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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Cats reaction to pregnant owners!

38 replies

IndigoMonstA · 10/12/2009 14:48

I'm now 22 weeks pegnant for the first time and my cat, Mary, is starting to act strangely.

She is even more clingly than usual, always wanting to be with me when I'm at home. Plus she has developed a fascination with my neck and breasts, she rests her paws on my breasts and rubs her face against my neck, she even tries to curl up for a snooze on my breasts but can't manage to stay there unless I cradle her in my arms.

Is this chnage in behaviour related to my pregnancy or just a coincidence?

How do cats respond to their pregnant owners in the later stages of pregnancy? espeically when the bump severly reduces the lap space available?
Also how will my cat respond when we bring the new born baby home?
Is she likely to jump into the baby's cot?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

spula · 10/12/2009 15:05

My cat appears to want to sabotage me by walking under my feet - that sadly I can no longer see When dd (almost 4) came along she was really good, but persistantly tried to sleep in moses basket, cot and pram!! Cot nets were rubbish as well as she would just sleep on top of that until it sank down to bedding! Was quite stressed by it at the time but it is such a short period, and would imagine will be much more carefree with no.2 So yes, their noses do get pushed out but now her and dd are great pals... when it suits

Spirael · 10/12/2009 15:21

Sorry, can't help with late pregnancy yet... However DH swears it was the cats that were the first to realise I was pregnant!

In the space of 24 hours they were suddenly all over me, even both curled up on the chair together with me. Which is completely unheard of, as they usually scuffle with one another and the littler one can't settle for more than thirty seconds at a time.

I wasn't planning on testing for another week, when AF was actually due, but DH frog-marched me to the bathroom after the cats antics, where I got my first BFP.

I'm around 8 weeks now and the cats are still all over me, like I've been rolling in catnip or something. They also seem obsessed with paddling my stomach - which is really not appreciated when I feel horribly sick-!

mulledfruitshootandcheese · 10/12/2009 15:25

My cats weren't really any different through pregnancy or when I had a new baby. However my cat was quite old by the time the youngest was a toddler and could obviously no longer stand the complete chaos noise and moved in next door.

She used to climb on my lap and if necessary on top of the feeding baby.
Have some good photos somewhere where it looks like I'm breastfeeding the cat!

LaTristesse · 10/12/2009 15:33

My fur baby started displaying strange behaviour which we'd attributed to me being pregnant (now 26 weeks), but when I asked a cat behavioural therapist (a very well renowned one) I was told it's unlikely they can sense a pregnancy and there would be other reasons for his behaviour. (Which we have since discovered to be true - IBS would you believe!)

She also advised me against trying to compensate at this stage against any potential loss of attention when the baby arrives, as he won't understand anyway (which personally I think doesn't give him much credit - he's a very intelligent boy!)

I'm sill concerned about this though as he's been the centre of my world up until now and is sure to be more than a little jealous of the baby (particularly if his refusal to acknowledge my growing bump is anything to go by - he still marches all over me whenever he likes and sleeps across the bump in a rather endearing fashion - we've even started referring to the bump as his spacehopper!

MadamDeathstare · 10/12/2009 15:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AKMD · 10/12/2009 16:09

I don't know anything about cats in pregnancy but my family had a cat when I was little and although it didn't like being shut out of my bedroom, it was very patient with me trying to pull its hind legs (never tail) and spending up to an hour at a time trying to follow it out of the cat flap...

Fibilou · 10/12/2009 16:59

I've got 6 and they haven't changed one little bit. I am 34 weeks so I guess if they were going to do something funny they would have by now

BellasYummyMummy · 10/12/2009 17:03

my two cats deffo changed during both my pregnancies- both became very cuddly, and very protective over me. once the baby was born they werent that fussed anymore, but i would say they can sense pregnancy.

MrsVik · 10/12/2009 17:55

Our cat became a bit more affectionate too - but his funniest reaction was when he was laying really close next to my belly and he got kicked. He sprung up like he'd been shot and glared at my stomach in a typical 'fight or flight' stance. He's not so affectionate anymore!

RoseWater · 10/12/2009 18:00

DHs cat who previously hated me, became obsessed with me when I was pregnant. As soon as I had the baby he went back to disdain and attempts to trip me down the stairs / lying in wait etc.

TheInvisibleManDidIt · 10/12/2009 18:08

Through both my pregnacies my old cat has been very affectionate (she is normally but much more so). She'd rub her head against my belly and purr!

When they were born she'd get upset if they cried, but not angry upset, more like she was worried. She'd run round in circles miaowing or if the baby was upstairs and we were down she'd run to us and start howling, then run upstairs to them, as if she was trying to get us to go to them.

Actually I suppose that would fit with their crying hurting her ears. Had always thought she was just concerned about them!!

Never any problems with her and them- she's loved them since day one and has never once scratched or bitten through countless amounts of tail pulls and whiskers poked.

However if I'd had the little cat we have now when they were babies I couldn't have left them alone for a second. She loves the boys now but hates really young children. So I guess it goes by the cats personality how yours will interact with your baby.

WickedWitchSouthWest · 10/12/2009 19:25

hiya

my cat is a little cling-on too - he was the same when I was pg with dd.

As for what happened when we brought dd home, we had had the nursery set up for a while and allowed him to prowl around the new furniture. Lucky for us he didn't try and get in the cot, just the moses basket (he just pinged the cat net off it!) but he only did that once.

