New Mother Cat Not Releasing Milk

[FoxesNRoses]

Hello, I have a young momma cat (9 months old) who just had her first litter on Feb. 21. One of the babies was small and stillborn, but the second was viable. There were only the two. Her teats are swollen and hard and hang low like she has milk, but none is being released. The kitten will try to latch on and suckle, but it has been ineffective. I picked up KMR and a bottle feeding kit after the first night when I noticed the baby was still crying, and have been taking over the feedings since then. My question is, is it normal for young cats not to release their milk right away? Will it eventually come down? Her nipples are pink and dry, and she still licks at them constantly. There is no puss or oozing or any other signs of infection. She lets the kitten suckle at them easily enough. I occasionally try laying a warm washcloth over her belly and massaging the swollen glands gently to see if any will get released, but nothing yet. I have pinched the nipples gently on occasion, but they are still dry. I have given momma some KMR to drink and wet kitten food as well. It has been about 48 hours since she gave birth to the live kitten. She will be getting spayed after the kitten is weaned. Any help is appreciated.

 

[abyeb]

Cats should be able to immediately nurse their kittens. Since her mammary glands feel swollen, keep applying warm compresses. Do her glands feel hot or painful to the touch? That can be a sign of mastitis, in which case you should take her to the emergency vet. This article provides some more information: Post-birth Complications In Cats

I’m glad to hear that you’ve started bottle feeding the kittens. Please let us know if you have any questions! This article has more info about bottle feeding: Hand Rearing Kittens: What You Need To Know To Save A Newborn's Life

And, be sure to weigh the kittens daily, to make sure that they’re growing at an adequate rate. Around 10g or gain daily would be a good goal. Check out this article: Weighing Newborn Kittens (and How This Could Save Their Lives)