Mastitis in a cat is an inflammatory process in the mammary glands. Inflammation can affect one or several glands at once. Cats are at risk during pregnancy and lactation. Also at risk are animals in a state of false pregnancy. The development of mastitis, like most diseases, goes through several stages. And if the treatment of mastitis in a cat at home in the initial form can be productive, then with a severe form of the disease, surgery is most often required.
First signs of the disease
Symptoms of mastitis in a cat are deviations in behavior: she refuses to eat, often licks her chest, after lactation looks apathetic and lethargic, her body temperature rises. If there are at least two of these signs, you should examine the mammary glands. If the nipples and halos are red and swollen, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic.
At the initial stage, identifying the disease is quite problematic. Firstly, most cats during pregnancy and lactation do not like touching the stomach and try to avoid them in every possible way. Secondly, in cats with thick hair it is difficult to see the nipples.
The treatment of the disease at the initial stage is often limited to taking the necessary drugs and massage, so it does not require surgical intervention. If the initial stage has already passed, it is impossible to manage with conservative treatment.
The causes of the disease
The causes of mastitis are many:
- weak immunity;
- recent illnesses;
- underweight;
- hypothermia;
- bruises;
- injuries of the mammary glands;
- infection;
- fungus;
- stagnation of milk;
- false pregnancy.
Injuries and diseases provoke mastitis due to the fact that bacteria that have got into wounds or appeared during an illness infect blood, which, as a result of circulation, enters the mammary glands. Stagnation of milk can be caused by a small number of kittens in the litter or by the separation of a cat and kittens and their early weaning. Often, the disease occurs due to several factors at once, and not just one.
For reasons of occurrence, mastitis is divided into 2 types:
- Septic (purulent).
- Non-septic (stagnant).
Septic (purulent) mastitis
Purulent mastitis occurs due to bacteria that enter the body through cracks in the nipples, scratches or bites of kittens. Mastitis is also common in cats after sterilization. In addition, the likelihood of the onset of the disease increases if the owners neglect the hygiene rules for their pet. Such a disease should be treated by a veterinarian. In this form, the treatment of mastitis in a cat at home is undesirable and can lead to poor animal health.
To relieve pain, a cat is treated with novocaine blockade and open wounds. Then, with the help of antibiotics, the bacterial infection is removed and local anti-inflammatory treatment is carried out.
Mastitis in a nulliparous cat is a reason for immediately contacting a specialist, since a disease of this kind in a non-feeding or non-pregnant cat can be associated with a serious ailment.
Non-septic (congestive) mastitis
Non-septic mastitis in cats after childbirth develops due to the resulting stagnation of milk in the mammary glands.
Milk can stagnate for several reasons:
- Increased milk production (hormonal changes, small droppings, premature weaning of kittens from the breast, lactation before pregnancy, miscarriage).
- Obstruction of the outflow of milk (not expressed milk in time or periodic delays with feeding; introducing an infection when injuring the nipple with kittens or touching the cat with dirty hands; cicatricial deformities of the gland or nipple after operations and injuries; tumor).
Stages of the disease
They are as follows:
- Initial stage. It is accompanied by a slight reddening and swelling of the nipples, as well as a slight increase in temperature in the pet. With insufficient care for the cat, the disease can not be noticed.
- Serous mastitis. This is the second stage of the disease. The mammary glands become hard and hot, and also significantly increase in size. On palpation, a liquid with white patches similar to flakes is secreted from the nipple. The cat reacts painfully to touch. Body temperature is constantly elevated by at least one degree.
- Catarrhal. Third stage. Visual symptoms remain. When pressed from the nipple, a liquid is released that is similar in consistency to liquid milk.
- Fibrinous. The fourth stage of the disease. A significant increase in body temperature and an increase in lymph nodes are added to these symptoms. When pressed, crunch-like sounds are heard.
- Purulent. The fifth stage is a complication of the previous forms. Mastitis affects several mammary glands simultaneously, as a result of which they become clogged. A liquid with an unpleasant odor, as well as an admixture of pus and blood, is released from the chest. In most cases, the disease at this stage becomes chronic. Connective tissue appears in the glands, which causes the cat to lose milk.
- Hemorrhagic. The final stage. In this case, the body temperature rises significantly, and the animal is in fever. There is a profuse hemorrhage in the mammary glands and the skin as a whole, and the tissues turn red. Surgery is required at this stage.
