Posted on 08/23/2009 8:34:49 AM PDT by T Minus Four
I need some help and advice from the vast FReeper community of experts.
I have been fostering a sweet little mamma cat and her six babies since they were two days old. The kittens are now almost six weeks old.
Three days ago "Mamma Mia" slipped out and got lost. The babies were fine because they are eating dry food now but when we found Mia last night she was in a bad way.
Her poor, um, what's the word for cats, "teets" are so swollen and impacted! She's in a lot of discomfort. She wants the kittens to nurse but she can hardly stand it and I think they aren't able to latch on.
I was hoping she'd be better this morning but still has quite a rack on her (sorry mom). She is nursing two of them right now and isn't growling in pain so maybe there's hope, but is there anything I can do to ease her pain? Should she go to the vet?
Vet would be best. In the meantime if she will allow you some cool washcloths will help with discomfort and swelling.
Take them to the vet.
Oh..how beautiful!!!!
PLEASE take this little precious package to the vet.
Left to right (by noses): Marcia, Bobby, Jan, Peter, Cindy (my favorite!) and Greg
..you thought
If you have a Petsmart or any other pet store around, call them and ask for help.
I know that Petsmart has a vet service called Banfield and they can help.
LOL! Everyone keeps asking me how many I’m keeping :-)
However, I live in a townhouse and my own dog and cat will be back home in a month so I can’t keep them. I am going to sponsor Mamma Mia (pay her adoption fee) to encourage her adoption and I may have three of the babies spoken for. We have to go through the Salt Lake City shelter and pay their adoption fees though so when it comes down to it I don’t know if they will back out.
Pack up the entire bundle and take them all to the vet.
That’s a great suggestion. I have Petsmart and Petco nearby. I’ll call for advice and plan on taking her to the vet tomorrow.
These folks should be able to help;
Health and Nutrition
http://www.catforum.com/viewforum.php?f=3&start=0
from;
http://www.catforum.com/index.php
Well, the cool washcloths didn’t go over well!
Well, it sounds like Mastitis. You need to put hot compresses on the them, and then empty them out by milking her like a cow. If you see blood and infection, she will probably need antibiotics.
I would of suggested a very warm cloth to loosen what’s clogged. Also, I would separate the kittens from mom now....let mom dry out(once unclogged) so that she can get spayed. Kittens need canned and dry kitten food now. And only water....
Kitty ping
Sounds like something called mastitis. She needs to see a vet. http://www.cat-world.com.au/MastitisInCats.htm
http://cats.about.com/od/reproduction/a/postnatal.htm
Mastitis
Mastitis is an infection of the mammary glands, which occurs when the mother cat’s milk production is heavy and milk is retained. The teats become swollen and hot, with “bruising” apparent, and the mother cat may refuse to allow the kittens to nurse. Mastitis is a veterinary emergency, and the kittens may need to be hand-fed until the mother cat has recovered. In this event, refer to these resources:
I was thinking warm too.
LOL, exactly! She has some serious claws!
Take her to the vet immediately.
It is probably mastitis.
Mammals actually produce *more* milk right before the natural weaning process begins as the babies have grown to the point where the mother needs to produce even more food than before.
Having them go off the teat suddenly during this critical time will result in mastitis.
They will give her antibiotics [possibly hormone suppression shots] and now is a good time to spay her.
The kittens have been in Science Diet kitten chow for a few weeks now and lots of fresh water. They are thriving and are very healthy.
I think Mia needs them more than they need her :-)
The good news is as I am typing, they are all curled up next to me and Mia is letting five of the shuttles dock. (Little Jan is just conked out against my leg) And she is “smiling”, not crying.
I will take her to the vet in the morning unless she shows signs of more than discomfort tonight, then the emergency vet it is. I can afford it if necessary. I took the whole shebang in to the vet on my nickel the first week I got them and had Mia treated for ear mites to the tune of $60!
They all get the best food (science diet), an immaculate litter box and a clean warm bed although they prefer the corner of the couch now. And I have a crew of neighborhood kids who wait for me to come home from work so they can pet and play with them :-) They are quite loved and socialized.
Mamma belongs to the shelter and has to go back in a few weeks. They will spay her when she gets adopted.
I forgot to say... Don’t let them nurse. If she does have mastitis, they are drinking the infection.
There are some vets that will tell you that it is okay to let them nurse. However, as a dog breeder, I can tell you that I completly disagree, and I have had the dead puppies to prove it.
APPLY CABBAGE LEAVES. I DON’T KNOW WHY, BUT IT IS A PROVEN REMEDY. APPLIED CABBAGE LEAVES WILL FIX HER RIGHT UP IF YOU CAN KEEP THEM ON HER FOR A LITTLE BIT. IF SHE WON’T TOLERATE COLD CABBAGE LEAVES (LIKE THE WASH CLOTHS), WARM THEM A LITTLE, BUT THEY NEED TO BE RAW AND NOT WET. I’M GIVING YOU PEARLS HERE. CABBAGE LEAVES. IT WORKS ON HUMAN MOTHERS, TOO. MIRACULOUS, ACTUALLY. JUST LIKE CUCUMBERS ON PUFFY EYES, ONLY CABBAGE EASES BOTH PAIN AND SWELLING. GOOD LUCK.
She’ll probably be okay until tomorrow.
I have seen cows with severe life threatening mastitis and they wouldn’t be acting anywhere near as “comfortable” as the cat seems to be.
and
I don’t know if I would let the kittens suckle until she’s been diagnosed, though.
Mastitis is a bacterial infection and the milk that’s plugged up her teats would be infected with that bacteria.
We never let calves suck mastitis infected cows.
