Expert: Jessica - 1/7/2011

Question
My mother cat (Chuy) had cats almost a month ago only one of them survived. i know its time to get the baby kitten on regular food now but Chuys has a hard it feels like a pack in her stomach could this be her milk drying up? she dosent show any signs of it hurting her. is there any way you can help me please??

Answer
Hi Regina,

It sounds likely that Chuy is engorged - her mammaries are full of milk.  This is common in cats when their kittens are getting a bit older, as the body produces large amounts of milk to keep up with the kittens' demands.  Normally, the mammary area will become full until the kittens nurse and drink all the milk.  This relieves pressure, and the tissue is a more normal, softer consistency.  After a few hours without nursing, the area begins to fill up with milk and starts to become firm again.  

If the kittens are taken away from mom suddenly, they die or they stop nursing, the milk will continue to build up.  The area become very hard, and she can become painfully engorged and even suffer an infection called mastitis.  If you notice red or purple discoloration, discolored discharge from the nipples, or the area is hot to the touch, Chuy should see a vet.  These can be signs of mastitis, which should be treated with an antibiotic.

Chuy's baby should start experimenting with canned food now, but be sure he's allowed to nurse for a minimum of another month to help prevent painful engorgement and mastitis.  Kittens who are allowed to nurse until 10-12 weeks also tend to have better social skills when interacting with other pets, and their digestive and immune systems are stronger than kittens who are weaned too young.

After the baby has stopped nursing for at least one week, then Chuy's milk will start drying up.  You won't notice much with this except that her mammary area and nipples will start to shrink back.  A vet can confirm that she's dried up if you bring her in to be spayed, but most cats are dried up within 3 weeks after they finish weaning their babies.

Good luck!

Jessica