We had 2 little hats for dd in hosp. The one she wore all day after she was born went home with dh that night for the cat to have a sniff.

When I came home with her, he had a little smell of her after jumping up onto me and wasn't bothered a bit - until she started howling of course!

We ended up co sleeping so there was 3 at the top of the bed and the cat at the bottom. He was fine. He did however start bringing me more "presents" but I made a huge fuss over him and lots of treats.

In late pregnancy he just wanted to lie on my bump (was v funny him giving me The Look when dd kicked him) but that didn't last long as he couldn't get comfy.

Good luck!

Summerhols · 11/12/2009 07:02

I am 13 weeks and my cat has always been a lap cat but I would say that he much prefurrs me over DH now. He only will sleep on my side of the bed (even when I am not in it).

Bit worried about how he will react with baby as he is stuck in his ways and likes to sleep where he is not suppossed to. So he is going to be locked out of the room when baby in moses/cot. As I think he might just try to snuggle up to baby.

HeffaMerryChristmas · 11/12/2009 08:33

Our cat is really clingy when I'm pregnant but wasn't too fussed by DD when we brought her home. She avoids DD's room completely and will occasionally get on our lap if DD is there but not often.

Now DD is a bit older (16 months) they actually play together quite well - the cat tolerates DD patting her while she's trying to sleep, and DD throws things around for the cat to chase. I've been quite surprised by how unfazed the cat has been actually - she was very spoilt before DD came along.

MamaLazarou · 11/12/2009 08:47

Can I just say that Mary is an excellent name for a cat.

My cats haven't behaved any differently so far (am 34 wks) - the boy cat walks all over the bump when I'm in bed at night, and they still have quite a bit of lap-space (am quite long-limbed). I like them snuggling up against the bump and purring - it makes me think the baby will get used to the sound and therefore grow up to be a cat-lover, too.

I'm a bit worried that they'll be freaked out by my home birth though!

houmousandcarrotsandwich · 11/12/2009 12:58

One of mine just got more naughty then usual!

I'm a Veterinary Nurse (when I'm not a big pregnant woman!) and am using the Feliway plug in diffuser ready for when baby arrives. They look abit like the 'glade' plug in things, but instead of a smell, they diffuse cat 'happy' pheromones. They help cats feel more relaxed in stressful situations. I've used it in the past when moving house and cats have always been relaxed about the change (no peeing up walls or other behaviour changes).
You can buy them from vets or larger pet stores.

I like the idea of the sound sensitisation (allowing animals to hear baby crying before baby arrives). Anyone know where I can download crying noise? I only seem to be able to find naff sounding crying, not realistic!

treacletart · 11/12/2009 13:13

Our cat hates me. She was DH's before I met him and she has always seen me as the other woman and is generally very aloof. Except when I'm pregnant.

Must be a pheremone thing but each time she's been very friendly even at just a few days pregnant. Can't remember the friendliness being a problem in later pregnancy and she has never been a problem with babies - she used to come and have a curious little sniff but then kept out of the way. She's always been very tolerant of toddlers grabbing her tail etc too and that's surprising as she's really not a touchy feely cat at all. She generally finds somewhere quiet to hide when there's noisy children around.

fiveisanawfullybignumber · 11/12/2009 15:11

My cat wasn't around for the 1st 3 DC's but was very affectionate when I was PG with DC4 and again now with DC5. She's switched her lap preference from DD1 to me during pregnancies.
However just ignored DC4 when we bought her home. Pretended she didn't exist for at least 6m. No animosity, just not there in her opinion.
IMO cats definitely sense something, probs the hormones. I wonder if it's just female cats that sense it, can we do a poll of hormonaly charged loved up kitties?

chegirlwithbellson · 11/12/2009 15:29

My cats drove me mad when I was pg with DS3. They just kept staring at me. It was very offputting.

They didnt do anything. Just sat on the bed/chair/table and looked at me.

Ones dead now and the other one buggered off (after costing me a bloody arm and a leg) so I dont have to put up with any feline nonsense with this pg.

jemart · 11/12/2009 15:31

My cats definitely knew what was going, they are all girls and some had kittens previously so pregnancy, birth and babies are nothing mysterious for them.

Tolerance of little people pulling them about is split, two of my cats are absolute saints and the other two run for the hills.
I do my best to intervene so nobody (cats or children) gets injured.

princessmel · 11/12/2009 15:31

my cat was very clingy when I was pregnant. Loved my bump.
Other cats were the same around me.
plus my cat acted like this with my pregnant friends.

catinthehat2 · 11/12/2009 15:32

Hello all.

Would anyone be interested in a Cat Section for Mumsnet on the lines of The TAck Room for horses?
If so, please step this way and join in...

....

cruisemum1 · 11/12/2009 15:34

my cat, who has to be the most arrogant, unaffectionate moggy on the planet took to licking my tummy when I was pg with ds2. As sson as he was born he reverted to being arrogant and distant and viewed ds with complete ambivalence. They defo no something is up imho!

jemart · 11/12/2009 15:35

cat nets are rubbish, doors are much more effective! just shut the cat out of the bedroom. Ours are shut in downstairs at bedtime.

binzle · 11/12/2009 23:01

my cat (female but never had kittens) would not leave me alone weeks 8-20 was on my belly within seconds of me sitting.
Seems to have given up now though.

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