Treatment of mastitis in cats with folk remedies. Treatment of mastitis in cats: several causes of the disease, obvious symptoms

Mastitis of the mammary glands in cats is a fairly common disease, the danger of which, unfortunately, is often neglected by many owners. It is necessary to clearly understand the causes and consequences of this pathology in order to avoid its development and serious complications. And, of course, important attention should be paid to the prevention of mastitis.

Why does mastitis appear in cats?

Mastitis is an inflammatory process of an infectious nature that occurs in the mammary glands of a cat. The process can be either acute or chronic. An acute pathology develops very quickly and is deadly for both the animal itself and its offspring.

Do not allow mastitis to develop - this is a very dangerous disease.

Causes and danger of the disease

In addition to the infection itself, the disease may have several other associated causes:

• injuries;
• hygiene violations;
• sudden hormonal changes;
• hyperlactation and milk stagnation.

During the period of feeding their offspring, cats can often get injured - usually they are damaged by the kittens themselves with their sharp claws and teeth. If the nest is not properly kept clean, pathogenic bacteria from the dirty litter penetrate into the gland tissue - the wound surfaces become infected, and inflammation begins.

When feeding, babies' sharp teeth and claws injure their nipples

The second, less common cause of mastitis is hormonal imbalance provoked by the so-called false pregnancy. “Spoons” occur much more often in dogs, but also occur in cats. At the end of estrus - if fertilization has not occurred - the level of the hormone progesterone begins to decrease, and the content of another hormone - prolactin - increases. Thus, a nulliparous and not even pregnant cat produces milk - it stagnates and can lead to mastitis.

Hormonal imbalances and false pregnancies can lead to mastitis

Congestion in the mammary glands is also typical when feeding small litters - a cat has so much milk that the kittens simply do not have time to suck it completely. Milk begins to ferment, decompose, curdle, and as a result becomes a “food base” for a huge number of bacteria and the cause of acute inflammation.

Milk stagnation is a common cause of mastitis

In rare cases, symptoms of mastitis may also appear during hormonal treatment of a cat for cancer.

There are many other factors that directly or indirectly contribute to the occurrence of mastitis; among them:

• genetic predisposition;
• stress;
• unsatisfactory physical condition of the animal;
• eating disorders;
• chronic diseases of the reproductive sphere;
• blocked milk ducts and poor lymph circulation.

A balanced, high-quality diet is an important measure for the prevention of mastitis.

If the correct treatment was not prescribed and applied in a timely manner, mastitis can result in serious consequences for the body and even the death of the animal.

Video: Mastitis in a cat is dangerous

Course of the disease

In most cases, mastitis develops in the first stages of lactation. The cat’s body is actively adjusting to the feeding regime, milk production begins, the skin on the mammary glands becomes thin, soft and vulnerable to various types of damage. During this period, the animal requires special attention, and often help.

Complications may occur at the beginning of lactation

Symptoms of mastitis

It is very important to recognize the signs of an incipient disease as early as possible in order to begin treatment in a timely manner. You should immediately pay attention to the following symptoms:

• the cat became lethargic, apathetic, lost its appetite;
• the mammary glands turned red, became hard and hot;
• the skin on the milk beds becomes dry and rough;
• the pet frequently licks its belly and tries to gnaw its nipples;
• the nursing animal is in pain and does not allow the kittens to access the glands;
• when pressing on the nipples, watery milk containing pus or blood is released;
• sometimes the general body temperature rises.

Video: treating mastitis

Treatment - at home and at the veterinarian

The sooner mastitis is diagnosed, the higher the likelihood of its complete cure, without complications or other negative consequences. Do not rely entirely on folk methods and advice from “experienced” people - consult a doctor immediately. Treatment of mastitis must be timely, qualified and rational.

Wasted time and self-medication will quickly lead to complex forms of the disease

There are two main forms of mastitis: congestive and bacterial, and if in the first case you can try to help your pet on your own, then in the second, only medical assistance is needed.

