Happy Pets

Mastitis

Mastitis is an infection of the milk glands, which may become painful and even discharge pus. In consequence, the mother will reject her kittens when they try to suckle. In mild cases, where just one nipple is affected, it may be possible to clear the blockage by gently squeezing — but prompt veterinary treatment is most important. The kittens may become ill from the mother’s infected milk and the mother herself will be in no condition to care for them. Antibiotics will usually deal with the problem, but in the meantime the kittens may have to be removed from mother and reared by hand.

Hand-rearing kittens

In the rare cases where a cat proves a bad mother or falls unwell, or accident orphans the kittens, they must be fostered or hand-reared to survive. Hand- rearing, or partial hand-rearing, may also help if a cat has more kittens than she can really cope with, or if a weak kitten is excluded by its siblings.

Fostering is best, but a lactating female is required that can handle an extra kitten. Rubbing the kitten with a little milk squeezed from the foster mother’s nipples makes it more likely to be accepted. Sometimes another type of small mammal that has recently given birth will accept a kitten and feed it together with its own offspring.

Hand-rearing is difficult, arduous and often sadly unsuccessful. You will not only have to take over the role of maternal milkbar, you will also have to keep the kittens clean and make sure they evacuate, then later become responsible for their training. It can be a full-time job. Think twice before you undertake it.

For hand-rearing, kittens must be kept warm: 90 °F (32 °C) the first day and 85 °F (29 °C) for the next week or more, after which the temperature can be allowed to fall to about 70 °F (21 °C). If you suspend

an infra-red bulb over a kittening box you can regulate the heat by the height of the bulb.

You will need special kitten-formula powdered milk, which closely matches that of cats. Cows’ milk is not suitable for small kittens. Unsweetened evaporated milk (not condensed milk) will be the best in an emergency. If you have to feed kittens straight from birth, ask your vet for help as the kittens will not have received the antibodies from their mother’s first milk, called colostrum, which gives some protection against common diseases.

Pet stores sometimes have feeding bottles designed specially for kittens, or a doll’s bottle (if it has a proper working teat) will do as a substitute. A dropper of the kind used for eyedrops or a syringe can also be used, but are more difficult because if you squeeze the bulb inadvertently and force milk into the kitten’s mouth you may choke it — the kitten must suck the milk out in its own time. Milk should be served at about 100 °F (38 °C).

Sit down with a coarse towel on your lap — it will keep you clean and give the kitten something to grip. You can support the kitten against your palm, holding the head between finger and thumb and offering the milk with the other hand. If the kitten shows no interest, try dabbing a little formula on its nose. If it gulps too much and chokes, lift its rear end rapidly to bring up any air. Kittens may need burping just like human babies, but you should not pat them on their back; instead massage their chest and belly.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Cat Maternity problems part 2

• Cat Maternity problems part 1
• Cat Maternity problems part 3
• Male or female?
• The pregnant cat continue…
• Cat Medication Ulcers Care
• Female Cat Pregnancy Abortion Care
• Finding a cat
• Cat Internal Parasites
• Some sense about sex
• The pregnant cat

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Cats, Kittens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.