Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I am expecting my first child and have been in the early stage of labor for about the last three days. I’ve noticed recently that my eldest kitty is increasingly clingy, meows much more frequently, and follows me around the house like a shadow. She absolutely insists on being in whatever room I’m in now, including the bathroom. It doesn’t bother me at all; in fact I find it quite endearing because I feel like she’s worried about me. I’m curious if kitties can actually tell what’s going on with their humans in this regard though or if I’m perhaps anthropomorphizing her actions. Elsa is very healthy and active still, just much more ‘Mama’ oriented and demanding of attention. Is there anything I should be aware of as my labor progresses?
~ Erica
Siouxsie: We cats absolutely can tell when something huge is going on!
Thomas: As we’re sure you know, when a human is about to have a baby, there are lots of changes in your hormones, which produce subtle changes in your pheromones.
Bella: You can’t consciously sense those pheromones, but your cat sure can!
Siouxsie: Your doctor probably told you that as you start your labor, you’ll start producing lots of a hormone called oxytocin. This hormone tells your body to start producing breast milk and it drives the labor process.
Thomas: Your body also starts producing more endorphins, which are the body’s natural opiates. These endorphins help you to manage your pain while you’re in labor.
Bella: Your body may also be producing a lot of adrenalin, which is the “fight or flight” hormone. If you’re feeling really stressed out or worried about the birth, or if there are stressful things going on in your home, your body will produce too much adrenalin. This can slow or even stop your labor, so you want to produce as little adrenalin as possible.
Siouxsie: I wonder if your eldest cat had some kittens of her own at some point. That would probably contribute to her desire to follow you around and protect you. Also, if you’re feeling stressed, she may be trying to make sure you’re as calm as possible.
Thomas: I’ve never met a pregnant kitty. I wonder what their pheromones are like.
Bella: I’ve never met one either. Mama, can we go meet some pregnant cats (and maybe some pregnant people)? Will you get pregnant so we can find out what it’s like?
Mama: Sorry to disappoint you, Bella, but I’m not planning to get pregnant any time soon — or any time ever, for that matter. If I did that, I wouldn’t have time to give you lots of affection and petties because I’d be so busy with the baby.
Bella: Oh! Okay, well, don’t get pregnant, then. I want you to take care of me!
Siouxsie: I’ve met a couple of pregnant people before. They do smell different when they’re pregnant than they do when they’re not, and I’m sure they smell even more different when they’re just about to have their baby.
Thomas: Long story short — even if you don’t believe in cats being able to telepathically sense what’s going on, we do respond to physical changes in your body chemistry, and on an instinctive level, I’m sure your eldest kitty knows it’s because you’re about to have a baby.
Bella: You know, cats can be trained to sense other biochemical changes, which can help them to be able to do things like detect seizures before they start or to sense if diabetic people’s blood sugar readings are too high or low. Cats have been known to wake their people if they have heart fibrillation. You hear a lot about dogs doing this, but there are plenty of medical-alert cats, too.
Siouxsie: We hope your labor and delivery goes smoothly, that you and your baby are super-healthy and form a wonderful bond that will last through both of your lifetimes. And we know your eldest cat will also get to be your baby’s buddy, too.
Thomas: Please let us know how everything turned out, and how your eldest kitty and all your furry friends react well to your new family member.
Bella: How about you other readers? Did your cats react when you got pregnant or when you were starting your labor? We’re really curious! And did your cats turn out to like the baby? Please share your stories in the comments; I’m sure Erica will be glad to hear them too.
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
I once had an elder cat who sensed my early stage of pregnancy. He was jealous, I guess, because he didn’t insist on sitting on my lap all the time like he used to. He would just lay on the floor next to me or lay on other furniture I wasn’t sitting/laying in. Then about 8 weeks in my pregnancy he started loving up to me again and sat on my lap and laying against my belly. Well, turns out I was miscarriaging and didn’t know it. A week later I miscarried and it all made sense. My cat sensed the baby and the miscarriage. Animals are amazing!
I work in rescue and many cats are relinquished when their owners have babies. It is sad that these once
loved anilmals are sometimes not considered part of the family anymore when a baby is involved. When I had my daughter our cat fit right in and I would never thought to have parted with her. Hopefully you will all be one family even if the kitty acts a little different at first. I believe they have feelings and can get jealous just like a brother or sister would regarding the new arrival. Patience and love are the answer. May you all be one happy family.
It is sad that so many people let them go when they are about to have a baby. It is silly for many reasons. Some people get the mistaken idea that their children will get sick if they keep the pets. There are studies which show that having a cat/dog while being pregnant and during the first years of life of a child actually helps strengthen their children’s immune system.
I guess my parents wanted to double make sure I would have a great immune system so they got a dog and a cat when my mom was pregnant with me. They got a retired police dog and an old cat who were my best friends during childhood and I was never sick.
When I was six, my mother got pregnant with my little brother, and our blue Russian, blue, was following her around a lot. He didn’t leave her side except to eat and make dirt. I had quite a strong bond with him and he let me know what my parents didn’t want to,. She was having a difficult pregnancy, and was in a coma for a week afterward. I was with him a lot at that point, and he let me know, though I couldnt wxaon to you how, that he was expecting this. He waited anxiously for her return on the couch by the door.
Omg!!! I am 8 weeks pregos and my 2 year old calico won’t leave me alone. She follows me every where, at the dinner table she’s at my feet patting my legs every once in awhile so I know she’s there, to the bathroom or sitting on the couch shes on me , she wakes me up at night usually when I am in the midst of a pregnancy dream. I would never dream of giving her away her care and concern for me only strengths our family bond so for the next 7 more months I will have to dig my self of from underneath my ball of fur and kneeding claws and do my best to remember its all in the name of love!! Hers for me and mine for her at least I don’t have to ask ” has anyone seen Maggie?” Lol