Urgently see a doctor

If we are not talking about simple stagnation of milk, but about an acute pathology, you cannot do without treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics - and only a veterinarian can prescribe them and select the correct dosage. Depending on the severity and form of the disease, the doctor will choose either a therapeutic or surgical method of treatment.

Only a doctor has the right to prescribe forms and methods of treatment.

Drug therapy includes the complex use of various drugs:

• antibiotic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antipyretic.
• painkillers.

The cat should not be allowed to lick the mammary glands, thus continuing to injure them. To do this, put a blanket or a special protective collar on the animal.

A special blanket will protect against additional injury

If treatment with medications does not produce positive dynamics, you have to resort to surgery. Foci of acute inflammation - multiple abscesses and fistulas - require clear removal.

What can be done at home

Swelling, inflammation, redness of the mammary glands - all these symptoms can make themselves felt in the last stages of pregnancy or immediately after childbirth. Such signs indicate that the milk is coming in quickly and is already beginning to stagnate, since the kittens do not suck it out. In this case, you can help your cat using the following methods:

• massage;
• compresses;
• pumping;
• milk suction.

The fur on the belly of a sick cat should be carefully trimmed or shaved - hairs can cause additional irritation and worsen the animal's condition. Fresh cabbage leaves are applied to the inflamed mammary glands - this is a simple and effective folk method - and anti-inflammatory ointments, for example, levomekol.

The fur on the belly of a sick cat needs to be trimmed or shaved.

It is very important for congestive mastitis to relieve tension in the mammary gland and express excess milk. This painful process will not cause much delight in the cat - most likely, you will need a helper to hold it. But a timely, albeit unpleasant procedure will save the animal from much greater suffering and help create a normal lactation regime. Massage and pumping should also be carried out during hyperlactation, when the litter is too small and the milk remains unclaimed.

Attention: if a cat’s mastitis has already entered the purulent phase, treating it at home is categorically unacceptable - it can cause irreparable harm to the animal. At the first signs of illness, immediately seek advice from a veterinarian.

Video: making a breast pump for a cat

While the mother cat is sick

Carefully monitor the condition of each of the lactating cat's nipples. Mastitis usually does not begin simultaneously in all mammary glands, but in one or two of them. And the cause of this pathology is precisely the stagnation of milk, which the kittens simply do not have time to drink.

Babies prefer milkier and softer nipples - they are easier to suck. The axillary glands are most often quite dense, and the baby has to work hard to get milk from there. Since there is a choice, the kitten abandons the stubborn nipple and moves to a more comfortable one. But in the meantime, milk arrives equally throughout the entire package, and stagnation begins in the unclaimed glands.

Kittens always choose the milkiest nipples

The owner's task is to redistribute the kittens among the milk ridges in such a way that all glands are emptied evenly. Just don’t count on the baby’s efforts if the gland is already inflamed - fermented milk is not only not healthy, but also dangerous for the kitten; Express it carefully by hand. Limit the cubs' access to sore nipples - tape them or bandage them.

If the cause of mastitis is an infection and the cat is receiving a course of antibiotics, the babies will have to be switched to artificial feeding or try to find a wet nurse for them. Unfortunately, they are strictly prohibited from consuming mother's milk.

While the cat is sick, the kittens will have to be transferred to artificial feeding

Prevention of mastitis

If your cat has too high hormonal levels with a tendency to false pregnancies and you do not plan to use this animal for breeding, discuss with your doctor the issue of sterilization for medical reasons. This will become a reliable prevention not only of mastitis, but also of other dangerous diseases of the reproductive sphere.

Mastitis is easier to prevent than to cure

Strict adherence to hygiene rules during a cat's lactation period is a prerequisite for prevention - as is timely treatment of even the slightest wounds and cracks on the mammary glands and especially the animal's nipples. You should also regularly trim the sharp claws of kittens older than two weeks of age so that they cannot injure the nursing mother.

Mastitis in cats is easier to prevent than to cure. Follow simple preventive measures and be attentive to your pet. And at the first suspicion of a disease, contact your veterinarian for qualified help without wasting time. Self-medication for mastitis is very dangerous.

