Hard black stool from kittens. And is sheep milk or goat milk good for young kittens?

purpleunicornic

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Hi I have two kittens, 48 days old, called, Snow and Flake. They're both female/sisters. I just got em like two days ago. They are persian. They're hyper active and sometimes not so much. They eat 4-5 times a day, but not much. They just luck up the food, drink a little water and off. The first day they didn't poop, just peed in my bed twice [emoji]128514[/emoji] the second day when they were playing I heard some grumbling noise from their stomachs. I looked it up online but I wasn't convinced. Then they had this black-ish hard stool coming out, they were having a hard time getting it out. I'm kinda worried. Should I take them to the vet ASAP?
 

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My cat had the same problem when he was a kitten and I brought him to the vet they very next day, I recommend you go to the vet ASAP since it isn't normal and there might be a problem with their digestive system, it might be the food your giving them.
 
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purpleunicornic

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I've heard the cow's milk isn't good for cats so I'm avoiding it. They won't eat much so I'm wanting to ask, should I get them goat or sheeps milk? As KMR is unavailable in my town, I can't get that. And do tell me the pros and cons of milk for kitties.
 
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bangis

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Most cats are lactose intolerrant so if you give them milk their digestive system wont process it properly and your cat will have a high chance of having diarrhea, so do not feed them milk, water is good.
 
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purpleunicornic

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Oh I see. Thank you! However they're not eating or drinking much so I'm a little concerned. I gave them a little cow milk (ik it's not good but..) and yeah they seemed to love it. So I'm just wondering if it's alright if I gave them goat or sheeps milk once in a while.
 

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Hi @purpleunicornic  I've moved your thread to our Kittens forum so you'll get some more responses.

Are the kittens still with their mother?

Have you tried feeding them wet kitten food softened with a little water?

Can you get KMR on the internet delivered to where you live?

Sheep or goats milk would be much better for them than cows milk.
 
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StefanZ

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Hi I have two 45-50 days old kittens. I've heard the cow's milk isn't good for cats so I'm avoiding it. They won't eat much so I'm wanting to ask, should I get them goat or sheeps milk? As KMR is unavailable in my town, I can't get that. And do tell me the pros and cons of milk for kitties.
Goats milk is excellent, many has tried and are happy with it.  Raw is good and has an edge in some conditions.  But  processed in bottles or powder is useful too.  Take full fat variation if you can, ie at least 2,8%.  Avoid funny low fat diet variations.

Sheeps milk should be OK too.  We dont have as many trials,  so we cant recommend this as wholeheartly, but it should be OK.

Cow milk we dont recommend no.  But if in a pinch,  raw full fat cow milk is probably less bad than processed and pasteurized.   Also, it seems cow milk from cows of old type is less bad.   Thus, we have sure examples raw buffalo milk is OK to use. (buffalo as from the east Asia working animals).

The reasons seems to be not only the lactose, but also some proteine contents, which are in milk from modern type high producing cows, but isnt in cows of old types.
 

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As Bangis said, water is usually good enough for adult cats. But sometimes you want to supplement them.  OR they are kittens yet...   Another alternative is plain unsweetened full fat youghurt.  The lactose is greatly reduced in yoghurt, so most cats do manage it well. Youghurt contains also useful bacteria, so its good for example when they gets antibiotics.
 
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purpleunicornic

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Hi @purpleunicornic
 I've moved your thread to our Kittens forum so you'll get some more responses.

Are the kittens still with their mother?

Have you tried feeding them wet kitten food softened with a little water?

Can you get KMR on the internet delivered to where you live?

Sheep or goats milk would be much better for them than cows milk.
thank you for your response! No, I adopted them like 3 days ago and their mom was not with them. I gave them wet kitten food dipped in the water, they ate it just fine but later they had hard black-ish poop coming out. So I stopped. Since then, they're only eating cooked eggs, boiled chicken and fish. They don't drink a lot of water either. I've tried searching for KMR on the internet but the websites won't deliver to my place. I've tried cooking them pumpkin and stuff but they just lick the bowl and leave it there. Oh and one more thing, sometimes their stomachs make rumbling sounds. I'm not sure why..
 
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purpleunicornic

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Goats milk is excellent, many has tried and are happy with it.  Raw is good and has an edge in some conditions.  But  processed in bottles or powder is useful too.  Take full fat variation if you can, ie at least 2,8%.  Avoid funny low fat diet variations.

Sheeps milk should be OK too.  We dont have as many trials,  so we cant recommend this as wholeheartly, but it should be OK.

Cow milk we dont recommend no.  But if in a pinch,  raw full fat cow milk is probably less bad than processed and pasteurized.   Also, it seems cow milk from cows of old type is less bad.   Thus, we have sure examples raw buffalo milk is OK to use. (buffalo as from the east Asia working animals).

