Mother cats nipples are swollen with milk and kitten wont feed.?

Question

My cat gave birth to two kittens, since then one has died, about six weeks ago. We are in the process of weening her with a formula suggested by vet. But i have noticed that the mother's nipples just one actually, is very swollen with milk. Now the kitten still feeds but not off of that nipple. i have tried to force the kitten to that nipple but she is uninterested. I have read that if you leave the mother alone with no food or water for at least 24hours the milk can absorb into her body agian. I wanted to know if there are anyother things i can do before an infection may occur. Thanks

that would make sense about the whole assigned nipple thing, that might have been the kitten that passed, spot. he died a few days ago...thanks

Answer 1

I would probably just get a vet to access it. It may be that the cat has an infected or blocked milk gland. It usually dries up on it's own. The kitten may already sense that something is wrong with that nipple and that is why the kitten won't drink from it. If it does not get better within a couple of days, I would definitely let the vet take a look. You don't want an infection that could hurt kitty too.

Answer 2

Kittens generally assign themselves a nipple right after they are born, and they rarely switch. Continue giving her kitten formula. Your cats system should go back to normal on it's own. If it dosen't in the next week, you may want to take both to the vet for a check up.

Answer 3

That is a myth with no food and water, I believe. It doesn't make sense. The nipple should dry up on it's own. If she looks really painful, you could milk it a bit to get the swelling down, but if you do it too much, it could have the opposite effect and keep filling with milk.