We’d inject antibiotics into the cow’s teats and give the calf “Calf Manna” while “stripping” the cow’s teats until the infection cleared up.
I believe she will be fine, though.
But are they the TV or movie Brady Bunch?
Awww, poor thing, sounds like she won’t tolerate the wet.
Try one of those ice bags from the drug store, fill with cool or warm water and alternate. Leave in place a minute or whatever she’ll allow, then work up to 5 mins at a time if you’re able. After she’s used to it, do this every couple hours or so.
A warm or cool wet cloth placed in a baggie would work if you don’t have the store-bought bag, or maybe she would lay on a warm heating pad.
Oh crimeny!
Too late, she finally let the kittens nurse for about half an hour and all seems so much better. Now I have to worry about the kitties getting sick!
I hope it is “just” a severe case of engorgement and not mastitis. She seems much better now and allowed me to apply warm wet washcloths to her tummy.
It must have felt good because she is not the kind of cat who enjoys being handled. She likes to be close to me and be petted briefly but not picked up or cuddled. But she let me hold her in a sort of reclining position on my lap, (front paws/claws securely held!!!) and put the warm cloths on her for a little while.
The situation looks MUCH better.
I’ll certainly keep an eye on the babies and watch for signs of sickness.
Darn it, why do pets and kids always get sick on Saturday nights/Sunday mornings!
LOL! TV for sure. I haven’t seen Greg and Marcia making starry eyes at each other yet :-)
That is very interesting although I doubt she’d tolerate it. I wonder what the science is behind that?
It might be just a case of engorgement. That happens all the time. Squeeze each one to see if there is blood or infection coming out. If the milk looks good, everything should be fine.
Good luck.
OK, Mamma is comfortably asleep, the kittens are literally climbing the curtains, and I’m going for a run, and then to woship the Lord my God who delighted in making such adorable little kittens for our pleasure!
Thank you so much all of you and I will post updates later today.
PS These kittens, born of a stray alley cat, have more documentation of their date and place of birth than the president of the United States. I’m just sayin....
Looks like you bagged it!
She was the first one to purr at three weeks old
woship=worship of course
You have a Monkey Face? WHOA! Good on ya!
Take her to the vet. I don’t about cats, but cows with impacted teets are sometimes infected.
Oh my gosh, I guess not! It’s Marcia’s twin!
You’re milking the premise.
IIRC, I stole that from cutelittlekittens.com. I love torties.
I pail in comparison...
“The cabbage belongs to the ‘Brassicacae Family’ and contains mustard oil, magnesium, oxalate and sulphur heterosides. Sulphur in amnio acid methionine acts as an antibiotic and anti-irritant, which in turn draws an extra flow of blood to the area. This dilates the capillaries and acts as a counter irritant, thus relieving the engorgement and inflammation and allowing milk to flow freely.”
La Leche League and just about every other breastfeeding group also advocates cabbage for engorgement. No side effects, just relief for mom. Because it is so effective and has been used forever for this purpose it is being studied as a cure for breast cancer, internal use, proven effective in rats. http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/7/1159
YES to the vet. If she has a fever especially — she probably has mastitis.
If no fever, she is probably jsut engorged. I don’t suppose you could try to “milk” her or even put warm washcloths on her teats and help her release some milk, enough for the kittens to get ahold?
We just got a kitten yesterday — who woke us all up at 6 am wanting to play - ugh - but sooo cute.
Good luck. I know EXACTLY how that Mama Cat feels. BTDT. Well, not the abandoning my kittens part. LOL.
Nursing moms with mastitis are told to nurse often and drink lots of fluids. And take hot showers. She is swollen because she didn’t nurse her babies those days. I wonder if a hot water bottle (sort of thing) would feel good. Vet probably has good answers, too. The milk won’t hurt the babies, tho, and getting things going with lots of fluids will flush the impaction through.
My dogs ALWAYS wait to have “catastrophes” on Friday nights around 11.
Never fails....I’ve learned to *dread* Fridays.
They’ll be right as rain all week but if something’s gonna go wrong, it’ll go wrong on Friday night.
Case in point, my new Dobermann pup got violent diarrhea and vomiting after having him only 3 days.
[he never did have “normal” poo...his life before me was *much* less than perfect]
We feared it was Parvo because he’d just got his first puppy vax Wednesday and God only knows what kind of exposure to various and sundry virii he’d had being raised in an old cow shed.
The diagnosis was enteric coronavirus.
He needed sub-Q fluids and was given 2 medications plus an order for a “bland diet” and Pedialyte.
So far, his vet bills have equaled his purchase price.
Is he “worth it”?
You betcha!
At the tender age of 6 weeks, he’s already “assuming the pose” and growling/barking to “defend mom” from noises he hears outside.
[all 7 “impressive” pounds of him]...:D
If you’d like, you can see him here:
http://ibizan-hound.com/odin.htm
[prayers for his continuing recovery and overcoming of a less than perfect initial formative weeks are much appreciated...he’s “My One”]
SHE CAN NURSE THE KITTENS EVEN WITH MASTITIS, people.
I had mastitis so bad I was hospitalized once. They made sure baby (6 months old) was with me in the hospital because he was the best pump ever made.
The same with these kittens. The best thing for mommy cat is to have them drain her at this point.
You people so worried about spaying her at this time are out of line. FIRST get Mama back to health. then worry about major surgery for her.
The spay-happy are so cruel, even with their good intentions. Do you know how many rescue kitties die from the forced too-early spaying, and anesthesia??? More than you ever hear about. Spaying is wonderful — but should be done on a cat in PRIME health, over 5 months of age. Let this kitty get up to full health before forcing her under the knife.
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