Cat milk replacer: features of alternative feeding products

What can I replace it with and can I make it myself?

• Fact 1:
  For the most part, cat milk contains the same components as any other milk.
• Fact 2:
  There are more than three dozen manufacturers of artificial cat milk in the world
• Fact 3:
  Unfortunately, having taken on such a responsible task, many manufacturers were unable to recreate the formula of cat milk as accurately as possible.
• Fact 4:
  Buying a real formula is great, but without following the right rules, you can harm your pet.

The nature of cats is very gentle. As soon as the kittens are born, they immediately need milk. Therefore, the wise organism of the mother cat begins to prepare for this important process in advance. Even before birth, special structures of the body begin to produce colostrum (“young” milk), which is of vital importance for newborn babies. As soon as the kittens are born and attach themselves to the cat, along with colostrum they receive a “vaccine” against dangerous infections. This is practically the foundation for the kitten’s future immunity, which is laid in the first 24 hours after birth.

But tragedies happen when a mother cat dies during labor (or after childbirth), or for good reasons is unable to feed her offspring. Sometimes cats don't have milk. In such an extreme situation, all responsibility for the cubs falls on the shoulders of the owner. He only has a day to find a replacement for cat milk. Despite the fact that colostrum has a unique composition that cannot be replaced by any chemical formula, there are several alternatives to this miraculous liquid. And every cat owner should remember them.

Cat Milk Formula

Once colostrum becomes full-fledged milk, it looks like any similar product: it is difficult to distinguish it even from cow's milk. For the most part, cat milk contains the same components as any other milk, but the formulas of nutrients in the milk of living creatures are different.

• The water content in cat milk is 70% , fat content is no more than 11%. Cow and goat milk (as well as human milk) are 7% higher in fat than cat milk.
• Whiskered milk is also rich in proteins: it contains 11%. And this is much more than in cow/goat milk (4%) and human milk (2%).
• The lactose content is not so high - a little more than 3%. Human, goat and cow milk contain almost twice as much lactose.

The conclusion from here is this: cat milk is too rich in proteins, but not too rich in fat and lactose. Therefore, it will not be possible to replace it with the milk of another animal species - the formula is not the same. Nature puts certain proportions of nutrients into the milk of every living creature, and this is no coincidence. All animal species develop differently and babies need different milk formulas. If you replace the milk of one species of animal with an alternative from another species, this will soon have a detrimental effect on the health of the baby.

Recommendations for use

A family usually buys about two or three liters of goat milk at a time. To make it beneficial, keep an eye on some points:

• Buy chilled.
• Ask how the owner cools it after milking the animal (need immediately after receiving milk).
• If you brought the jar home, put it in the refrigerator. Darkness and coolness are two conditions for maintaining quality.
• You need to drink it warm. Cold food inhibits enzymatic processing, and hot food is absorbed too quickly without interacting with stomach secretions.
• Milk should be heated in a water bath, not over an open fire.
• It is better for health if the intake of the drink is alternated with the use of fermented milk drinks (yogurt, bifida, kefir).
• The last dose is 2-4 hours before bedtime, but no later than nineteen hours.
• Not all medications can be taken with it. Usually at the appointment the doctor advises the patient on this matter. But it’s better to play it safe and ask an additional question.
• The product brings benefits to the body, but not with a single use, but in cycles of at least ninety days.
• Ideally, it should be drunk without combining it with other types of food. In the morning before breakfast at least an hour. In the afternoon, an hour and a half before lunch. In the afternoon, without eating sandwiches and flour products. The doctor will give you specific recommendations for mixing it with juices and herbal infusions.

Fulfill all the conditions - and goat’s milk will become a real natural healer.

Why can't you drink it with bread, meat or vegetables?

Milk does not like combinations with other products and can cause flatulence or loose stools. Even with a good habit of it and the absence of unpleasant consequences in such cases, it does not turn into a medicine, into a nutritious product, nothing more.

Why should farmers refrigerate it immediately after milking a goat?

Fresh milk has the ability to kill pathogenic bacteria; it contains special bactericides for this purpose. It is a good immunostimulant and has an anti-inflammatory and anti-disbacteriosis effect.

120 minutes is the time when harmful organisms in a freshly milked drink do not divide: the bactericidal stage. It is prolonged by cooling. Beneficial compounds will last forty-eight hours if properly stored and initially refrigerated. If you do not follow the technology, then within six hours the unique healing properties will disappear.

Some vitamins and enzyme complexes are destroyed in light. Hence the rule of storage in a dark place. The tighter the lid is closed and the cleaner the filling container, the longer the product will not become contaminated with harmful microorganisms. But if you close a steamed drink, it will “suffocate.”

