Red spot on nipples

Bonniexelaine

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Hello.
I took in a pregnant cat and she ended up giving birth to 7 kittens. She is a small cat, so I was very shocked at the size of her litter. Anyways, I noticed that after 4 days some of her nipples have little red spots on the tips. Other than this she doesn’t show any symptoms of Mastitis. She feeds them regularly, and it doesn’t seem like the nipples are bothering her at all. I’m still a tad concerned, could it be because the nipples are being overused? The nipples that rarely get any attention(nursed on) look normal. I will insert pictures to show the difference.
7AFB67C3-2499-47BA-AD3E-6BB385DC12F0.jpeg

Can these (irritated?) nipples still produce enough milk for her babies? The kittens sleep calmly and have full bellies.
491C89ED-96CE-4FF6-B236-F27CB8DDC81A.jpeg

Nipple that doesn’t get much attention. ^

I did have a phone call with my Vet, and she suggested that the nipples are like this because of the large amount of kittens she has to feed. Still anxious. I bought kitten formula in case I need to help feed them. However, I tried to the best of my ability and the kittens wouldn’t take it. They squeal and turn away from the little syringe. I made sure the formula was warm and watched videos on proper technique, but no luck. Possibly they are getting enough to eat? If I absolutely need to feed them I will figure something out.

Sorry for the long post and I appreciate anyone who can give me advice.
 

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Bonniexelaine

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I want to also mention she is eating A LOT! I feed her whenever she meows by her bowl for food so she definitely has a strong appetite still. (Even stronger now having to feed 7 kittens). I plan on having her spayed as soon as she is done nursing.
 

Sarthur2

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The red-tip nipples look sore and very chapped. Those are getting over used. The red is from all the suckling and should return to normal when she is done nursing. Apply bag balm or coconut oil to all of her nipples and mammary areas 2-3 times daily. It will help the chapping and is non-toxic to the kittens. If she develops mastitis you will know because she will be in too much pain to nurse and would need antibiotics.

She definitely needs as much food as she wants to eat right now. Give her a dish a day of the kitten formula to drink. She needs the extra calcium. You can offer her boiled chicken, scrambled egg, yogurt, and cheese for supplements.

Kittens with a mom always reject the syringe! They want mama! But if mom gets worse and you must hand feed them, I can give you tips. Once they realize good stuff is in the syringe they stop resisting.

You may want to order Miracle Nipples. They are most like mom’s.

Miracle Nipples

B Bonniexelaine
 
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Bonniexelaine

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The red-tip nipples look sore and very chapped. Those are getting over used. The red is from all the suckling and should return to normal when she is done nursing. Apply bag balm or coconut oil to all of her nipples and mammary areas 2-3 times daily. It will help the chapping and is non-toxic to the kittens. If she develops mastitis you will know because she will be in too much pain to nurse and would need antibiotics.

She definitely needs as much food as she wants to eat right now. Give her a dish a day of the kitten formula to drink. She needs the extra calcium. You can offer her boiled chicken, scrambled egg, yogurt, and cheese for supplements.

Kittens with a mom always reject the syringe! They want mama! But if mom gets worse and you must hand feed them, I can give you tips. Once they realize good stuff is in the syringe they stop resisting.

You may want to order Miracle Nipples. They are most like mom’s.

Miracle Nipples

B Bonniexelaine
Thank you! This is a relief. I will be picking up some coconut oil. I also ordered Miracle Nipples just in case. May I have some tips on feeding? I noticed today that they are whining and fighting over nipples. One in particular is whining the most and eventually gives up on looking for a spot. I don’t want him to go hungry. I believe either 1 or 2 of the nipples aren’t producing milk , so that always leaves one kitten getting upset and having to wait their turn. They are getting increasingly “whiney” when this happens.

If I do, Is it best to try and feed him in his nest? Mom trusts me with her kittens and allows me to move them, however, the kittens themselves squeal quite a bit when I try to handle them. Therefore Mom comes in and tries to lick the kitten/calm it down. This kinda disrupts the process of me trying to get them to feed.
I really do appreciate all the help.
 

Sarthur2

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First, watch this video:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Often it’s best to wrap the kitten in a towel like a burrito, with only its head sticking out. Feed upright or on the tummy with head up - never on its back. Put drops in the side of the mouth and let the kitten swallow and breathe in between. You can gently hold its head still if it wants to turn away. Once the kitten figures it out - and sometimes it takes a couple of feedings - it will begin sucking the milk right out of the syringe.

The kitten will turn away when full. It does sound like some or all need supplementing. you should begin supplementing 3-4 times a day, especially the one getting pushed off.

Get a digital kitchen scale that weighs in grams and weigh each kitten daily to make sure they are gaining. Keep a chart. They should gain 6-10 grams a day or more.

Also, it is often easier to take the kitten in another room to feed it, away from mom, at least initially.

Let me know if you have questions! 😊
 
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Bonniexelaine

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You might want to order MiracleNipples:

Miracle Nipples
Thank you. I’ve started weighing them before I tried the feeding process again, and they seem to all be steadily gaining weight. Therefore I’ve decided to just let them be. I will let the mother drink some of the formula like you recommended and keep a steady eye on them. I’ve also ordered the miracle nipples to make it easier in case I have to help.

I’d also like to add that the coconut oil almost IMMEDIATELY helped! After 2 only applications they are looking normal again.

Once again I appreciate it very much.
 
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Bonniexelaine

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Are you supplementing? If so, how’s it going?
Well, I actually encountered a different problem, and It’s unrelated to the kittens/pregnancy so I posted it in a different section (wasn’t sure exactly what to do). Mama cat herself has recently started smelling terrible around her rear end, and hasn’t pooped in about 2 days. I decided to sort this out before I feed her anything out of her ordinary diet.
 

Sarthur2

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How are you treating the constipation?

Are you oiling her nipples?

Please see that the kittens get supplementing if they need it.
 
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