pregnant cat??

Question
A few days ago i got a mother cat and 10-15 week old kitten that a lady was going to take to the pound. My daughter wanted a kitten and i felt sorry for them. When i got the cat home she laid on her side and whoa! her belly is big. I dont know how long it takes for the wieght gain to go away from the 1 kitten she gave birth to, but her stomach is very big and tight and im afraid she may be pregnant agin. I would like to know how to tell if she is pregnant or if its even possible for her to already be pregnant, And if so how far along could she be.  Thank You

Answer
Hi Joshalyn.  A cat can get pregnant again as soon as 48 hours after she delivers a litter, though this isn't very common.  It's usually not until she's about finished weaning one litter that she becomes pregnant again.  That said, it's certainly possible she's pregnant again.  How far along would be anybody's guess at this point!  A cat's pregnancy doesn't begin to show until she's about 4-5 weeks along (pregnancy lasts about 9 weeks).  But a big belly could be the result of eating too much or a bad parasitic worm infestation, too.  So I would recommend a vet visit.  If she is pregnant, they might be able to give you a ballpark figure on when you can expect the kittens.  One or two x-rays shouldn't be a threat to the kittens and can give you a better idea on when they might be born, plus it will tell you how many kittens to expect, which always helps to detect it early if there is a problem during delivery.