Do not use containers made of aluminum, plastic or galvanized for carrying and storage.

Cat milk replacer

There is no natural alternative to cat milk, which is not surprising from the point of view of nature itself. But wise, caring manufacturers have already learned to create mixtures that are safe to replace cat milk. Even if not to the fullest extent, it is better than nothing. The most important thing is that the products contain vital components for the kitten:

• vitamins and minerals;
• amino acids;
• fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6);
• microelements.

There are more than three dozen manufacturers of artificial cat milk in the world, whose products differ in composition, quality and, accordingly, cost. The most famous brands (some of them also produce food):

• Royal Canin;
• Beafar;
• Kamon;
• Nutri-Wet;
• Dolphos;
• Clouders;
• Jimborne;
• Trixie;
• Harts;
• Vo-Toys;
• Jimpet.

Unfortunately, having taken on such a responsible task, many manufacturers have not been able to recreate the formula of cat milk as accurately as possible. They overlooked many ingredients, without which the correct development of the cat could be in jeopardy. But the products “Royal Canin”, “Beafar” and “Gimpet” have established themselves as the most complete mixtures in terms of ingredients. In addition, the three named products replicate the proportion of nutrients contained in real cat milk.

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Recipes from experts

You can love your pets with all your heart, but be afraid with all your soul of the price that the manufacturer charges for their quality products. Therefore, many owners have a natural question: is it really possible to make a mixture for feeding kittens at home? Are regular products suitable for this? After all, they can also be very healthy and nutritious.

Experts say it's better not to do this. But many cat breeders successfully prepare mixtures at home. It’s worth clarifying right away: you can engage in arbitrariness only at first, when there is no opportunity to urgently purchase an industrial product. But it’s worth planning the purchase of the mixture - the sooner the better. It will definitely contain the maximum of necessary components for the full development of a kitten. But let’s look at a few recipes “as a last resort.”

1. You will need condensed milk without sugar (20% fat) and water: from these components we prepare a mixture in a ratio of 5 to 1. Next, add bone meal at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of liquid. The mixture is well suited for newborn babies.
2. Mix 1 chicken yolk in half a liter of cow's milk (but it must be safe, from trusted hands, and not from the supermarket). Add 4 teaspoons of sugar and stir. If there is no cow's milk, you can use goat's milk or even dry milk diluted with water. Pour 0.3 ml of Tetravit (Trivit) vitamin drops into this mixture.
3. Buy regular baby formula “Malyutka” and dilute it with water according to the instructions on the package.
4. The best and healthiest recipe that is suitable even for weak and unhealthy babies. Take 100 ml of milk, glucose (5%) in the amount of 20 ml, clean, fresh chicken yolk (preferably from a proven farm), 1 teaspoon of fresh vegetable oil, Nutrilon baby feeding mixture and vitamin drops named in the previous recipe , in the same proportion. Mix everything.

Each homemade mixture must be thoroughly mixed so that not a single lump is formed. Feed the kitten from a bottle with a small nipple (the smaller the better). Instead of a pacifier, there may be a pipette or a syringe (without a needle), but the baby may choke with this method of feeding. You must always be extremely careful and careful. The mixture should be as warm as a kitten's body (about 39 degrees Celsius). If the kitten has not eaten all the mixture, then the leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for exactly one day. Keep the mixture in a closed, clean container.

Types of milk depending on normalization and fat content

The food industry not only packages the resulting milk raw materials, but subjects it to special processing. The method by which milk is processed determines its composition, taste, nutritional value, shelf life and other characteristics. Let's take a closer look at the types of milk produced by the dairy industry.

Normalized

Normalization of milk involves adjusting the components of raw materials - fat content and dry matter. At the same time, the shelf life of the product is increased.

Normalized milk is obtained from whole milk. The product is divided into components - skim milk and fat. To obtain the desired fat content, whole milk cream is added to skim milk.

GOST establishes that the fat content of normalized milk should not exceed 3.5%. Normalized milk is stored for 7-10 days. Unlike whole milk, normalized milk is less fat and contains much less microelements and vitamins. But it contains vitamins B and H, potassium, calcium, phosphorus - albeit in smaller quantities compared to whole milk.

At each stage of normalization, certain equipment is used. Cream is separated from whole milk - some of it is removed, and some is mixed with skim milk, achieving the desired fat content. The advantage of normalized milk is the ability to obtain the desired fat content.