The birth of kittens is almost as important an event in the home as the birth of a human child. Cats are very good mothers and the removal of kittens is almost always stressful for them. The optimal time for babies to be taken away from their mother is one and a half months. At this age, kittens can already eat on their own. However, babies need their mother until about four months of age.

Problems with early weaning of kittens from cats

Early weaning can lead to stress and even various diseases in the cat.

The most common problem in the case of early weaning is disturbances in the functioning of the mammary gland. The cat is not able to cope with stress on its own and the lactation process continues.

Risk of developing mastitis and mastopathy

In such situations, the cat's risk of developing mastitis increases.

Due to ongoing lactation and the inability to release milk with the help of kittens, mastopathy increases.

At such moments the cat becomes aggressive , does not make contact with the owners, refuses food and water. Most often, after a certain time, the stressful state fades away if the owner makes every effort to do so.

1. To do this, you should create the most comfortable conditions for mommy.
2. Eliminate stressful situations, eliminate noise and contact with strangers, show great care and speak in a calm, gentle voice.

If, despite apparent calm, the cat’s mammary glands are swollen, this may indicate the development of a disease such as mastitis.. Prolonged ignoring of the symptoms of mastitis provokes a more serious disease – mastopathy.

Mastitis

If inflammation of the mammary glands is detected in an animal, you should contact a veterinarian.

In this case, the cause of mastitis is stagnation of milk in the mammary glands, as a result of which milk accumulates and begins to “spoil”, which will cause the development of a pathological process.

Symptoms

To detect mastitis in a timely manner after kittens are weaned, you should be extremely attentive to your pet. Check the condition of the glands every day and at the slightest swelling see a doctor . Any delay is fraught with serious complications. Main features:

• hyperemia;
• swelling;
• nipple hyperthermia;
• hardening of the nipples;
• possible cracks in the area of ​​the inflamed area;
• obvious pain in the affected area;
• frequent licking of nipples;
• when pressed, the selection has a curd-like character.

Purulent mastitis

Purulent mastitis can be life-threatening for your pet.

This stage can be treated at home, but if such symptoms are ignored for a long time, risk of developing purulent mastitis , which is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• increased body temperature;
• significant increase in nipple size;
• severe hardening of the nipples and area;
• purulent discharge when pressed.

In this case, there is no way to do without the help of a doctor.

Treatment

Since the kittens have been taken away from their mother, the first step is to start expressing milk by hand.

1. To do this, apply pressure on the nipple with extreme caution. Warm compresses are permissible only in the absence of fever.
2. Lotions soaked in decoctions of sage, chamomile or oak bark are recommended.
3. It is less common to apply cabbage leaves.
4. To stop lactation, it is recommended to reduce the amount of fluid consumed and make a tight bandage for the mammary glands.
5. The diet is composed with less liquid.
6. But light massage is also allowed.
7. Drug therapy includes the prescription of painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and absorbable medications.
8. The use of oxytocin can help in releasing milk bags.

Purulent mastitis

To help your cat, you should strictly follow the recommendations and advice of your veterinarian.

Purulent mastitis can only be treated by a veterinarian. The owner can only follow the instructions and strictly follow the recommendations.

1. Antibiotic therapy is prescribed . Before starting to use antibiotics, a sensitivity test to a specific group of drugs should be performed.
2. Often the presence of a purulent form requires surgical care . In such cases, the mammary gland is opened under general anesthesia, pus is removed, the cavity is cleaned, and treated with antiseptics.
3. More severe cases require complete removal of the mammary gland and subsequent rehabilitation therapy with the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
4. And also use antispasmodics and general condition maintenance therapy.

Mastopathy

Chronic mastitis can cause mastopathy.

Clinical signs

The main symptoms are associated with enlarged mammary glands.

• The provoking cause, the factor of which is a stagnant process, is characterized by fibroepithelial hyperplasia of diffuse form.
• The entire area increases in size with the presence of multiple compactions, and not only individual compactions are painful, but also the entire inflamed area.
• If ulcers begin to appear, help will be very difficult and the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment will remain in question.

