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Nursing cat's nipple swollen, kittens crying. Is it mastitis?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 10 lbs

My mother cat(a stray) gave birth a week ago this past Saturday to 3 Manx kittens. Today it seems that they have eaten her nipple off, she is very swollen on that nipple and the babies are crying non stop, I've tried to help with a bottle.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 7th, 2017

Poor willow. It appears that she may have mastitis an infection of the mammary gland. She needs to see a vet asap as this is very painful and can become a systemic illness. I would continue to bottle feed kittens until mom gets assessed to see if she can still feed them or not. Make sure they are on KMR or a good quality kitten milk replacer

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 11th, 2019

    This presentation could be due to a mastitis, which is an inflammation/infection of the mammary gland. This infection can become systemic and can cause quite a lot of pain if not treated appropriately. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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