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Why is my cat's nipple bleeding, painful, and discharging from kitten?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | unspayed

My nearly 2 year old female, who has never had a litter, recently started letting my 11 week old kitten 'suckle' on her nipple and I have noticed it is quite large compared to her other ones. The problem with that is it's causing it to weep discharge and a spot of blood from the opening of her nipple. I'm really worried as it seems to be causing her pain and I think this may be the conclusion as to why my new kitten has had diarrhoea because he must be swallowing the discharge oozing out of her

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 21st, 2017

Sometimes mama cat's will let their kittens suckle much longer than is healthy. I would recommend separating the mom and her kitten, or you can have her wear a pet shirt or baby onesie to cover the nipples. You can apply warm compresses several times a day to the swollen gland. If it becomes hard, warm, seems painful, or if Zara has a poor appetite or a rectal temperature over 103, she should be seen by a vet as she may have developed mastitis (or an infection of the mammary gland) and would need antibiotics.
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