Treatment

If a cat is diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease, the only way to help it is through surgery.

Serious defeat entails surgical intervention with partial removal of the affected bags or complete mastectomy , which involves removing the uterus along with the ovaries.

Such a radical method is required when the form is advanced, when there is nothing else to help the pet.

In milder cases, iodine-containing drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, homeopathic medicines, and immunomodulators are used.

Owners are often interested in how to treat mastitis in a cat, since the pathology is quite common. With it, acute inflammation develops in the mammary gland, which, if left untreated, becomes the cause of suppuration, which can have serious consequences, including death. More often, the disease occurs during the milk period - when the cat is in lactation, feeding kittens. However, with injuries to the nipples, hormonal imbalances and internal diseases, mastitis can also occur in a female who has never kitted.

Reasons why mastitis appears

It is impossible to treat a disease without knowing its causes. The correct treatment for a cat with mastitis is selected only after it has been identified what triggered the inflammation.

The causes of mastitis are:

• stagnation of milk (lactostasis), in which milk accumulates in the mammary gland, which creates favorable conditions for pathogenic bacteria. It is observed in cats whose kittens are very weak and cannot fully suck milk;
• trauma – when the nipple is damaged, bacteria enter the body through the wound, causing the development of the disease. Treatment is usually antibiotic;
• false pregnancy - in this condition a sharp hormonal surge occurs. Against this background, milk comes and mastitis develops;
• hereditary predisposition associated with features in the structure of the gland. Treatment may be required quite frequently;
• hypothermia, especially of the mammary glands - occurs if the cat has free access to the street;
• gynecological problems, especially after lambing. Treatment is required especially urgently.

After determining the cause of inflammation, full treatment is carried out.

Symptoms indicating mastitis

If the cat is fluffy, then it is difficult to accidentally notice the development of the disease in the early period. As a result, the owner detects disturbances in the animal’s condition only at the moment when the signs of mastitis become clear. With a careful preventive examination, the symptoms of mastitis in a cat are always determined on time. The disease manifests itself as follows:

• hardening of the gland or its lobe;
• increase in size of the gland;
• local local temperature increase;
• redness of the skin over the area of ​​inflammation;
• cracks at the site of inflammation;
• curdled discharge from the nipples mixed with pus or blood;
• elevated temperature;
• severe weakness;
• decrease in apatite up to complete refusal of food.

You can also determine that a cat is developing inflammation by the fact that it does not allow you to touch the abdominal area, since even slight pressure in the area of ​​inflammation causes acute pain.

First aid before contacting a veterinarian if your cat has mastitis

If a cat has mastitis, even in its early stages, it should be shown to a veterinarian. If there is purulent discharge, you cannot postpone a visit to a specialist. If there is no suppuration, a slight delay in visiting a veterinarian is acceptable, provided that the owner is able to independently provide first aid to the animal.

To improve your cat's condition, there are veterinary recommendations for home implementation..

• Providing peace– the less nervous the pet is, the slower the inflammatory process will develop. When under stress, mastitis quickly becomes severe.
• Isolation from kittens– a nursing cat should be separated from kittens, since for them drinking milk from a mother suffering from mastitis is deadly. Such milk is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, which causes serious health problems in babies.
• Expressing milk from an inflamed lobe of the gland– it is important to eliminate congestion in the mammary gland in a nursing cat. To do this, milk is expressed by hand until the nipple becomes soft.
• Decrease in water volume– the cat should be limited in fluid intake on the first day. Water is given only after meals and is not left freely available. You cannot feed the animal liquid food until recovery. Water is provided freely from the second day.
• bandaging– it is necessary to isolate the inflamed lobes of the gland using a sterile bandage so that additional bacterial infection does not occur through the nipples, which will only worsen the condition of the sick animal. The bandage should not be tight or interfere with movement. For hairless breeds, it is more convenient to use self-adhesive surgical dressings.

After providing first aid, the cat should be shown to a veterinarian as soon as possible. It is permissible to postpone visiting a specialist for a maximum of 2 days, but only if there is no unnatural discharge from the nipple.

