I’m Pregnant And My Cat Is Not Happy

Stressedpregnantmomtobe

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Hi! I just joined this community because I desperately need advice. I’ve had my first cat for 4 years now. She has always had some behavioral problems. I believe she was bottle fed as a kitten, so she only likes me and will be antisocial or hiss at others. She is ok around my husband but will hiss if he tries to pet her. We got a second cat 2 years ago, which my first cat freaked out about. She took her aggression out on me, hissed, spit, yowled, swiped, you name it. After a couple of days, we had a hissing match and she calmed down. Fast forward to now, I’m pregnant! We are so excited about it, but she is not. We were gifted a big cat stuffed animal and that’s when things went south. She freaked out like last time and attacked me. She pooped herself too. She would hate me during the day, but then sleep between my legs at night. It’s been 3 weeks now. I thought things were getting better. I left her alone, have her space, ignored her crazy bouts, and spoke kindly to her. I can sometimes pick her up and pet her, and she is generally ok around me again. It seemed that the only time she would hiss and spit would be when she didn’t get her way about treats or I would leave the house. But just tonight, she freaked out again for no reason. I had just gotten out of the shower and was brushing my teeth. She went crazy, hid under the bed, and attacked our ankles. I’m just at a loss of what to do. She is my first baby and I can’t give up on her. But I’m scared for what she’s going to do when our human baby arrives. I don’t know if she is reacting to my pregnancy but I don’t know what else it could be for her to keep freaking out for no apparent reason. Please help!
 

neely

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Welcome to TCS! Glad you joined the site and came here for advice. Just out of curiosity, have you checked with your vet? It's possible she has something going on with her health that you are not aware of which is triggering this behavior.

Regarding your pregnancy, maybe she recognizes a hormonal change. :dunno: Both times when I was pregnant this was never an issue but every cat is an individual and you know her best. Thank you for not wanting to givie up on her. We are here for support and will try to help as much as possible. :alright:
 

Jcatbird

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I understand your concern :alright:but cats only do these things for a reason. Very glad you came here. :welcomesign:

I had a kitty when I got pregnant that was very attached to me. A dog too! They both acted out. First though, a large stuffed kitty might not be the best way to start things. It has a face and is intimidating. It probably put her a bit on edge. Second, you hormone changes are probably something she senses but does not fully understand. It sounds like she is just scared. Reassurance, treats and quiet time together are important. You can try some of the calming products on the market for kitties like Feliway. You can play the calming cat music you can find on the Internet. Worst case scenario you can get calming medicine from your vet to get her over the rough spots but there really should not be any reason to think about “losing” your first baby. It may take some figuring out but just keep posting here with updates. You’ll get lots of tips. My cat ended up adoring my baby. She protected her, snuggled her and claimed her as her own. They were completely bonded and my kitty was the best baby sitter ever. Lol Try thinking of it this way, if you were bringing a second human baby into your life, you would have some of the same emotions from your first human baby. They are insecure, a little afraid and worried that Mom will only love the new baby. When kitty ankle bites, a firm but loving,” No.” Calm voice at all times. This is your first baby so try to react as you would to any child. Love, understanding, patience and a little bit of investigating to determine the root of the fear. This is a new and exciting time to everyone and you’ll get through it together as a family. Try to relax. Kitty will pick up on that too.

Welcome to the site and please keep us updated.
Congratulations!!!!:heartshape:
I just saw that my post crossed with yours and your vet gave you something to try. Give it time to get into her system fully before you lose hope in it. It takes time to work.
 

Jcatbird

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Worrying is what we do best as kitty Moms and human Moms.:) All very natural reactions. Your instincts are wonderful though. You knew to get the stuffed toy out ASAP!:clap2: You’re off to a very good start with working this out. You’ve obviously done a great job with this kitty already so maybe just trust your instincts and abilities? We’ll be here to assist as you go. :sunshine:
 

nurseangel

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Hi, welcome to TCS and congratulations on your new baby!

I have one cat who is very intuitive. In my case, he knew I was sick and his behavior towards me changed distractively. In the weeks prior to me being admitted to the hospital, he stopped his biting and playing (he was a kitten at the time). He was just extremely sweet to me. I knew something was wrong and didn't want to admit it. He knew something was wrong and reacted to it by trying to be a constant comfort to me.