The reasons seems to be not only the lactose, but also some proteine contents, which are in milk from modern type high producing cows, but isnt in cows of old types.
Thank you! I'll be careful. I don't want them to get diarrhea and then start throwing up. Can I feed them raw/fresh goat milk? Or do I need to boil it? Btw I haven't taken them to a vet yet. I'm planning on having them checked this Sunday. Fingers crossed..
 

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It could be gas or it could be a sign that they need to be treated for worms. Have they been checked over by a vet yet? I think they'll be a bit young for the worming medicines I use, but your vet will be able to tell you what to do.

Things like eggs, chicken and fish are OK for a treat now and then, but it's much better to get them on proper cat food. Cats need all kinds of vitamins and minerals that can't be found in cooked chicken. Feeding them home made food is fine, but it takes a lot of care to make sure you have everything a growing kitten needs in the food.

Canned food makes things much easier.

 
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purpleunicornic

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As Bangis said, water is usually good enough for adult cats. But sometimes you want to supplement them.  OR they are kittens yet...   Another alternative is plain unsweetened full fat youghurt.  The lactose is greatly reduced in yoghurt, so most cats do manage it well. Youghurt contains also useful bacteria, so its good for example when they gets antibiotics.
Thank you for your information! I'll go get youghurt today from the supermarket. I don't know if they have the low fat canes but I'll look up. Can I feed them condense milk too? It's not high in fat and lactose.
 

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Thank you! I'll be careful. I don't want them to get diarrhea and then start throwing up. Can I feed them raw/fresh goat milk? Or do I need to boil it? Btw I haven't taken them to a vet yet. I'm planning on having them checked this Sunday. Fingers crossed..
If you are decently sure the goats were decently clean and the milking was done in decently hygienic circumstances, you can give them raw yes.   Its this which gives raw milk the edge: the natural enzymes and such arent destroeyd by cooking...

But if you fear the milk isnt made in hygienic conditions, its safest to boil it.  The edge disappears, but its still safe and good nutrients.

The rumbling you mentioned in another post may be natural, but may also be a trace something is hard digested for them.
 

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Thank you for your information! I'll go get youghurt today from the supermarket. I don't know if they have the low fat canes but I'll look up. Can I feed them condense milk too? It's not high in fat and lactose.
To avoid misunderstandings:  it shall be full fat, NOT low fat.    

Re condensed milk; I really Im not sure.  Some sorts of condensed milk is made by boiling the milk.  these should be OK, as it tends to crack up the lactose, and that is why its sweet.  But some sorts arent as sugar is added...

But condensed milk is emergency.  If you can get goats milk, or sheeps milk, do so.    Also full fat plain yoghurt is OK for sure.  Turkish youghurt for example...
 
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purpleunicornic

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It could be gas or it could be a sign that they need to be treated for worms. Have they been checked over by a vet yet? I think they'll be a bit young for the worming medicines I use, but your vet will be able to tell you what to do.

Things like eggs, chicken and fish are OK for a treat now and then, but it's much better to get them on proper cat food. Cats need all kinds of vitamins and minerals that can't be found in cooked chicken. Feeding them home made food is fine, but it takes a lot of care to make sure you have everything a growing kitten needs in the food.

Canned food makes things much easier.

:bigwink:
Gas? Hmm, but the rumbling is sometimes longer and extreme. Or they're just hungry. Maybe I'm looking too much into it. I will take them to a vet however. And I agree canned food are great, but my kitties won't eat them [emoji]128542[/emoji]
 
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purpleunicornic

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If you are decently sure the goats were decently clean and the milking was done in decently hygienic circumstances, you can give them raw yes.   Its this which gives raw milk the edge: the natural enzymes and such arent destroeyd by cooking...

But if you fear the milk isnt made in hygienic conditions, its safest to boil it.  The edge disappears, but its still safe and good nutrients.


The rumbling you mentioned in another post may be natural, but may also be a trace something is hard digested for them.
Ah I'll go see myself how they extract milk. Then I can be sure it's totally fine. Thank you. Oh and to the later post, I understand. I'll ask a vet about it. The vets in my town aren't that good but yeah. I asked them about KMR and where can I get it, but they weren't sure [emoji]128514[/emoji] and the rumbling is quite frequent. Recently they have had black and hard stool coming out and they were having a hard time getting it out. I don't want to look it up on Google because that'll scare me more.. I've sent their poo to the lab. Hopefully they're okay.
 

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Gas? Hmm, but the rumbling is sometimes longer and extreme. Or they're just hungry. Maybe I'm looking too much into it. I will take them to a vet however. And I agree canned food are great, but my kitties won't eat them [emoji]128542[/emoji]
You may need to try lots of different kinds. One weaning trick is to mix the cat food with kitten milk or goat milk and make a mush for them. Baby food with just meat as an ingredient is good for weaning too.

They do really need to be eating cat food. Not getting a balanced diet is dangerous.
 
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