kitten, I would stick to half a cup in divided portions throughout the day. Increase it as time goes by.

HUMAN milk? Do you actually mean Cow's milk? I have never heard of a woman giving her own bodily made milk to a kitten. You can buy kitten formula in pet stores, and also even Walmart. It is found in powder form or pre made liquid. You will also need a kitten sized bottle. The nipple will NOT have a hole in it yet. Use a new razor blade to cut a tiny slit and check that you can squirt milk from it. For my kitten, I warmed the formula to body temp (note a cats body temp is slightly higher than a human, at 100 to 102F. DO NOT make it hotter than 102! Anywhere between 95F to 100F is fine. I know this question is from 2005, but I posted this for others looking for this info.