A nursing cat has hard mammary glands. The cat’s mammary glands are swollen after giving away the kittens, what should I do? What medications can be prescribed for treatment

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary glands. Mastitis in cats is one of the most common diseases. The reasons for its occurrence, symptoms, how to correctly diagnose and treat the disease of the family favorite are described in the article. There is also a video showing how to properly massage to prevent mastitis in a cat.

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Reasons

During pregnancy, the hormonal background of the expectant mother changes. If the enlargement of the glands significantly exceeds the increase in the tummy, then the animal’s hormonal levels should be checked. The cause of mastitis may be lactation that occurs before the kittens are born. In this case, the milk becomes in the form of flakes, stagnates and the inflammatory process begins.

Chronic diseases may worsen during pregnancy. They can affect the condition of the skin: it erodes around the nipples, begins to crack, wounds appear, where infection gets in and inflammation begins. Mastitis can be caused by injury. When bacteria enter the mammary gland through a wound, they cause inflammation.

If mastitis is detected in a cat that has been given anti-estrus medications, you should immediately consult a doctor. These drugs can cause serious hormonal changes, which leads to the development of various diseases, including cancer.

The cause of mastitis can be a false pregnancy, which sometimes occurs in furry pets. It can be caused by a sterile cat. Ovulation occurs, but there is no fertilization, this can cause lactation and mastitis. The most common cause of inflammation of the mammary glands is stagnation of milk after childbirth. Cats that have had few kittens but produce a lot of milk (increased lactation) are especially susceptible to this.

Symptoms

It is quite difficult to detect mastitis in a cat at an early stage. Furry pets do not like their bellies being touched during pregnancy or nursing. If your pet has thick hair, it is even more difficult to detect mastitis, since the nipples are not visible. It is easier to notice the onset of the disease in a nursing cat; she begins to meow pitifully and may refuse to feed the kittens. Symptoms of mastitis at the initial stage may be the following:

These are the symptoms of the initial stage. If the disease is not treated, it can become purulent, which has the following symptoms:

• nipples become hard and large;
• temperature rises;
• the fluid released from the nipple contains pus and blood.

First aid and treatment

In the initial stage, the furry pet needs to be provided with peace. If possible, isolate her from kittens. The cat should be limited to water. It is better not to give water at all for the first day. In the diet, soups should be replaced with porridge, canned food with dry food.

Diseased mammary glands need to be freed from milk by applying the kitten to the nipple or expressing it by hand. The mammary gland should be bandaged, but not tightly, so as not to restrict movement.

To alleviate the condition of your pet, you need to make lotions with gauze soaked in a decoction of oak bark, chamomile flowers, and sage at a temperature of approximately 38 degrees. Brief cooling may help. To do this, apply a cabbage leaf for 5 minutes on each side.

If mastitis takes on a purulent form, the kittens should be switched to artificial nutrition. Bandage the nipples and then cover them with a blanket so that the kittens cannot get to them. You should not treat purulent mastitis at home on your own; you need to go to a hospital.

Prevention

To avoid having to look for an answer to the question of how to treat mastitis in a cat, you should take preventive measures in time. Diseases are a consequence of weakened immunity, so prevention consists of timely vaccination of the animal and proper nutrition. Good living conditions for the animal and regular visits to the veterinarian are the best prevention of mastitis.

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Video “Massage for a nursing cat”

This video clearly shows how to properly massage a nursing cat to prevent mastitis.

Not only lactating or pregnant cats suffer from mastitis. Animals in normal physiological condition can also suffer from this disease under certain conditions. Inflammation of the mammary glands causes a lot of inconvenience not only to the pet, but also to its owners. Before you begin treatment for this unpleasant condition, you need to know exactly its symptoms and understand what can cause it.

Pathology occurs against the background of a poor genetic predisposition or weakening of the body's immune defense.

The most common causes of mastitis

• diseases of the genital area during or after pregnancy;
• hormonal disruptions during “empty” estrus (during which fertilization does not occur) and false pregnancy;
• stagnation of milk in the mammary glands due to its excess, mastitis after early weaning of kittens (congestive inflammatory process);
• mechanical bruises or injuries;
• bacteriological or fungal infection through cracks or any other nipple injuries (septic process);
• general hypothermia or directly mammary glands in a nursing cat;
• complications during the postpartum period (for example, purulent endometritis or pyometra) or after sterilization (in sterilized individuals, infection occurs due to complications in the postoperative wound).

