mom cat is getting over infection and she cries when nursing

[dethstryke]

the mom cat, dotty, just had her 104.5 fever break and now she wants to care for her kitties. she had a RAGING infection and high fever and wasnt eating or drinking. now that she is feeling a little better, she wants to be with her kittens but when they climb all over her, she silently meows at me!!
she gave birth to seven kittens and they were born on august 21st. how do i protect her nipples so she can heal while also being a good mommy cat?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, were you feeding the kittens while she was sick?

 

[dethstryke]

yeah i'm bottle feeding them while she recuperates but she is trying to be the mom today! she was inspecting my feeding technique and grabbing kittens and bringing them to the box and then when they start to feed on her she is like OH NO PAIN! *silent meow silent meow* then when all of them are climbing on her she is like MEOW! she is severely underweight since she was A: a stray, B: hadnt eaten in three days. she weighed 5lbs and some ounces but not enough to round up to 6lbs.
but she gets really distracted by the kitten meows as i'm feeding them that she is going towards her food but hears a mew and then turns towards the kitten.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you keep on feeding them?

Can you supplement Mom's food with some KMR?

 

[dethstryke]

yeah i am having no issues with feeding the kittens, i just dont want her to be in pain when she wants to lay with her babies.

 

[Furballsmom]

Unfortunately, bless her little heart but it will take a while yet .

Also Royal Canin mother and baby cat or other kitten food will help her to gain weight.

Would the vet be able to provide pain meds?

 

[dethstryke]

i have to call tomorrow and see whats up with care

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know what they say

 

[Sarthur2]

In the meantime, take the kittens to another room to bottle feed so mom is less disturbed. Hoping her continued antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory (like Onsior) will have her feeling better soon. I hope she begins eating more soon too!

 

[dethstryke]

she appears to have a weird dark spot in between her nipples in the center of her belly. she does NOT like it being touched and is vocal about it

 

[dethstryke]

It appears this is the infected nipple that caused the fever! How can I keep the kittens from clawing and stepping and trying to nurse from this while it heals? It's kinda bleeding. The poor mommy cat.

 

[catsknowme]

Oh no! I hope that you are able to get to the vet right away! Ask for a way to send those pictures to the vet because mastitis can become a medical emergency if the tissue becomes necrotic. Surely they should have given pain medication with antibiotics but if not, they should do so as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, you can try applying raw cabbage leaf compresses by putting on the cabbage leaf (or chopped cabbage leaves) then use a soft pad on top and wrap it on with an ace bandage or piece of clean Tshirt. If you ask your local cat rescues, they may have suggestions as well (dog rescues also should have fosters who can advise you). You can trim the kittens' razor sharp nails.
Here are a couple of links which include information on cabbage leaf compresses.

Mastitis in Dogs & Cats – A Painful Part of Motherhood

What to Know About Cabbage Leaves for Mastitis

Mastitis in Cats | VCA Animal Hospital

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my! What antibiotic is she on? That needs warm compresses and a topical to soothe such as coconut oil. It definitely needs covering for a few days. You may need to put a baby shirt on mom or separate the kittens from her for a few days.

Please send that photo to the vet! Kittens have no business crawling on her right now. That looks ultra painful and does not appear to be healing well.

dethstryke

 

[catsknowme]

How is Dotty doing?

 

[dethstryke]

She was doing good but the mastitis is getting bigger and more painful. Just three hours ago she was jumping up on a chair to get to the can of food and meowing and letting me hold her and now she is laying away from the kittens and moving slowly again. I am waiting on a response from the vet to see if she can make it without surgery or I may have to put her out of her misery as I cannot afford to spend lots on a stray cat that was way too thin to begin with.

 

[dethstryke]

I don't know the name of the shot she received but she is getting amoxicillin orally twice a day. I tried keeping it clean but it started to produce puss or something last night and now there is a cavity opened up from the swelling stretching the skin a bit.

 

[catsknowme]

The puss and hole may not necessarily be a bad thing - you will see the same unnerving sight when a cat has an access on it jaw, usually from fighting. With those abcesses, my vet makes me wait until it bursts before she will give antibiotics; warm compresses can help speed it up but my vet says that the infection can internalize. I am sad that she's in pain, though - Dotty's vet probably never breastfed or they would've thought of adding pain medication.
Have you tried starting a crowdfunding for Dotty? Does her vet accept PayPal, CashApp or Venmo? Sometimes it's better if funds go directly to the vet. Or a local cat rescue might be able to accept funds on Dotty's behalf as long as you agree to foster her family.. I think that GoFundMe can take too long to get the funds to the recipient. It would be a terrible tragedy for Dotty to lose out on such a good, loving home and her kittens to lose the valuable instructions from a mama cat because of lack of funds; that is, if her condition leaves her still viable.
I would continue warm compresses and definitely apply coconut oil (preferably raw). Try to continue comforting her, gently stroke her about the face and neck using "J" strokes that mimic a mama kitty's licks. I know that's asking a lot because now you have a litter of neonates to attend to. The first few weeks are rugged, as many of us here know only far to well, but then the major cuteness stage arrives. Are there any helping hands that you can enlist for support? I know that you probably have more duties than cat & kitten rescue.

 

[Furballsmom]

Maybe there's something here;
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – TheCatSite Articles

Is there ANY way you can get some pain meds?!?

 

[Sarthur2]

Have you tried warm damp compresses? The pus needs to come out and the compresses may help to soothe and to draw out more of the infection. She does need pain meds though. I hope you hear back from the vet soon. Please keep us posted. I feel so bad for her.

 

[catsknowme]

I forgot to add that keeping her hydrated is very important. I like to use 50/50 unflavored pedialyte and good water. Also, I rub honey or corn syrup on the gums every 1/2 hour or so. If she wants to eat any of the coconut oil, let her - holistic healers say that coconut oil has both antiviral and antibiotic properties. Sending prayers and vibes for Team Dotty