We do trap, neuter, release and this week brought in a street cat for spay that I thought was pregnant, but the ASPCA didn't provide any additional info in her chart (it was a quick dropoff with lots of other cats). She certainly looked pregnant with a full belly.
I noticed she was very friendly while trapping, and after surgery I let her and her sister out in a quiet room to recover. I noticed her milk glands were very full. Another rescuer speculated that maybe she wasn't pregnant when she went in, she was just lactating and that made her belly look bigger. And I can't get an answer from the ASPCA. See the photos - the one with her going in the trap is before surgery. The others are after.
She has been very calm the entire time - not in distress, not looking for kittens, etc. We rescued some kittens from that area but they're 5+ weeks old. We are considering adopting her out since she's so friendly. I just wanted to understand the most likely scenarios here since her glands are so full.
My question is - is it normal for a cat to have very large milk glands before giving birth, and if so, what happens now after spay surgery if there are no kittens? And if so, will her milk leak or dry up or go away on its own now that she's been spayed and the kittens were aborted?
From other posts I gather there's not much you can do as long as they aren't hard, swollen or irritated, which would require a vet visit.
I noticed she was very friendly while trapping, and after surgery I let her and her sister out in a quiet room to recover. I noticed her milk glands were very full. Another rescuer speculated that maybe she wasn't pregnant when she went in, she was just lactating and that made her belly look bigger. And I can't get an answer from the ASPCA. See the photos - the one with her going in the trap is before surgery. The others are after.
She has been very calm the entire time - not in distress, not looking for kittens, etc. We rescued some kittens from that area but they're 5+ weeks old. We are considering adopting her out since she's so friendly. I just wanted to understand the most likely scenarios here since her glands are so full.
My question is - is it normal for a cat to have very large milk glands before giving birth, and if so, what happens now after spay surgery if there are no kittens? And if so, will her milk leak or dry up or go away on its own now that she's been spayed and the kittens were aborted?
From other posts I gather there's not much you can do as long as they aren't hard, swollen or irritated, which would require a vet visit.
