Help! Need advice!

One of our cats had a litter October 7 and are coming up 8 weeks old, and now I have a couple of questions that would like answered

1. Is it too soon for the babies to be adopted out?

Since we've only found homes for 2 out of 5 kittens, and we need to get her speyed before she has another litter and they're still feeding from mom (infrequently as their diet mostly consists of solid food and water now):

2a. Is it too soon to get her fixed up?

2b. How can we encourage her to dry up? (since the kittens haven't been rehomed yet and aren't drinking from her regularly, and I have read from some sources that mother cats need to be dried up before the operation)

Any and all information would be gratefully accepted

I think mom can be spayed as soon as the kittens are weened. We just had kittens on thanksgiving and I will be having the same questions soon so I hope you get some answers

we recommend a little later homing, 10-12 w.  But 8 weeks isnt too bad, and if you feel you cant keep them or the new owners are in a hurry - it may be OK to let them leave at 8 w.

Also, it is prob better they move away now than as a Christmas gift, arriving in the middle of Christmas festivitas..

So, either now, or after the Christmas, is my recommendation.

this with mom drying up - I think the more important is, the nursing is essentially done with, - if the mom has any complications from the surgery, she cant nurse...  So it is important the kittens are not needing her.  Also not bothering her with wanting to nurse...

If the vet is careful, he doesnt need to cut through the nipples, so dry out as such is nice, but not necessary. , afaik.

the nursing is going down now naturally.  If you want to stop it, the easiest is to  have some sort of cut up sock on her, so it becomes like a tube on her.   She can do most of what she needs to do, but kittens cant nurse.

If you want you cant let her wash herself or even the kittens nurse some during supervision.

You are thinking very soundly here!  

Last, solid food you say.  Good they can ate dry cat food, but plan in the long run to let them have canned wet food as their main diet, and try to recommend this to their new owners.

www.catinfo.org   is a site  started by a veterinarian very interested in cat nutrition, and her message is: wet.

Good luck!