I am guessing, that as neely neely has suggested, your cat has picked up on your hormonal changes. Though of course there is nothing wrong with being pregnant, there is a difference about you that likely your cat can sense. She is probably reacting to it.

I also agree with Jcatbird Jcatbird that maybe you need to give the medication from the vet a bit more time to work. I am a people nurse, but the feline body is actually very similar to the human one. And with most mood stabilizers, it takes sometimes a few weeks or longer to get into a person's system to the point that they start to feel that the medication is working.

It worries me to think of you worrying. I wish you a joyous and as stress-free-as-possible pregnancy. You obviously love your cat very much. And your cat feels the same about you. I think she's just scared right now.

Please keep us updated.
 

catsknowme

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:welcomesign: Welcome to TCS!! You have been given excellent advice! I would try to add comfort grooming with either an old toothbrush or a cheap man's comb - using 'J' strokes (regular or reverse) to mimic a mama kitty's licks about the back of the shoulders, behind the ears and on top of the head may help calm her down. And vigorous play should help - I highly recommend using a fishing pole (a real one) or a horse whip with toys attached to the end so that the circumference of the play path is room size - this allows for across the room sprints and aerial leaps which mimic hunting - most cats take turns playing (let them "catch" the toy periodically so the play also builds up confidence and releases frustration). As your pregnancy progresses, you can sit "tailor style" on the floor on a pillow to play with the cats and gently stretch your muscles and ligaments at the same time! Casting the toy by using the fishing pole will give you an easy way to do all over stretches while increasing the bonds with your cats as well as improving physical and emotional health. If you can get your husband to try the fishing pole play, he might make a great advancement in his relationship with your cat, too - the fishing pole play is extraordinarily entertaining! :cheerleader:
 

zed xyzed

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Welcome to the site, my friend had the same issue when she was expecting. Her cat was so stressed out that she had to be put on kitty anti depressants. When she gave birth the kitty was taken on the meds and went back to normal. She is just stressed because you smell different and she is worried.
 

danteshuman

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Hi :welcomesign:I would get rid of the stuffed kitty, try calming products or if need be Prozac a calming medicine & start preparing her for your baby.

So going by a cat from hell episode (which you can look up on YouTube) I would set up your nursery now (& include a cat tree for her to safely watch the baby from there.) Set up everything like the the baby is there now .... even a bassinet by the bed and bath/powder/diapers. That way she can get used to the furniture, smell of baby products now. If you can you can get a friend to record some of their baby’s cries, you can start getting her used to baby cries now. Hopefully all the prepping will relax her when the baby comes.

To be honest I would in your situation I would put her on Prozac now (but I’m more likely to use medications for a solution.) It sounds like she is reformed feral not a bottle baby. So I would look into ways to socialize reformed feral ..... and have your husband feed her/clean her box (he needs to while you are pregnant anyways), give her treats and try to play with her daily. Lastly you can try hissing at her when she tries to play with you by attacking her feet (I do a pssssssst sound because my hisses suck but the cats still understand me.)
:goodluck:
 

danteshuman

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On YouTube : tips for introducing baby to cats (by Jackson Galaxy.)

Congrats on your baby! Please tell us how it goes.
 

silkenpaw

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Congratulations on your pregnancy! It’s an exciting time. I’m sorry you are having a problem with your feline baby and I’m so, so glad you are trying to help her instead of giving up on her.

You’ve gotten some excellent advice here. All I have to add is: don’t despair! Your cat has been on Zylkene, a relatively mild remedy, for a short time. It may take longer to work. And you still have the big guns, such as Proxac or Paxil, in reserve.

Please keep us informed on your progress.
 

Father of furbabies

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Lot's of great advice is given and I wished my wife and I had it when our son was born but that was 18yrs ago and this site was not around.

We do the fishing pole method of play but we use an old turning rod from some broken blinds that we replaced. You know the rod you use to adjust the angle of the blinds but anyway, we use one of those, as it is about 3 ft long, with a length of string and cat toy tied onto the end.

One thing we did when our son was born was to install a screen door in his bedroom doorway. This allowed our cat, she has passed away since then, Callie to smell him and hear him but not get access to him unless we were there with her.
 

Father of furbabies

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My wife was worried about Callie crawling into the crib and laying on our son's face or scratching in the middle of the night. I was the one that suggested the screen door so there could be a door shut but still let air and sound through. This was back before baby monitors were common or cheap, 18yrs ago to be precise.
 
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