You can try to treat a cat on your own if mastitis is detected in the very initial stage, when only redness is noted in the mammary gland area. To do this, apply cabbage leaves to the affected area, which are slightly beaten to release the juice. The cabbage should be applied for 2-3 hours, after which the cat is allowed to rest for 3-4 hours and the leaves are added again. Orally, you can give the animal ¼ tablet of tetracycline (purchased at the pharmacy) 3 times a day for a week.

If treatment at home for mastitis within 24 hours gives a positive result, and the symptoms of the disease begin to subside, then you can continue therapy on your own, carefully monitoring the pet’s condition. If the cat experiences increased inflammation again, an urgent visit to the veterinarian is necessary.

What does a veterinarian do when a cat has mastitis?

Mastitis in cats is dangerous due to the appearance of severe complications, such as phlegmon, lethal intoxication of the body and sepsis, which is why the veterinarian, if there is a risk of spreading the infection, carries out treatment through surgical intervention. During this procedure, the abscess is opened, followed by its cleansing and complete sanitation of the cavity. The specialist performs the manipulation under general or local anesthesia without causing pain to the animal.

If the disease has completely affected the mammary gland, its complete excision can be performed with a further course of postoperative rehabilitation. This operation is difficult for a cat, but in some cases it is the only way to save its life. For high-quality recovery, the cat can be hospitalized for 2-3 days after removal of the gland, when its condition requires round-the-clock veterinary monitoring. Taking an animal home early for treatment is dangerous.

If conservative treatment is possible, then antibiotics are used to inject the site of inflammation, and systemic antibiotics are also prescribed for injection.

To quickly improve the condition, the cat receives a local anesthetic and a composition to relieve fever. This treatment gives results within a few hours. The drugs Traumatin and Gamovit promote rapid tissue restoration and the fastest possible recovery. Both drugs are administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Treatment with them is carried out only on the recommendations of a veterinarian.

Prevention

Preventing mastitis in a cat is much easier than treating it. The main measures to prevent the disease are:

If a cat shows signs of mastitis, you should not risk your pet’s health by ignoring its condition or carrying out treatment on your own.

Mastitis is a mammary gland disease that occurs quite often in domestic cats. In this case, incendiary processes can affect either only one, two, three or all packages of the animal’s mammary gland. Mastitis comes in several degrees of severity, the mildest of which, caratal and serous, occur at the onset of the disease. In the absence of treatment and necessary care, mastitis develops into more severe forms - purulent and abscessous. Treatment of these forms of mastitis in cats is very difficult and lengthy.

Causes of mastitis in cats

The causes of mastitis are varied, ranging from a genetic tendency to injuries in the abdominal area or weakened immunity of the animal. Most often, mastitis in cats occurs for the following reasons:

• Injuries or bruises of the mammary gland packages;
• Infection with bacteria or fungi through cracks in the nipples;
• Cat hypothermia;
• The presence of gynecological diseases during pregnancy and the period after pregnancy;
• Stagnation of milk in the mammary gland (due to early selection of kittens, large lactation).

Symptoms of mastitis in a cat

The main sign of mastitis in a cat is an increase in milk bags. Moreover, they are painful, hot to the touch, and the skin of the nipples and around them turns red. Depending on the nature of the inflammation, when you press on the nipple, the following may be released from it:

• a watery substance that contains casein “flakes” (looks like cheese);
• a substance that resembles kefir in appearance;
• a purulent, foul-smelling substance that may contain blood and fibrin.

In addition, a symptom of mastitis is a deterioration in the cat’s condition: frailty or restlessness, not allowing kittens near you and constant licking of the site of inflammation, an increase in body temperature by 1-2 degrees (the norm for a cat is 38.0-39.0 ° C).

It is simply impossible not to notice mastitis in a cat at this stage.

Diagnosis of mastitis in a cat

At the beginning of the development of mastitis, there may be no visual signs. Therefore, for early diagnosis of the disease, it is necessary to closely monitor the cat during the period of feeding kittens and for some time after they are taken from their mother or transferred to regular food. If your cat exhibits any unusual behavior (refuses to eat, lies down more than usual), you should first take her temperature and then carefully examine her mammary glands. If any sign of mastitis is detected, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.