Main signs of mastitis

• enlargement of the mammary glands (all, in pairs or separately in lobes);
• increase in local or general temperature (with prolonged flow);
• soreness when touched;
• redness around the nipples;
• discharge from the nipples of varying consistency (in the form of cottage cheese, kefir consistency or an admixture of blood, pus, fibrin);
• lethargy and deterioration of general condition, preventing kittens from feeding.

There is a form of subclinical mastitis in cats, the signs of which are either weak or not manifested at all (asymptomatic). Only an attentive owner can understand that something is wrong with his health:

• the animal shows slight anxiety during feeding, and between them almost constantly licks the diseased lobes of the lactating gland;
• kittens become more restless due to underfeeding or stomach upset, because... with any form of mastitis, milk from the affected lobes changes its properties;
• There is no obvious soreness, no increased temperature or redness around the nipples.

With such signs, it is important to take your furry pet to the veterinarian to rule out other, more dangerous diseases that are practically asymptomatic.

According to the nature of the course, mastitis is classified into:

• catarrhal;
• serous;
• fibrinous;
• purulent;
• hemorrhagic;
• abscessing.

Very often the forms transform into each other due to incorrect and/or untimely treatment or coexist simultaneously.

Treatment of breast inflammation

What are the consequences of improper treatment of mastitis?

It should be noted that self-help for mastitis in cats at home is only permissible in the initial stages, when the process has not started and a secondary infection has not occurred. In other cases, a visit to the veterinarian and compliance with all medical prescriptions is required in order to effectively cure mastitis in a cat.

The consequences of the inflammatory process are:

• degeneration of the mammary glands with the formation of tumors, both benign and malignant;
• death of the animal from general intoxication and sepsis;
• death of kittens from poisoning with contaminated milk.

What if the cat didn't give birth?

Mastitis in nulliparous cats is a clear reason to visit the veterinary clinic. Problems in the mammary gland after childbirth have a classic cause (stagnation of milk, infection through the nipples) and a logical consequence (inflammatory process), which are obvious even to a non-specialist. Inflammation without the presence of milk production is always some other serious reason (hormonal imbalances, injuries, internal diseases, etc.), which only a specialist can accurately determine.

What to do with the offspring during the treatment period?

A cat has mastitis - what to do with kittens? Usually they are removed during treatment, not allowing them to feed on contaminated milk. If not all parts of the mammary gland are involved in inflammation, you can try to isolate (bandage or seal) the nipples of the diseased lobes, and leave access to the healthy ones. Milk with purulent mastitis is contaminated, there is a high risk of not only indigestion in newborns, but also fatal poisoning.

When can you provide help without a veterinarian?

You can try to provide assistance yourself - treat mastitis in a cat at home - only with a serous or catarrhal form. In all other cases, therapy should only be carried out by a veterinary specialist. Moreover, the average animal owner cannot always distinguish between different forms of damage (even looking at the photo).

Expressing milk from a cat at home

You won’t be able to express milk by hand the way cows do it! All attempts to manually remove milk will only lead to unnecessary pain to the animal and additional injury to the mammary gland!

To express milk, use something like a breast pump, made from a disposable syringe with a volume of 5 ml (preferably with a rubber piston). The piston is removed, and the top of the syringe is cut off along with the nose on which the needle is placed. The edges of the cut are burned carefully over a gas burner or lighter, using your fingers to even out the circle (previously cooled a little). The piston returns. Now, by pressing this product tightly against the skin around the nipple and gently pulling the piston, a vacuum is created and the milk is gradually expressed (if the ducts are not completely blocked).

It is permissible to attempt self-treatment of mastitis in cats with the following signs:

• slight swelling of the glands;
• a slight increase in its size;
• no increase in temperature;
• there is no pain or it is insignificant;
• there is no blockage of the milk ducts in the nipples;
• no purulent or bloody discharge;
• It is not the entire gland that is affected, but its individual lobes;
• Visible improvement occurs within a day or two.

All signs that contradict the above list are a clear reason to seek help from a veterinarian!