Refurbished

This is a drink made from concentrated milk and water. Use dry powder or condensed milk. In terms of composition and calorie content, reconstituted milk is similar to normalized milk, but it is of little benefit, since the beneficial properties are lost when dried.

The process of reconstitution from milk powder looks like this:

1. Dry powder is diluted in warm water.
2. After a few hours, the normal density and viscosity of the product is restored. No additives or preservatives are added to the drink.
3. The resulting milk mixture is cleaned, heat-treated and packaged.

The product, made from powdered milk, was once sold as "milk". After the introduction of Federal Law-88 - “Technical Regulations for Milk and Dairy Products”, such products are called “milk drinks”. Now this is the name given to all products obtained by mixing water and concentrated or condensed milk, whole/skimmed milk powder.

Mixed

This is a compromise between a refurbished and normalized product. It is made from both products. Reconstituted milk is inferior in biological value to its normalized counterpart. “Milk drinks” usually appear on shelves in winter, when there is a shortage of whole milk.

Selected

Selected milk is of the highest quality. It has high nutritional value as it is made from the best raw materials. It is not sterilized or separated. This product is only pasteurized, which allows it to retain most of its beneficial properties.

Selected milk, unlike the production of regular milk, does not allow mixing of raw materials of different types. Only milk with improved characteristics is used - as a rule, it is taken from certain farmers. Selected raw materials are not standardized or mixed with skim milk - its fat content remains at its natural level.

Each batch of selected milk may have its own fat content - this is indicated on the packaging. These products last longer because they are made from exceptional quality raw materials with a reduced microbial content. Selected milk is much higher than ordinary milk. It is indispensable in baby food; people who want to eat natural products are also interested in it.

You bought a milk replacer - what next?

Buying a real formula is great, but without following the right rules, you can harm your pet. Without knowing how to use this type of product, you can destroy its beneficial properties. In this case, there will be no benefit from an expensive industrial mixture. So, general rules for the use of cat milk substitutes.

• The dry powder is diluted only with cool boiled water (you can use slightly warm water) and only in the proportion indicated on the package. Believe me, the manufacturer knows better than you how many teaspoons of the mixture to put in the water.
• The fragile immunity of kittens should not be exposed to bacterial attacks. Thoroughly wash your hands and dishes in which the kitten's food will be mixed. Particular care must be taken to maintain hygiene when preparing formula for newborn kittens who have not received their important first “vaccine” of colostrum. Bacteria are extremely dangerous for them.

• It is not advisable to purchase mixtures in large packages (in reserve). You won't be able to store them for long once you open them. Only Royal Canin products are conveniently packaged in individual sterile bags, thanks to which they are stored for a very long time.
• Although the prepared mixture can withstand 24 hours of storage in the refrigerator, if possible it is better not to do this.
• Some manufacturers supply their formulas with bottle and nipple sets. If these are not available, the owner needs to purchase kits in advance.
• Do not try to pour liquid into the kitten’s mouth or squirt a lot from a syringe at once. The baby can easily choke: he is not yet able to even figure out how to eat. All he can do by nature is pull on his mother’s nipple. A particularly dangerous situation will arise if drops of the mixture get into the baby’s lungs. Be carefull!

Despite the fact that a cat has nine lives (at least many people believe so), it is better to take into account all possible risks in advance. And if the cat is about to give birth, it is better to buy an industrial formula and a feeding kit in advance. Believing in the best, be prepared for anything, then your pets will always be reliably protected.

Fat to protein ratio

The fat and protein levels in milk must be in a certain ratio to each other. A ratio of 1.1:1 to 1.5:1 indicates balanced feeding.

A fat to protein ratio of more than 1.5, especially at the beginning of lactation (except for the colostrum period), is a warning signal. High fat content is a sign of very strong mobilization of fat from the body. Low protein content indicates a lack of energy, although some of the energy comes from the body's reserves. The consequence of this may be metabolic disorders (ketosis).

If the fat to protein ratio is greater than 1.5 throughout lactation, this indicates a structure-rich but energy-poor feeding. Especially with poor quality bulk feeds and a lack of concentrates. The consequence of this is low milk productivity and low protein content in milk

A very low fat to protein ratio (below 1.1) occurs with a diet that is high in energy and low in structure (lots of concentrates). In this case, it is necessary to correctly distribute the feed in accordance with productivity.

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When interpreting the ratio of fat to protein in the first third of lactation, it is necessary to take into account that both the threat of ketosis (with a high indicator) and the threat of rumen acidosis (with a low indicator) are possible. In this case, the “normal” fat to protein ratio may be misleading. Therefore, careful monitoring of animals during this period is necessary, and perhaps even individual collection and analysis of data for animals up to the 30th day of lactation.

