weaning mother cat discomfort

Question
Our cat is getting spayed in 3 days.  She was still nursing her 10 week old kittens and our vet suggested we separate her from them so her milk can dry up.  We've kept the kittens away from her for 3 days now and her poor mammary glands are huge and hard as rocks. First-is the vet going to be able to spay her in 3 days?  Next-is there anything we can do to reduce her discomfort?

Answer
Hi Tina.  She can be spayed at any time, but swollen mammary tissue can make getting through to remove the reproductive organs more difficult.  Although veterinarians are perfectly capable of performing the surgery, it can take a little bit longer and involves a little more labor, so some vets charge a bit more.  It may be a good idea to discuss this with the vet before you drop your kitty off for the surgery so there aren't any surprise charges.

As for her discomfort, the best way to do this is with warm, wet compresses.  A lot of cats won't cooperate with this, but if she will allow you to hold a compress to her belly for any amount of time, I would encourage you to do so.  You can hold a cloth that has been soaked in hot water to her belly for 10-20 minutes four times a day.  For an even greater benefit, put some fresh or dried parsley in a cloth and fold it in half, and then soak it in hot water for 10-15 minutes.  Then apply the compress with the parsley directly against her mammary area.  Parsley can act as a diuretic to help reduce swelling, and the heat can relieve pain.  Parsley is non-toxic and is actually given as a cat treat.

I hope she's feeling better soon!

Jessica