Forms of mastitis, when self-medication + doctor’s help is possible

What you can and should do on your own

• Light stroking massage if the pet is not in pain. Massage refers to stroking and scratching movements, covering the sore milk lobes with a dome-shaped palm around each nipple. It’s very similar to when you simply scratch your favorite pet’s tummy. Movements should be gentle and not cause pain or discomfort to the cat.
• Express milk until the dense swellings become soft. The inflamed milk lobes feel dense and tense to the touch. After pumping, light pressure on the inflamed areas does not cause obvious pain, the seals disappear or are significantly reduced.
• Do not allow kittens to have sick nipples (the mammary gland is bandaged or the nipples are sealed directly). But to avoid stagnation of milk in the diseased lobes, you can express it yourself.
• Limit fluid intake. If mastitis is detected, excess milk supply must be excluded. If the cat initially eats dry food, then water is given only immediately after feeding, free access to drink is excluded. If the food is normal (from a common table), then on the first day the cat is given a drink literally once and as much as it drinks. From the next day, you can switch your cat to dry food and give it literally just to drink it. This regime is maintained until positive dynamics from the treatment procedures are noted. Then you can switch to a normal diet and drinking regimen with free access to water.
• Warm lotions (37-38°C) from decoctions of oak bark, sage, chamomile or a mixture thereof up to 3-5 times a day. 1 tbsp. of any specified herb or mixture, pour 200 ml of boiling water, infuse for 20-30 minutes in a closed container, cool to the desired temperature, moisten gauze pads and apply to the diseased gland. The top is covered with cellophane and tied with a fabric or bandage. Not tight!
• It is permissible to gently rub the diseased parts of the mammary gland with camphor or ichthyol oil and bandage them loosely. A light massage is performed, and then the inflamed gland is carefully coated with the indicated products, rubbing them lightly. Bandaging is needed more so that the cat does not lick off the oil. Before bandaging, you can cover the gland with a thin plastic bag to create a warming greenhouse effect.

What does a doctor do

When self-medication is unacceptable

What does a doctor do

How to prevent the development of mastitis

It is always easier to prevent mastitis than to treat one that has already formed. It is enough to follow a few simple rules so that this disease does not overshadow the lives of pets and their owners. Necessary:

1. Carry out regular examination of a nursing cat specifically for the appearance of an inflammatory process in the mammary glands. Be sure to pay attention to the presence of any of the main 4 signs of mastitis: swelling, pain, increased local temperature, any discharge from the nipples, except milk.
2. Eliminating drafts, preventing nursing individuals from catching colds.
3. Prompt treatment of scratches or bites from kittens on or around the nipples.
4. Avoid contact of nursing cats with sick animals.
5. Carry out regular vaccination, deworming and treatment against cutaneous blood-sucking insects.
6. Minimize the risk of mechanical injuries to the abdominal and mammary glands.
7. Ensure proper nutrition for lactating cats after giving birth to prevent sudden flows of milk, especially when there are up to 3 kittens in a litter.

Content:

Mastitis in cats is a disease characterized by the development of inflammatory processes in the mammary gland of animals. This pathology most often develops in the first days after the birth of kittens, during breastfeeding. In some cases, the cause of mastitis is “false pregnancy”.

Reasons

Mastitis in cats can be triggered by exo- and endofactors of various natures and character. Most often, inflammation of the mammary glands occurs:

• as a result of injuries, severe bruises in the peritoneum;
• with mechanical injury to the mammary glands;
• infection of the glands with viruses, bacteria that penetrate through microcracks;
• the presence of urological, gynecological diseases, pathologies;
• as a result of stagnation of milk in the mammary glands, in the case of early weaning of kittens from a nursing mother cat;
• with blockage of the mammary glands;
• due to postpartum infection;
• after the birth of non-viable, dead kittens;
• after a caesarean section.

Mastitis can develop as a result of prolonged hypothermia of the body, a decrease in resistance, and immune defenses. In some cases, the cause of mastitis is explained by a mismatch in the blood type of the mother cat and the kittens. In this case, the cat cannot feed the offspring with milk for the first day, so as not to harm the newborn babies, which leads to stagnation of milk in the glands.

Mastitis can develop against the background of a false pregnancy, in case of hormonal disorders (hormonal imbalance), after estrus.

Weakened, emaciated animals, cats suffering from chronic pathologies, diseases of the genitourinary tract, and furry cats with a weakened immune system are at risk.

