Fostering a mom and her kittens...she is getting fat!

I am fostering (for my first time) a mom and her three kittens from our local humane society. Shes been with me for about a month now and her kittens are now 8 weeks old. They will be going to their new homes around 10 weeks old. Mom is still letting them nurse very occassionally but for the most part pushes them away when they try. When we got her the mom was literally skin and bones with a ragged coat that was so thin you actually could not tell she was long haired. She has since filled out and her beautiful long fur is growing back in. Since she is nursing I give her an unlimited supply of kitten food and water. She doesnt seem to overeat but she is now going from "filling in" to downright having a large belly. Its not her teats. She is not acting differently. Is she just getting fat or is there something about postpartum that i need to worry about? The humane society takes care of her medical care and i take her every 2 weeks for their shots and visit to the vet. She did not have the big belly at her appt last week. Am i crazy?

I thought i should mention that she cannot be spayed yet - they told me she needed to be away from her kittens (not nursing) for 2 weeks before she is spayed and that has not happened yet. She is kept indoors and has no access to any toms in the time that i have had her.

I wonder still if she may be pregnant.  They can become impregnatet anew already about one week after delivery.  So there is about two weeks before she arrived to you...

A vet does she her regularly?  Had the vet checked her for real? doing palpitation of the tummy? - an experienced vet can do it quickly, you think he is holding friendly - but he is really palpitating...

Also, a healthy cat does has meat on the bones, its just some few breeds whom are slender and shouldnt have much meat, so to speak...   Ie a normal healthy cat shall have some fat... Including perhaps the classical pouch on the tummy...

But, as she is now nursing just occasionally, you dont need to give her full ransom of nursing food....  Take down the amount some, and go into more regular, good quality food.  Wet food is good....

K kg84

Ask the vet to check for another pregnancy. An ultrasound would show if she were pregnant or had an infection. Is she having any discharge from her lady parts?

The sudden big belly is curious. It sounds like pregnancy, but it's possible she has just put on weight.

My cat grew skinny after delivery, and then put on weight and her belly was quite round, as she had been a stray and thoroughly enjoyed all the kitten food. It was just fat! Once the kittens weaned fully I switched mama off kitten food and onto a high protein diet, and she lost most of her belly.

As Stefan said, it can depend on body type as well. Some cats are long and lean naturally, others are rounder. [emoji]128522[/emoji]