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?
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.
I definitely thought of the cabbage leaves, as they are magnificent for weaning and engorgement in humans!!
But then I thought, how the heck will she gets them on the cat? We can put them in a bra. So I left that out. But if the cat is lying down maybe.
I think warm compresses and some gently “milking” just to the point where the kittens can suckle.
Awww, poor baby! Hope he perks up fast!
Amen!!! I can't imagine why the question is even asked! Would think that would be a no brain-er.
Ha ha. My sister’s male Schnauzer has seizures so wears a velcro diaper around his belly (not his tail). It’s wraps around his belly/back, holding a pad against his “belly.” They sell them at Petsmart. Maybe the cat could wear shredded cabbage leaves in an elastic bandage for 30 minutes, safety-penned at the back? She would hate it, of course, but it might be just the thing, would work like a cat bra (did I just say that?) and the support alone might ease her a little. : D
He’s doing much better already but he’s so young and possibly compromised that I worry constantly.
I would take her to the vet.
Ice pack the areas she uses to nurse and get Mother cat to the vet ASAP.=^..^=
ha ha. You dug deep for that one!
Kitten registration and a kitten adoption tax?
Gave up on that old concept of freedom a long time ago, huh?
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