Anyone notice pets acting differently?

So I have a cat, Pixel, who is not normally that most loving of pets. However, since I go pregnant, she is all over me, sleeping with me every night, cuddling with me while I'm on bedrest during the day. I have a LOT of pets (14) as a result of trying to fill a baby sized hole in my life for 9 years, and a couple of them have become different since the pregnancy. I'm a little nervouse how the animals are going to be when the twins come, as they have never really seen babies before. Some pets, like the snakes and lizard, don't matter cause they are in cages, but the cats and dogs will be interacting with the babies. Any advise on getting pets ready?

 

my one kitty was funny - he's a "kneader" and he would knead my stomach - once the kids started kicking him back he stopped :laughing: At the time the twins were born we had 3 cats - one was antisocial and couldn't care less, the "kneader" just wanted to snuggle (we didn't let him because he was bigger than they were!" and the third one stood guard (and still does) outside their bedroom door...

I don't know what to do about dogs - don't have one...

 

My dogs haven't seemed to notice - they still just want to plow me over (we have two 2 year old chocolate labs). My cat is acting weird. Anytime we bring home baby clothes he lays on them for hours and takes a nap. It's crazy. I've even taken pictures. No matter where we lay the clothes he finds them and lays on them. He's one weird cat.

 

That's how I knew I was pregnant or at least suspected. My three dogs hate the vacuum, and they followed me around the house while vacuuming. I thought hmmmm weird and then though hmmmm I'm a couple of days late...hmmmm. And well, the rest is history.

Before you get home, bring something of the babies (receiving blanket) to the dogs (didn't do it with my cat) and let them sniff it, lay on it, whatever to get them used to the scent. We brought the boys home, and let each dog (I have three) one by one (the others were outside at the time) sniff the boys in their carseats, etc.

My border collie is the only one really interested in the boys at all. My pug-mix and lab could care less.

 

I have three dogs. They don't seem to care at this point. Two I am not worried about at all when the babies come. One I do worry about. She's crabby around kids. I wonder if kids were mean to her before I adopted her. My parents have agreed to take her if she doesn't adjust well. I'd be very sad to lose her. I am worried about all the attention/snuggling they get while I'm on bedrest since things will change drastically when the babies come. The dogs sure love bedrest now though.

 

I swear my 2yo Lab knew I was in labor before I did. I said to my ob the afternoon I had the babies "My dog won't leave me alone, she thinks she's going to deliver these babies" to be funny while she was checking me and she said "that's because you're in labor. She knows it." My dog seriously would not be more than 2ft away from me for the last week or so of my pg. If I went to the bathroom and shut the door, she would whine at the door until I came out. I was on bedrest, so I was staying on the downstairs couch and she slept 24/7 right next to me.

 

My one cat knew, he was ferral and not really a snuggler but once I was pregnant, actually every time even before I knew he'd start sleeping with me. We never made a big deal about the babies or the dogs/cats. They just came home and we went on with life. I think your anxieties transfers to the babies so if they feel your tension, it will be tense.

I will say that I have a ferral cat, a re homed stray kitten, a breeder mill pug, a show pug and a pound cane corso. The mill pug was abused and the cane corso has anxiety issues and we never had one issue.

 

I have a friend who could always tell that she was pg just by how the cat would act around her!!! And she could always tell when her dd had an ear infection too... I think the cat would try to sniff her dd's ears...ick...

 

I have two cats and they definitely know something is happening. My DH said he read that animals can sense the change coming and are making "adjustments" to the soon to be change. Once cat is 8 and the other is 17 and I've had both since they were kittens.

My two cats are both cuddlers but now it's to an extreme. For example (i'm 36 1/2 weeks today) yesterday I was taking a nap on the couch (I'm on semi bedrest) and my DH took a pic of one of the cats and me. Well Cat A had climed on my side and my tummy since it basically has become a ledge and he laid on top of my side/tummy for about 2 hours till I had to go to the bathroom, while the other one covered my feet and they both tried to resume their "spots" when I tried to lay back down.

Another thing we've realized is that when after they use to get their morning breakfast they would both disappear for the morning nap, well now they follow me from room to room and if I try to take a shower when they getting their breakfast they will not eat and will instead guard the door and have even growled at DH for trying to come in there while i"m in there.