To identify feeding errors throughout the year, you can analyze the fat and protein levels of the collected milk monthly. For example, if fat and protein values ​​decrease in early May, this may indicate that there was insufficient structure when transitioning to pasture or that the transition was made very abruptly.

Photo: Data from control milkings provide valuable information for monitoring animal nutrition and health and should be actively used by specialists in each enterprise.

Skin Care: Can Milk Help?

It takes care of it as well as vegetable oils. If you wash your face with it, your skin will look younger, become more elastic, and wrinkles will smooth out. After all, it is known that Cleopatra bathed in just such a liquid.

Dairy products are good for skin whitening. Kefir and sour milk are suitable for clarification.

You can also make face masks based on it, with sour cream or cream. They make the skin softer and more velvety, while at the same time increasing metabolism. Sometimes other products are added to them: carrots, olive oil, lemon juice, oatmeal. You need to keep the mask on your face for at least 20 and no more than 30 minutes.

There are many advantages, but is there a downside to the coin? Is the maximum fat content of cow's milk harmful to human health?

Which dairy products are not harmful?

Our purrs drink milk with pleasure, and rarely do any of them refuse such a delicacy. However, if your cat feels unwell after eating it, then you should not immediately categorically exclude absolutely all dairy products from its diet. Very often in such cases they give a little cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, and fermented milk products.

You should not treat your fluffy with sweet cheeses or yoghurts. The animal’s stomach will definitely not be able to accept such food and this will be a real blow to the pancreas.

It turns out that fermented milk products are best absorbed, but it is better to exclude sour cream altogether. If you want to give it to a cat, then dilute it in a 1:1 ratio with water, since it is too fatty. Of the cheeses, you can only have Adyghe cheese, and also in small quantities. The rest of the products are too fatty and salty and will harm the animal.

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Veterinarian advice

Feeding kittens is an incredibly responsible process. The future health of your children will depend on the correctness of your actions. Experienced veterinarians offer the following tips for proper feeding of newborn kittens:

• Be sure to weigh your pets daily. Each deviation must be accompanied by an appropriate reaction.
• Sterilize utensils thoroughly after use.
• Do not keep an open bag of food for more than a month.
• Starting from the 8th day, the baby should be fed with vitamin mixtures in liquid form.

It is best to discuss the use of additional supplements in this case with your veterinarian.

Storage rules

An open package of dry mixture can be stored for 1 month. It should be placed in a dry, cool and dark place, but not in the refrigerator. The mixture is contraindicated in cold and humidity.

The finished product must be kept in the refrigerator for no longer than 24 hours. Some mixtures are stored for even less - 8 hours. After the expiration date, such food should be thrown away: it becomes dangerous to drink.

The bottle, measuring spoon and nipples must be thoroughly washed after each feeding.

Important! Hands should be washed before and after feeding each kitten. The life and health of babies depends on compliance with storage conditions and hygiene rules.

Ready milk should be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than a day.

A good kitten formula will help feed orphaned pets and give them everything they need for healthy growth and development. The cat’s entire future life and health depends on the cat’s milk substitute.

How to calculate dosage

When using cat milk substitutes, it is extremely important not only to choose a quality product, but also to correctly calculate the correct dosage. When determining the amount of complementary foods, it is necessary to take into account factors such as the age category and breed of the small pet.

An approximate dosage calculation is based on the baby’s age and is as follows:

In this case, it is worth paying attention to the breed of the animal. Large kittens require a slightly larger amount of complementary feeding than pets of small breeds. However, these data are relative.

A caring owner should monitor the condition and behavior of the kitten very carefully in order to determine the optimal amount of milk replacer. For example, an underfed baby behaves anxiously and restlessly.

Overfeeding is no less dangerous for a kitten. Observing the kitten's stool will help determine the amount of food. So, with regular overeating, it becomes gray or green; slight overfeeding is manifested by yellowish feces.

Precautions and possible harm

As cats lose the ability to digest milk as they age, they may develop intolerance.
It manifests itself in the form of nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea. The animal often licks itself, may experience increased thirst, becomes lethargic and refuses to play. In the future, in the absence of help, dehydration occurs and the likelihood of developing gastrointestinal pathologies increases. If symptoms of intolerance appear, it is necessary to put the animal on a starvation diet for 1-2 days and provide it with plenty of fluids, since the pet’s body loses a lot of fluid. Not eating for a short period will not cause harm. Fasting will help the gastrointestinal tract rest and recover. Subsequently, the animal is gradually returned to its previous diet. First, he is given gentle foods that strengthen the stool, such as rice and its decoction. Subsequently, low-fat broths and beef are introduced. The transition to a normal diet takes a week.

