Oct. 11, 2005 — A Burmese python with a suspicious bulge in its belly will be x-rayed to confirm if it swallowed a family's Siamese cat, local authorities in Florida said Monday.

The 12-foot python was found on Sunday with a large protrusion in its digestive tract near the Rodriguez family's home outside of Miami.

Puzzled by the disappearance of its one-year-old pet feline, Frances, the family feared the worst.

"I am sure there's a cat in there," Andres, one of the family's sons, told local media.

His mother, Elidia, was worried but wanted proof about the fate of Frances. "I still would like to know for sure that it's him in the snake's stomach," she said.

Captain Al Cruz, of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue antivenin unit, told AFP that the reptile would be taken to a state park, where it will be x-rayed to determine if the Siamese cat had met an unfortunate end.

Another python made headlines last week. That snake, which was four meters (12.5 feet) in length, burst after trying to ingest an alligator in the Everglades National Park.

The presence of the large snakes, which can reach seven meters (24 feet) in length, has alarmed biologists in the Everglades because they pose a threat to native alligators, which are the principal predators in the regional ecosystem.

Many Florida residents adopt pythons as pets but abandon them later when they grow too big. Seven or eight pythons are found annually in the county, Cruz said.