Is it common for cats to go into heat after becoming pregnant?

Our rescue cat Annie had her first heat cycle and we chose to allow her one pregnancy. It's an amazing experience my children and I both were given while young and we wanted to pass that experience on to their children, our grandchildren, now [emoji]128522[/emoji]. After a few days of being let outside, we hoped and waited for signs of pregnancy. About 14-15 days later Annie began to show very clear signs of being in heat again.  A little disappointed we decided to give her one more opportunity, my husband and I both agreed if she didn't become pregnant, we'd take her to our vet and have her spayed. This time we actually saw a tom cat going into an area where Annie was, so we were pretty sure she was pregnant. Yea! Fast forward six weeks from the second heat cycle. Annie is huge! She's grown considerably in the past two weeks! She's so big I'm beginning to wonder, is it possible she became pregnant that first heat cycle?  Thanks for any insight offered [emoji]128522[/emoji]

It is most likely she would ont have had the second heat cycle had she become pregnant in the first one.  I do hope everything goes well for you. You should keep her inside from now on to keep her and her babies safe.

We have a good collection of articles in the Cat Health section which you can access by scrolling up to the brown bar, clicking on Articles, and then choosing the Cat Health section and scrolling through the choices.  To make this super easy for you, I am copying the links regarding birth, delivery and newborns for you here.  After reading this information, let us know if you have any more questions.  And good luck with your approaching new arrivals.

Birth, Delivery and Newborns

How to Tell if My Cat is Pregnant?
Cat Pregnancy
How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?
Pregnant Cat? What to Prepare For the Birth
Help! My Cat is Having Kittens!
Premature Kittens
Post-Birth Complications in Cats

It is possible for cats to get pregnant with more than one litter at a time.

A female cat does NOT have to be in heat in order to get pregnant. Just has to be mature enough. Cats don't have cycles like dogs and humans where eggs are released. All it takes is penetration because the feline penis has barbs that cause eggs to be released.

Have you had her examined by a vet since the pregnancy? Do you know how many kittens she is expecting?

Do you plan on keeping the kittens or have you lined up homes for them?

Hoping Annie's pregnancy continued to go smoothly!

Thank you so much! I have been reading, reading, reading! We are planning on homing 3 (if she has that many) kittens in our family. We also have 1 other family in line, so far.  Annie hasn't been seen since her first (and only) visit to our vet. She's a rescue cat and is just this side of feral. We rescued her from a cage she had been kept in at a local farm. It was truly awful. I think they had allowed children to capture her, as there were several different aged litters running around the property, all feral.  We thought they may have allowed this so the kids could hold her?  She was sleeping in her own filth where her food was too. So Annie is VERY scared to go anywhere.  My husband and I have talked about having her seen to possibly determine stage of pregnancy and litter size, but decided the severe anxiety it causes her could be more harmful than helpful. Our whole family is excited for these future blessings, from old to young! We have a pool going, guessing how many kittens [emoji]128522[/emoji]. Thanks again!

I forgot to mention Annie stays indoors at all times now [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I would suggest having Annie dewormed just on the chance she picked up something on her 2 excursions. You will also want to have her combo tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV. Both can be contracted during mating. If she is positive for either, the kittens can be positive too.

Yes, its not unique they can have two litters simultaneously, and with a little luck, both delivered healthy 2-3-4 weeks apart.   So for example, one of my ex-neigbours has a cat from such a second litter.

That is very rarely seen among serious breeders, but  home cat owners meet this now and then. 

Thanks for all the help. I have a call into our vet and will go with his advice for testing. The receptionist/assistant said there are signs for worms we could watch for. Keeping our eyes open for that.
It's a little exciting thinking she may have two separate litters. Thanks again everyone!

Can you post a picture of her so we can see how big she is?

The first photo was taken today. The second one was about a week ago. Maybe she doesn't look so big? We just know what she normally looks like ha ha. I just can't imagine her going another 14 days?! That would put her right at the 63 day mark, past second heat cycle.

I am guessing she got pregnant on the second heat.

Just when you think they can't get any bigger, surprise, they get bigger!

Your cat still has a good couple of weeks to go. She can and will get bigger and her belly will get tighter.

And you do not want premature kittens - they do not usually survive.

Here's my cat the day before she delivered four healthy kittens. She looked like she swallowed a basketball:


So, I think your cat is progressing normally and from just one heat cycle!

Oh my goodness!!! Thank you lol! Ok I'm all good with waiting, no hurry at all just want to be prepared. My daughter is pretty insistant I'm off by a full 7 days on when she became pregnant. She's younger so I don't argue much We will see.