Help for lactating cat

Question
My daughter's cat had 5 kittens.  They were 8 weeks old and eating a lot on their own.  They would still nurse but not often.  My daughter had to give the kittens to a shelter (12/26#, she is moving out of state, but had to keep the mom.  The Mom was also spayed #12/18).  She is now very swollen with milk.  She is acting normal and does not appear to be in any discomfort, but is there ANYTHING we can do to help her out?   Thank you for your time.

Answer
Lynelle,

Usually, after about 2 weeks, the milk "packs up", i.e. the mammary glands get hard as the milk dries up.  Within another two weeks, the milk should all be absorbed by the mama. The best thing to do is to let nature take its course and let the mama's body reabsorb all unused milk.

If she is really in discomfort, you can try a VERY SMALL amount of olive oil rubbed on the teats, but, in truth, no one knows if this really helps the mama cat or makes us think we are helping. In truth, with our lactating queens, we do nothing and let nature take its course.

Best regards... Norm.