My female cats nipples are raw and bleeding

Question
My female cat Lelah is 16 months old. She is not spayed, and she is an indoor/outdoor cat. She had her first litter March 6th of this year. We kept one of the kittens, and he continued to nurse(even though we tried to prevent it)for 2 more months. He has stopped now and Lelah's nipples are raw and bleeding. Ive bought bacterial cream, but it dosent seem to help. Now she is pregnant again and I'm afraid that when she gives birth, the kittens wont nurse, or she might not let them nurse... Should I take her to the vet?? Please help me!!! I dont know what to do.. Rachel

Answer
Hi Rachel, I may not be much help so you may want to ask another Cat expert.

First, why hasn't she been spayed?  You can take her to the Vet now and have her nipples checked out for something he can give her to soothe them, and also get her spayed (pregnant or not), while she is there - Less kittens to clog up the system you know :-)

Yes, I would take her to the Vet and have them recommend a cream to put on her sore nipples that is safe enough for her to lick, but will help them heal.

But - I strongly recommend you first go to your local shelters and SEE how many cats are waiting for homes.  Also ask how many a week they must put down because unspayed cats are having a field day having kittens right now : - (

And if you called all your local rescue groups, I'm sure you would hear how FULL they all are too, looking for loving homes for some very sweet cats!

Good luck with your mommy cat and I DO hope you really think about spaying her - she will live longer AND be much healthier if you do.  Also being indoor/outdoor she is much more at risk of contracting a serious disease like FIV or FIVL!  This she can pass on to any kittens, so please have her tested for this her next Vet visit.  

Thanks for asking on AllExperts and I'm sorry I don't know too much about cats that haven't been spayed or neutered.

Debbie