The other thing we've really noticed the last couple of days as my contractions have been coming more steady is they've both become meowers. My DH works from home and has his office in the basement and when a contraction comes they started meowing and pacing (even if they are minor) - but when a big one hits and it really makes me yelp, they start SCREAMING. The first time they did this my DH caming running up becuase he thought the cats were fighting. But there they were on the floor by the bed pacing stressfully till DH came into the room to calm them down and tell them it was ok.

We laugh now becuase we call them our contraction alarms and that we know when it's coming becuase they start stressing and pacing like crazy, it's really cute because we've realized how intune they are with me.

We think they'll be ok when the boys arrive - at least we hope because they take so good care of me now we think they'll just pass that on to the boys.

 

I don't think my dog has noticed, other than I cant play with him like I used to. He has always followed me around - so nothing new there. I am not real worried about when the babies come as they wont have much contact with him for the first 6 months - he's way too big.(dogue de bordeaux - french mastiff - like in the movie 'turner and Hooch', and No, he doesn't drool like that. lol) He's never been interested in babies anyway. But kids! now that's another story he LOVES kids. My nephew (3 at the time) who came to stay with me for 6 months while Zeus was a pup(about 1) used to do terrible things to him. They would play fight ALL DAY, and Zeus loves him, even though I have caught Liam (nephew) poking him in the eyes and pulling his ears etc. Very docile dog, they were fun to watch chasing each other etc.

 

I don't think my dog noticed. My sister's cat on the other hand... well, she isn't very social to begin with, and tends not to like men... but she was always fine around me. But, I had to stop over at my sister's house to pick something up once and luckily there were more than one way out of the house because she stood by one of the doors and hissed at me if I came near her (to exit). Not fun! Maybe that was because earlier on in my pregnancy my dh & I stayed at her house while she was away and we ACCIDENTLY locked my dog in the same room as her. Yikes!

 

My horse, who normally runs up to see me (mostly to look for cookies!) didn't want anything to do with me. I'd get close enough for him to sniff my hand, and he'd take off running the other way. That lasted the fist month, then he got over it, but he still acts funny towards me. Although, he is starting to look a lot like me ... he hasn't been ridden since July, and he's starting to get a belly about as pudgy and round as mine, LOL!

As for our dogs, one has been stalking me since the beginning. It's SO annoying. She follows me everywhere, whines when I am in the bathroom, and sleeps with her head wedged up to my belly. It's cute, but seriously annoying! The other two dogs have been acting pretty much the same as before.

Allison

 

My little mutt, Petra, she was very freaked out early in my pregnancy, wouldn't come near my belly, etc. Now she'll cuddle up to it, but only "butt first" she won't put her face anywhere near it.

My cocker spaniel, Chani, likes to lay her head n my belly and listen. She doesn't mind getting kicked either. If I try to push her away, she'll put her head right back on it, ear first.

My Mastiff, Hank, has gotten very protective of me and my boys! He won't let strangers stand between him and me! He doesn't act aggressively, he just takes his massive bulk and plunks it down between me and whoever it is, and stares them down!!!

 

QUOTE(ladybenz @ Oct 30 2007, 03:42 PM) [snapback]474039[/snapback]
My Mastiff, Hank, has gotten very protective of me and my boys! He won't let strangers stand between him and me! He doesn't act aggressively, he just takes his massive bulk and plunks it down between me and whoever it is, and stares them down!!!



That so sweet!! Maybe he will be like that to your babies!! (Love the names you picked for your babies)

 

My cat, who is 7 and we've had since she was a kitten, has always slept with us, but after I became pregnant she would have to sleep right next to me. And she would stay all night. (Before she would come and go through the night.) She also started wanting to be with me all the time.

The puppy, who is 9mths and we've had since Feb, is clueless. But I think that's mostly because she's still just so young.

I do think that some animals know. It's kind of like dogs that can sense seizures and whatnot. They love us and can tell when somethings different. I know Callie (the cat) can always tell when we are sick or just don't feel good. She always snuggles more then.


Awww...now I miss my 'fur'babies!! (That's the hardest part of being in the hospital- I miss those little faces!)

 

YES! My cat has been acting like like a lunatic since the beginning of the pregnancy. He started a new thing of licking my arm like his life depends on it and also burrowing under the covers right under my big tummy. Maybe he can hear the babies heartbeats?