female cat with kittens

Question
i have a female cat, this is her first litter of kittens there are 5 of them they look pretty healthy, the other day i noticed that her underside looks very raw, can i put anything on her and will this cause her to not feed the kittens like she should

Answer
Hi Gavin, this could be an indication of mastitis starting up. Have a closer look at her and see if the mammary glands feel hot to the touch. And is she feeding the kittens as normal or is she acting like it hurts when they try to feed off her? Keep her bedding dry and clean and look for any discharge on it... and can you get back to me once you have looked again? It sounds like she may need a trip to the vet... thanks, Teresa