Diagnosis of mastitis in animals
Diagnosing the disease on its own is problematic. Therefore, even with slight deviations in the behavior of a pregnant or lactating cat, you should consult a veterinarian.
In order to understand what to do if a cat has mastitis, you need to accurately establish its presence. To do this, carefully check her stomach and mammary glands. If the nipples have increased in size and become hot and tight to the touch, it means that the cat develops mastitis. If visual signs are evident, you should verify the diagnosis by palpation of the mammary glands. Pressure on the nipples should be careful, as any touch will be painful for the pet. If unnatural discharge appears from the nipples, you should immediately consult a specialist.
Another sign confirming negative changes in the cat's body is an increased body temperature. In the initial stages, it rises by one to two degrees.
A cat mastitis: what to do?
With the timely detection of the disease and contacting the veterinary clinic, surgical intervention is not needed. Often in this case, you can limit yourself to conservative methods of treatment.
To choose the right treatment regimen for a specialist, he needs to provide information about how the pregnancy and childbirth took place, as well as about the general health status of the pet. The full picture allows the doctor to identify the cause of the disease and prescribe the correct and effective treatment. In addition, this will speed up and facilitate the rehabilitation of the animal after a disease.
In order to prescribe the necessary medicines to the cat, the veterinarian needs to take tests from her by collecting a small amount of fluid from the mammary glands. After laboratory studies, the nature of the inflammation is revealed and treatment is prescribed. Of the medicines, antibiotics are often prescribed from the groups of quinolones, penicillins and cephalosporins. In addition, antipyretic drugs and, if necessary, milk production inhibitors are prescribed.
Treatment of the disease at home
With mastitis in a cat, the following are usually prescribed as a treatment at home:
- massage;
- expressing milk;
- treatment of nipples with drugs that relieve inflammation and external symptoms;
- washing the affected areas of the chest with infusions of medicinal herbs (for example, sage, chamomile, oak bark).
Pet owners are advised to give the animal less water during the treatment period, as the abundant intake of liquid enhances the flow of milk. Kittens are weaned for this time and transferred to artificial feeding with dry ready-made mixtures. If the disease has become severe and impurities of pus and blood appear in the milk, kittens are weaned for good.
Postoperative Animal Care
Severe forms of mastitis always require surgical intervention. Therefore, owners of the operated animals need to pay special attention to them and ensure proper care.
To restore the body after surgery, cats are prescribed vitamins, Furosemide, Dexamethasone and antibiotics. It is necessary to process the operated area sequentially as follows:
- treat the wound with peroxide, furatsilinom or chlorhexidine, removing the sucrose and other secretions until completely cleansed (twice a day for about a week);
- treat the skin around the wound with iodine or methylene blue (twice a day for about a week and a half);
- grease the wound with ointment "Levomekol" or "Algofin" (two to three times a day for about one and a half weeks);
- put on a cat a veterinary plastic collar for two to three weeks to prevent personal injury to the pet;
- put on an animal bandage (postoperative blanket).
Postoperative blanket
To protect the operated damaged mammary glands from dirt and germs, as well as from licking wounds, a special bandage is put on the pet - postoperative blanket. You can buy it at a veterinary clinic or pharmacy. If it is not possible to find it, you can do it yourself.
To determine the size of blankets, you need to measure the cat's girth of the abdomen and the length of the body of the pet from neck to tail. Next, cut out a square with a small allowance from soft fabric (for example, flannels). In this square, you need to make notches for the paws, so that a little tissue remains near the neck. This will help blankets not to slip. After that, you need to sew a tape to each of the corners. They will fulfill the function of ties.
When putting on blankets, you need to tie ribbons in the direction from the neck to the tail and make sure that the bandage does not hang out and does not hamper the movement. In case of uncertainty, you should practice on an inanimate object, for example, a soft toy.
Disease prevention
To prevent the disease, the following actions should be performed:
- Create conditions for the pet to live in a dry and warm room. If a pregnant or lactating cat lives on the street, for this period it should be moved to the house.
- Regularly clean and clean the litter of the animal.
- Wash hands thoroughly before contact with cat.
- Wash paws of kittens regularly.
- Develop the right balanced diet for your pet. To do this, consult with your veterinarian and choose a special feed, preferably a premium.
- After transferring the kittens to self-feeding, bandage the mammary glands to the cat to burn milk.
A pregnant or lactating cat requires increased attention and care. Therefore, the owners should follow the rules of hygiene and pay attention to the pet as often as possible. Then both the cat and kittens and their owner will be calm and happy.