Nursing mother cat ninny area raw

Question
Hi Dr. Sherrell, greetings from East Texas.
My mommy cat Mittens had 6 kittens.  They are 3 weeks, 2 days old today.  The area around 3 of her ninnies are red and raw, and her little nipples themselves are also red and raw.  When Mittens nurses her babies, she just cries and cries out in pain.  There is no swelling, hardness or discharge or anything that makes me think there is an infection, I just think that these babies have just worn the skin out grubbing down! I plan on cutting and filing down the kitte's little fingernails later today.  I read online that Pure LANOLIN is good for the area, but I wanted to ask you your opinion, and also ask if this is OK for the kittens to consume.  If I use it, should I separate Mittens from her kittens for a few hours, and then wash her off before I let them nurse?  Is the Lanolin safe for Mittens to lick off, because she probably will.

Thank you and God bless, Janet in East Texas

Answer
Janet -

I answered this question earlier and I apologize that you had not received it.

You can apply warm compresses to the mama kitty's ninnies to make them feel more comfortable.  If there is no discharge (other than milk), the ninnies do not feel hard to the touch, and they do not feel excessively warm or inflamed, then it is perfectly fine to apply warm compresses several times daily.  You can also clip her kittens' nails.  Purchase a set of small nail trimmers and trim their nails using care not to cut the cuticle (the pink part).  

Good Luck  -

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM