A friend of ours writes,
I foster baby kittens from time to time. I found this information in the LA City Animal Shelter’s Kitten Care Handbook by Carolyn McCray, DVM:
“Unfortunately, cow’s milk is not nutritious enough for kittens – they will slowly starve to death on it. It also causes diarrhea which is extremely dangerous for young kittens. If you can’t get to a pet store right away, consult our recipes for a goat’s-milk based Emergency Kitten Formula.”
Formula #1:
1 quart whole goat’s milk
1 teaspoon light Karo syrup
1 tablespoon nonfat plain yogurt (goat’s milk preferred)
1 Knox unflavored gelatin:
Newborn-1 week 1 pkg
2nd week 1 1/2 – 2 pkgs
3rd week 2 1/2 – 3 pkgs
4th week 4 pkgs
The handbook notes that this is just an emergency formula, kittens really should be fed KMR or other products formulated for kittens.