Impact factors

The fat content of cow's milk is influenced by many factors. At first glance, an unpretentious animal needs proper care, adherence to feeding principles and the study of individual characteristics. For example, you cannot expect a lot of milk from a meat cow.

Alternatively, the difference between homemade and store-bought milk is one of the types of processing listed above. Sometimes the fat content of homemade liquid is unknown, because it can be accurately determined in production. And drinking untested fresh milk is fraught with digestive disorders and other consequences. Therefore, they often talk about its excessive fat content.

Genetics

Genetic predisposition and the breed of the animal play an important role in the problems of increasing the fat content of milk. For many years, breeders have worked to develop a cow that will have both high milk yield and fat percentage. But if owners of cows increase milk yield, this helps reduce fat content. Also, in the process of increasing the fat content of cow's milk, the volume of lactation decreased.

As a result, the following cow breeds showed the best results:

• Jersey with the highest record of 14 percent and an average of 5. They have low milk yields, so they are kept one or two in small farms;
• Red Danish with a fat content of 5.1 percent;
• Simmental, the maximum fat content of which reached 4.85 percent.

In Russia, the Yaroslavl breed (4.15 percent) achieved the greatest results in terms of fat content of cow's milk, followed by the Kholmogorskaya (3.97) and Kostromskaya (3.92). The worst indicators are for the black-and-white and red steppe species of cattle. Their fat component is noted at 3.3 percent. These are average values.

However, they live up to expectations regarding high milk yield and total fat content. Therefore, they remain popular among livestock breeders. Fat-dairy cattle are in demand, but rather in isolated cases, not for breeding herds.

Although genetics plays a role in most animal traits, milk fat content is determined by other, more significant factors. Cow's milk is significantly affected by:

Nutrition

Many owners of large and small farms are scratching their heads about how to increase the fat content of milk. The right place to start is with nutrition. Food affects the quantitative characteristics of milk yield, the taste, color and smell of homemade milk.

Fattier milk is obtained if the cow consumes:

1. clean, high-quality hay of legumes and cereals. If the rate of hay produced is reduced, the fat content drops by half a percent;
2. food should be rich in fiber, which serves as a source of nutrients;
3. light carbohydrates, sugar is needed for the rumen (part of the proventriculus), but not more than ten percent;
4. vitamins calcium, zinc, vitamin E, phosphorus, vitamin A.

Green mass, rapeseed hay, and beet pulp have the opposite effect. In spring and summer, cows need to be grazed so they spend most of their time outdoors. The growth of milk yield and the fat content of a cow’s milk increases due to the variety of plant foods.

The main thing is that no moisture gets on it and there is no rot. Porridge with boiled potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, grass flour, and silage will work during the cold season. You need to be careful with concentrated feeds and avoid overdosing.

Frequency of feeding

During the first week, babies are fed every 2-3 hours during the day to avoid various diseases and to strengthen the body. Then gradually reduce feeding at night, bringing the feeding interval to 5 hours in the second week. At week 3, when the kittens begin to see, feeding at night is stopped (from 24:00 to 6:00 am). After 4 weeks, they proceed to the feeding process according to the usual schedule.

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The kitten may refuse further food intake due to the fact that he generally eats little. Sometimes this is associated with some kind of disease. If you have any doubts, consult your veterinarian.

If the baby's tummy is large and dense, you should stop feeding after feeding the required portion. The animal may not feel full and therefore continue to eat.

Dairy products

Owners want to pamper their furry pets with something delicious. But adult cats cannot tolerate regular milk. They digest fermented milk products more easily because they contain special enzymes that initiate the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system. But adult cats like regular milk much more than sour milk.

It is better to refrain from treating kittens to cottage cheese or fermented baked milk. Freshly prepared kefir has a laxative effect. After standing for two days or more, it can cause constipation.

Is dry food compatible with milk?

If your cat eats dry ready-made food, combining it with milk is not recommended. Why can’t you give your cat these foods at the same time? This prohibition is due to the fact that:

• Dry cat food is balanced in composition and has optimal calorie content for these animals. Exceeding the latter will lead to obesity of the pet, especially if it is neutered. Exceeding the norm of micro- and macroelements can lead to disruption of the functioning of internal organs.
• The combination of these products can cause the formation of stones in the organs of the urinary system, the development of pathologies of the liver, kidneys and other diseases.