Awfully pink nipples on mom cat

That's pretty much what Goldy looks like right after the babies have been nursing. I think you're okay as long as the bright pink doesn't extend past the nipples. Is she acting like she's in pain when the kittens nurse?

They look ok right now.

They look good to me to! Some warning signs are growling when she nurses, pain and/or heat from the affected nipple(s). Sometimes the mom cats will get a fever, I check for fever daily, all you have to do is rub their ears. When my first queen had a fever there was no question she had one, the temperature difference is definitely evident. But along with a fever, your mom will probably seem lethargic.

All that said, there are two different kinds of mastitis in cats. Septic and Non Septic. I've experience one of each on my fostering lifetime. With the septic version the cat will most likely have a fever and there will be no doubt something is wrong. She needs vet care immediately. With the non-septic kind, is likely caused by a clogged duct. The mom cat will experience pain, and will likely be hesitant to nurse, so it is good that the care giver is observant, and can detect lack of feedings to the kittens, or observe her growling when her kittens nurse. At this point she wont have a fever, but left untreated, this can quickly progress to Septic. If you notice a queen in pain when she nurses, you can tape up the sore nipples, you can help her with warm compresses as she allows and you might want to consider supplementing and weaning the kittens slowly depending on their age.

Anyway, the picture you posted looks good. How is she acting? She doesnt seem sore does she? Mastitis can come on quickly, so it's great that you are keeping a close eye on her!!!

Continued luck and vibes

You're just being a good dad! That's a good thing

You're doing a wonderful job! and I love to follow their blog. It's great!

Checked out the vid of momma feeding the babies! Too cute!!!

Similar question

How warm is warm? On the ears I mean.

Our mom growls sometimes but I think that has more to do with a couple of the kittens being nipple biters.

A cat's normal temperature is higher than that of a human's, it is 100.5 to 102.5. Now remember that is a rectal temperature.

When my mom cat had her temp, she had hot ears, and it was obvious to me that she had a fever. But it helped that she was showing other classic signs. Walking real gingerly, was hesitant to go to her kittens, seemed real lethargic. He kittens were only like a day or two old at the time so the fact that she didnt want to get in the box was a big tip-off.

Now the other mom cat that had non-septic mastitis, didnt have a fever. Her only sign was the growling at her kittens when they nursed and when I examined her belly it was obvious which nipples were bothering her. They were red and inflamed and she was uncomfortable if I touched them. She would let me put warm compresses on them, and I tried to tape the inflamed ones up best I could. What I did was split her litter. She only had 4, but with her having sore nipples I had her nurse them in pairs when I could help it. And I helped her out by supplementing the too smallest ones. He kittens were older, just past 3 weeks, so I also began weaning them early.

I hope this helps. Growling at the kittens is not normal, although if it is only occasionally, it might be something else... It's good that you are keeping an eye on her!

Also, sometimes what happens is the kittens will scratch up the mom cat's belly, if that is the case, you might want to take a pair of nail clippers and begin trimming the kittens nails. Even if this isnt the case, it is always good practice to get the kittens used to claw trimming. Also, if you discover scratches, you may want to check them to be sure they are not getting infected.