Mastitis

Mastitis is the inflammation of the mammalian mammary gland. Most often it occurs at the beginning or at the end of the lactation period. Mastitis can be predisposed by a plugged milk duct, unclean living conditions, too low temperature or the like. Milk secretion is directly stimulated by nursing. The bigger the size of the litter, the more kittens will nurse from the mother and the more milk will be produced by the mammary gland. The reverse also holds true: if the litter consists of only one kitten, there will be very little milk, only enough for one kitten to feed. If you leave other kittens with a female cat that has not bred and if these kittens accidentally start nursing from her, the feline will start producing milk. This is why weaning should be gradual, otherwise the queen’s glands may become over-full and painful. If the litter is big in size, try to wean several kittens first, and the others (or part of the rest) after several days. In this way the queen will gradually start producing less milk. If you take all the kittens away in one day, the queen will still keep producing milk for some time; the milk will stay in the glands and cause inflammation.

At the beginning of lactation, mastitis can develop when kittens are taken away directly after birth or when only one kitten who nurses little is left from a big litter.

After inflammation starts, kittens themselves refuse to nurse from the infected gland, milk stays in the gland, thus keeping the closed circle turning.
The signs of mastitis in a queen are depression, lethargy, loss of appetite, fever and refusal to nurse or care for the kittens. One or more affected mammal glands become swollen, red, hard and painful; the milk may be bloody, yellow or thick. Infected mammary glands may develop an abscess which, if left untreated, can become gangrenous. Purulent mastitis is dangerous to nursing kittens. It is, therefore, recommended to bottle feed kittens instead. Felines with chronic mastitis may vomit, have diarrhoea and not show regular signs of the disease. The kittens, however, can die of mastitis infected milk.

Treatment depends on the severity of the condition. Sometimes a gentle massage, application of warm compresses together with milk drainage may be enough. In more complicated cases, antibiotics may be given and infusion ointments may be applied to the queen. The abscesses will need to be lanced and drained.
Mastitis can be prevented by keeping a watchful eye over the queen’s mammary glands during lactation.