Symptoms and forms of mastitis

In the early stages, it is not always possible to immediately notice inflammation of the mammary glands, since nursing pets do not tolerate touching the stomach too much. In addition, long-haired cats have nipples hidden by a fluffy coat. It is worth noting that even if there are no obvious signs of mastitis, after giving birth, be sure to examine the cat’s mammary glands and tummy.

Mastitis in cats can occur in the following forms:

• catarrhal;
• serous;
• purulent.

In the initial stages, the disease occurs in catarrhal and serous forms, but if timely treatment is not prescribed, mastitis turns into a purulent form, which requires long-term treatment and can lead to various complications.

The most characteristic clinical manifestation of mastitis is redness, hyperemia of the skin around the nipples, severe swelling, and soreness of the milk bags, which occur in the event of the development of an acute inflammatory process. The nipples are hard, hot to the touch, covered with small cracks.

Depending on the intensity and nature of the inflammation, when pressing on the nipple, a watery substance may be released, in which casein flakes are clearly visible. As the pathological process progresses, discharge from the nipples acquires a specific unpleasant odor and a yellowish tint. There may be pus, bloody clots, or inclusions in the mass discharged from the nipples.

Symptoms of mastitis in cats:

• deterioration of general physiological condition;
• increase in general temperature;
• redness of the skin around the nipples;
• increase in local temperature in the abdominal area;
• loss of appetite, refusal of favorite treats;
• strong thirst.

The cat experiences pain and refuses to feed the newborn kittens. Animals feel anxious, constantly meow, and lie down on their stomachs on a cold surface. During feeding, the cat meows pitifully and may refuse to groom and even abandon the kittens. Hungry babies constantly squeak, behave restlessly, and crawl around the box.

First aid

Having noticed a deterioration in your pet’s condition and the appearance of characteristic clinical symptoms, it is necessary to urgently take appropriate measures. In early cases of the disease, you can help your cat yourself, without the help of a veterinarian. However, it must be borne in mind that mastitis is a rapidly progressive disease and, in case of untimely or incorrect treatment, can cause serious complications and even cause the death of a pet.

First of all, it is necessary to free the mammary glands from stagnant milk by applying the kitten to the papilla or expressing colostrum manually, without putting too much pressure on the gland. In this case, all manipulations must be done extremely carefully so as not to cause pain to the cat. If you have no experience, enlist the help of a veterinary specialist.

In case of congestive mastitis, veterinarians recommend bandaging the mammary glands with a sterile gauze bandage. Warm compresses based on medicinal herbs will help eliminate inflammation in the diseased gland. During the day, you need to rinse the mammary glands several times with a decoction of chamomile, St. John's wort, and sage. Liquids are given to cats in limited quantities and only if the animal is very thirsty. Water can be removed for 24-26 hours. If the cat is kept on canned liquid food, high-quality dry food is gradually introduced into the diet. Food should be light, not too high in calories.

To treat mastitis at home and normalize the general condition, veterinary experts recommend using Mastomethrin. A homeopathic injection drug can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy or veterinary clinic. It is administered subcutaneously. 1.5 ml intramuscularly for three days in a row.

Systematically examine the belly of your furry purr, monitor the condition of the nipples, mammary glands, as well as the cat’s behavior. If the situation has not returned to normal, contact your veterinarian immediately to prevent the development of purulent mastitis.

Treatment of purulent mastitis

If mastitis becomes purulent, treatment should be carried out by a veterinarian. Newborn babies are taken away from their mother cat, and the kittens are transferred to artificial feeding. The cat's nipples are tied with a tight sterile cloth, and a blanket is put on top.

To eliminate the symptoms of mastitis and relieve inflammation, the veterinarian prescribes antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pharmacological drugs. To relieve pain symptoms, novocaine blockades and anti-inflammatory treatment are performed. Abscesses are opened.

As additional therapy, cats are prescribed homeopathic, symptomatic, and enzyme preparations. To improve the general condition, a therapeutic diet and vitamin and mineral complexes can be prescribed.

In extremely severe cases, treatment of the purulent form of mastitis is carried out surgically to express the pus and pathological exudate.

Prevention of mastitis

If you notice wounds, cracks, or dry skin in the nipple area, treat the damaged areas with special products and antibacterial solutions.