Homemade cat food
Emergency Kitten Milk Replacer
A short-term homemade formula to keep an orphaned or unweaned kitten going for a feed or two until you can reach a vet and proper commercial kitten milk replacer — never cow's milk.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 feed
🧺 Ingredients
- 240ml (1 cup) whole goat's milk, or canned evaporated milk diluted with an equal part of water
- 1 raw egg yolk only, no white
- 1 teaspoon plain full-fat yoghurt, or a single drop of light corn syrup for energy
- A pinch of unflavoured gelatine to thicken the mix for very young kittens (optional)
👩🍳 Method
- Warm the goat's milk gently to body temperature — never hot — in a clean jug.
- Whisk in the egg yolk and yoghurt until completely smooth with no lumps.
- If using gelatine, dissolve it fully in a little of the warm milk first, then blend it back in.
- Strain the mixture and offer it at body temperature from a proper kitten bottle, never a human baby bottle teat.
- Discard any leftovers after each feed and make it fresh every time — never reuse or reheat an old batch.
Nutrition: Goat's milk is lower in lactose and gentler than cow's milk, while the egg yolk adds easily digested fat and protein to sustain a kitten short-term until a balanced replacer is available.
📝 Notes
This is a stopgap for a genuine emergency only, not a complete diet. Orphaned kittens need proper commercial kitten milk replacer and a vet's guidance on feeding amounts and schedules as soon as possible. Ordinary cow's milk and lactose-rich dairy cause dangerous diarrhoea in kittens and must never be used.
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⚕️ Before you cook for your cat
- Homemade food must be balanced. Cats need taurine, and deficiency causes heart and eye disease.
- Treat recipes are supplements to a complete diet, not a replacement for it.
- Check any new ingredient against the toxic-foods list, and ask your vet before switching diets.