Maternity leave - pet gone a little loopy

[Mistyautumn]

Anyone else had this. Am home on maternity leave and suddenly my cat has turned loopy. She was a really independent cat, went out all day and when we got in from work would come in for food and then go straight out again.

Now, although she has been out a bit, she has spent most of the morning asleep on my bump/ underneath my chin on my more than ample preggie boobs!!! Trying to work out whether it is because I am home more or whether she can sense the baby and wants to get close to the bump. Xx

[CoolCat2014]

I think cats can be thrown by a change on routine, especially if they sense something is different with you! She is probably being protective of you and just making sure you're ok, whilst enjoying the extra lap cuddle time, and the warmth radiating from your bump!

Maybe you got yourself an extra cat-midwife? ;)

[wawabear]

I haven't had this with pregnancy yet as I am too early on. However whenever I am ill my current cat, and all my previous cats, have always been very clingy with me. When I had my appendix out in March he wouldn't leave me alone.

My previous cat seemed to know I was getting a migraine before I did and would flop with me on the couch.

I think they are able to sense changes in blood pressure and changes in mood. Maybe she is just trying to keep you and the baby nice and warm! Cute! xx

[Heatherbell1978]

No personal experience but I'm fairly sure I found a thread on this a while ago (might not even have been mumsnet) and loads of people said the same thing about their female cats not leaving them alone and trying to get close to the bump! Quite fascinating but I'm sure they can smell the 'baby hormones' from you!

[Mistyautumn]

Thanks for your replies. Somehow I think she is going to be less affectionate when the screaming baby turns up in a few weeks! Xx

[CakesALot]

No experience myself but my sister commented that when she was pregnant, her cat adored her and followed her around all the time and he was normally very independent. Something to do with the hormones you're giving off maybe?

Just to warn you though, when she was first at home with the baby, the cat liked to bring her 'presents', usually live mice! He would drop them in the middle of the living room floor, very proud of himself, whilst the mouse lay there in shock! They would then suddenly dash away and it was a mad chase to find it and get the thing out! He also dragged a whole dead pigeon through the cat flap...

But hopefully that was just her crazy cat!

[Mistyautumn]

He he cakes. My cat is a rescue and she was locked in a garden with 30 others and left to fend for herself (she was 6 months old at the time). Sadly the end result is that she is already very keen on presents. we had a live starling deposited on the living room floor the other day. Worse thing she does is catch shrews as they move even faster than mice.

I get some very strange looks when I have visitors as I have a child's fishing net in the corner. It's the best thing for catching mice - get a square ended one and you can get them safely into a corner of the room to capture and remove! Xx

[ChickenMe]

That is so cute! Let us know how your cat responds to the new baby.
The only weird thing my cat has done is that at 5 weeks I got up in the night to use the loo and found I had a bit of blood so was obviously upset. She insisted on following me in and checking up on me and we thought she realised something was amiss? I go to the loo loads at night and she's never interested. Luckily the bleeding was nothing to worry about. She's a siamese so I do wonder what she'll be like. She's been quite cuddly with me recently.

[CakesALot]

Ah, you sound like a pro Misty! My sisters cat soon got bored of 'presents' when he saw it wasn't going to get him any more fuss and went back to being an independent streetwise cat who hates children!

[Cerealaddict]

Cakesalot, you just made my lol, I can just imagine mine bring home a pressie expecting extra fuss and me and dh (who likes to save what he can) trying to get pressie out of the house.

I've been on mat leave for 4 days now and I'm struggling with my 2 boys (cats) constantly thinking its dinner time, usually I'd come home from work and it'll be food time so I guess they think, oh she's home, must be food time, we only have a small kitchen so with 2 cats sat on floor as trip hazards whenever I'm peckish and as I can't see my feet its becoming an issue. Guess they'll get used to it and not be so follow me around when ds is here.