My cat is expecting kittens; her 8 mammary glands are quite swollen but only 2 of them actually have teats. A few questions have come to mind:
Is this normal?
Will there be an issue with the milk stored in the glands that don't have teats?
How is she going to manage to feed all her kittens?
Thanks in advance
Translated from French
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Quite the opposite, actually; it’s the pill or having more litters that could seriously compromise her health. As long as she doesn’t have any heart issues, the operation will be a very good thing for her.
I agree with the others, don't give your cat the pill. It’s certainly cheaper than the operation to start with, but if you add up the cost of all the boxes you’ll need, it actually works out quite expensive in the long run.
There’s also the risk of forgetting a dose, and then you’re back to square one with more kittens... not to mention the risk of mammary tumours and other health problems.
Think of your cat and her future. Most vets will allow you to pay in instalments if you're worried about the cost.
Hi there,
Whatever you do, don’t go for the pill; it’s practically a guarantee for mammary cancer in a few years’ time. Spaying might seem like a bigger deal initially, both in terms of the cost and the surgery itself, but honestly, you’d be doing your cat a massive favour.
Thanks to both of you for your replies, I’m much more relieved now! I’m going to keep a close eye on everything to make sure we don't lose any kittens...
This should be her last litter, ideally. I’m planning on putting her on the pill afterwards as I can see she’s far too tired to have any more. Actually, this pregnancy wasn’t planned at all; we were caught off guard and didn’t have enough time to get her started on the pill.
She had her kittens last night. There are 5 kittens. She’s quite old and this isn't her first litter. In your opinion, is it a given that only 2 kittens will survive?
If she’s very young and a first-time mum, I’m not particularly surprised. In any case, if she has two healthy kittens, they’ll nurse from the prominent teats. There isn’t really any 'storage' as such in the teats that aren't being stimulated. However, if she has more than two kittens, you’ll need to see if the others pop out in response to the pressure from the little ones' mouths. In a litter, each kitten claims their own teat, and the dominant one usually picks the one with the best milk supply.
