How to dry up mama cat’s milk?

[Mary22]

I am afraid that I may have given away our 2 kittens too soon. Our cats are outdoor cats. She was a feral cat that came up a little over a year ago. We have gotten her where she will let us pet her now. Some neighbors were going to move and wanted to take both kittens with them. They were 9 weeks old. I was a little concerned that they may be a little you, but since they were going to be indoor kittens and I wanted to keep them together, I figured it may be okay. I am fairly new at this.
Mama cat appears miserable. Did not think at the time about her milk. Kittens are now on the other side of the US. How do I make her more comfortable? Is there anything I can do to help dry up her milk? She want let us pick her up. We have just been able to pet her the last 2-3 months.
Please help, any suggestions?

Kittens have been gone for 3 days.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Give it time. It may take a few weeks for her milk to dry up fully.

Ideally, kittens should be left with their mother for 12 weeks, but 9 weeks is better than 6 weeks, if that makes sense. But the age the kittens left shouldn't have an affect on how quickly her milk dries up. Keep trying to get her more comfortable if you can, and get her neutered ASAP. Even if you have to lure her into a trap. Otherwise you can bet she will be pregnant again shortly, if she isn't already.

 

[Norachan]

Has she been spayed M Mary22 ? You need to get her spayed as soon as you can , because if she gave birth 9 weeks ago and her kittens are gone she will go into heat again and you'll have more kittens to deal with.

A mother cat's milk starts to dry up at around 7 to 8 weeks after giving birth. It will dry up naturally if she doesn't have any kittens to nurse.

But please get her spayed as soon as you can. Having numerous litters of kittens or cycling in and out of heat increases her risk of cancer and pyometra.