Please note that when taking your cat to the doctor, you will need to tell about: the date of birth of the cat, the course of pregnancy, the presence of problems with the mammary glands in the past, the date of collection of the kittens, the date of detection of the first signs of the disease, what these signs were. Based on the examination and all this data, the veterinarian will be able to make a diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment. If the cause of mastitis is bacteria or fungi, the veterinarian will analyze the discharge from the gland and submit it to the laboratory, where the type of bacteria and their reaction to antibiotics will be determined. The effectiveness of treatment greatly depends on this.

In addition, tests must be done in order to know whether it is bacteria or fungus. After all, the treatment of mastitis that is caused by a fungus is significantly different and if it is treated as in the case of bacteria (antibiotics), the situation will only worsen.

Treatment of mastitis in cats

Mastitis is a very serious disease that progresses quickly and, if not treated correctly, can quickly lead to the death of a cat, as well as the death of kittens if they drink toxic milk. Therefore, the Murlo website recommends that if symptoms of mastitis are detected, especially with an increase in temperature and the appearance of purulent discharge, immediately isolate the cat from the kittens and take it to a veterinarian. Only a veterinarian can correctly diagnose the type of mastitis and prescribe the correct treatment.

In cases of congestive mastitis, veterinarians usually recommend bandage the diseased gland, apply warm compresses and wash the mammary glands with a decoction of oak bark or sage tincture. In addition, the cat is limited in access to liquid (sometimes the cat is not allowed to drink water at all for a whole day). Often, veterinarians also recommend expressing milk (very carefully, without pressing too hard on the gland). Of course, the doctor also prescribes certain medications.

For purulent venous lesions, independent treatment is absolutely unacceptable. because it is necessary to use antibiotics. And the type and dosage of the latter can only be determined by a veterinarian. In severe cases, even surgery is possible, during which the doctor cuts the gland to release pus (or completely cut out the gland).

If your cat is not pregnant and does not have kittens, and signs of mastitis appear, you should also contact a veterinarian. In such cases (called false pregnancy), mastitis is no less dangerous for the animal, especially in old age or when the cat is given contraceptive drugs.

Prevention of mastitis

The best option is to prevent mastitis from occurring. By adhering to simple rules, you can significantly reduce the risk of this disease and at the same time prevent a long and painful treatment process for your cat. So, the prevention of mastitis is as follows:

• regular examination of the cat;
• good living conditions;
• preventing cat hypothermia;
• preventing contact with sick animals;
• treating scratches and wounds on the nipples with a manganese solution;
• regular vaccination, timely treatment of fleas and worms;

In conclusion, we note that this article is intended only to provide information on the treatment of mastitis in cats and cannot replace consultation with a veterinarian. Remember, only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct (and therefore effective) treatment.

A nursing cat is more susceptible to diseases than others. This happens especially often with furry friends when care or conditions of detention are violated. Any hypothermia can lead to inflammation of the mammary glands, which requires immediate treatment, and in advanced cases, surgical intervention.

Types of illness and its consequences

Mastitis in a cat can appear regardless of the breed; inflammatory processes begin in the mammary glands. The danger is that in the absence of proper treatment, complications begin and surgical intervention may be required. Mastitis occurs more often in nursing cats and can occur in several or in one gland. It progresses rapidly, so death occurs within a short period of time. Feeding kittens with toxic milk is also fraught with consequences; the offspring may get sick or die.

There are several types of mastitis depending on the stage of the disease:

1. Catarrhal or serous - it is easy to treat, does not pose a serious danger, and hospitalization of the “patient” is not required.
2. Purulent or abscessive - accompanied by the occurrence of abscesses. Treatment takes a long time.

