Nursing momma

[Oliviarice]

My cat, Sammy, has a liter of 7, born 8days ago. She only has four functioning nipples and they suckle all over her belly so she has a patch of raw skin from them. I thought it would be better once they open their eyes, although it’s only been about 2 days so maybe it’ll get better with more time. Is this something I should be worried about? I can’t find anything on google and I don’t want to take her to the vet if it’s not truly serious.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm pretty sure this is not going to get better. Can you ask your vet, or local rescues, if they know of a mama cat who lost her kittens, or has only one kitten and could nurse three of yours?

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh dear! Apply coconut oil to the area to help soothe and heal. The oil is non-toxic to kittens.

The real problem here causing it is 7 kittens who all want to nurse at the same time and only 4 nipples. I recommend that you begin supplementing the kittens with formula and a syringe. This will help all of them to fill up and suckle less on mom’s skin while waiting their turn on a nipple.

Here is a helpful video for feeding tiny kittens:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

If mom’s raw patch gets worse it could get infected. Keep an eye on it!