found mother cat

Question
I've been catching and taming cats to give them away for most of my life now. When I went off to college, it was the first time I went without getting a new kittin on a regular basis for years! However, last night was the first time that I caught a cat. The problem is, this cat shows signs of nursing. I need to know what I should do. While there is a overpopulation of cats here, I would feel really guilty if any kittens came to harm from my interferance. How long does it take for a mother cats nipples to go back to their regular size after nursing? This cat has rather large nipples and crust around them but I was unable to stimulate lactation. While I understand that the future generations must be kept to a controlable level, I just feel so badly about these kittens. Please help!

Answer
Arielle,

If she is finished nursing, it usually takes a couple of weeks for the milk to "pack up" and get reabsorbed.  Unless she is willing to lead you to the kittens, there is almost no way you will find them.

After about a week, the mammaries become hard and thickened.  After the second week all of that gets reabsorbed.

Best regards... Norm.