Causes of the disease

Mastitis in cats can occur due to several factors:

1. Damage to the mammary glands if the kitten was hit in the abdominal area or fell from a height. Wounds in this area can also cause mastitis in a nulliparous cat.
2. Hypothermia of the body. It is more likely to affect children who are kept outside, spend a long time in the fresh air, and like to roll around in the snow. The same applies to those animals who have access to an open window, and they are chilly in the draft.
3. Cracks in the nipples, where infection occurs, can also occur due to cooling, an incorrectly chosen diet, lack of vitamins in food, dehydration and improper hygiene.
4. Stagnation of milk leads to illness. This problem is relevant for those cats that were unable to give birth to live offspring or the owners aborted the babies. Or the pet has only one kitten, which simply does not have time to drink all the milk intended for several.
5. Hereditary factors, if there have already been cases of infection in the family.
6. Gynecological diseases.
7. Taking hormonal medications before pregnancy can cause deviations.

Symptoms of pathology

A caring owner should pay attention to the signs of mastitis in a cat, which will help to identify the disease in time and prescribe treatment. Causes for concern are:

1. Frequent licking of the cat's glands.
2. Formation of swelling, redness and induration on the nipples.
3. The gland is warm, and any touch to it causes severe pain.
4. The infection is accompanied by purulent discharge with an unpleasant odor.
5. Body temperature rises.
6. The general condition of the pet becomes depressed; refusal to eat, passivity, lethargy, and lack of interest in toys and treats can be noted.
7. In severe cases, the cat meows pitifully when feeding, moves away from the kittens, and the babies suffer from hunger, eating loudly.

Detection of mastitis

The diagnosis is first carried out independently; for this, the owner must carefully examine the nipples and apply a little pressure on them, noting the cat’s behavior and the nature of the discharge. Instead of milk, a thick mass similar to cottage cheese begins to come out, sometimes accompanied by blood clots.

After the initial examination, you should visit a doctor, informing him about the time of birth, abnormalities, past illnesses and the general condition of the cat. A blood test is not performed; the specialist will take only a drop of cat's milk and examine it to make an accurate diagnosis. How to treat mastitis in a nursing cat?

Treatment of mastitis in cats is complex: along with medications, it is necessary to take vitamins and immune boosters. Source: Flickr (FridayFunStuff1)

Therapy for the disease

The first rule when treating mastitis in cats at home is to isolate the kittens so that they can no longer drink contaminated milk. Then you should limit your pet’s drinking; liquid should not be given during the day. The gland is bandaged to prevent germs and infection from entering the body. Warm wraps are carried out, you can use compresses with tincture of sage, oak bark or simply heated alcohol.

Self-medication is strictly prohibited, because mastitis after weaning kittens or in a nursing cat is not a mild problem, but a serious and serious disease. You should immediately contact your veterinarian. How to treat mastitis in a cat? Novocaine is usually prescribed as a drug; it is injected into the tissue of the affected gland, and after a couple of days the procedure is repeated. In severe cases, antibiotics are required; the veterinarian performs surgery, opens the formation and treats it with an antiseptic.

Treatment of mastitis in cats is complex: along with medications, it is necessary to take vitamins and immune boosters. The diet should be gentle and balanced, and any hypothermia and exposure to drafts should be avoided.

Prevention of the disease

The disease can be prevented by following a few simple rules:

1. Keep the animal in good conditions, do not hit it, keep the bedding and the entire room clean.
2. Do not allow your cat to become overcooled outside or sit in drafts for a long time.
3. Check her regularly and get all necessary vaccinations.
4. During pregnancy and after childbirth, clean your nipples, use hygiene products and special creams.
5. Treat wounds and cracks on your patient’s nipples with a solution of potassium permanganate.
6. Make sure that the cat does not have contact with sick animals or yard cats.
7. Even before giving birth, rid your furry friend of fleas and worms, this will make life easier for her and her offspring.
8. If the kittens do not have time to drink all the milk, it is necessary to express it 2 times a day.

Mastitis in cats is a serious disease that requires an immediate visit to the veterinarian and medication. In severe cases, it can lead to death and abnormalities in the functioning of organ systems in kittens. Examine your pet in a timely manner and note any changes in its behavior. And also do not forget about disease prevention, then there will be nothing to worry about.

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