Sensing Pregnancy: Pregnancy and Your Pet

If you’re a pet owner, then you may have noticed your cat or dog acting a bit strange since you got pregnant. Perhaps you paid little attention to the changes or maybe you wondered if they could be related to your pregnancy. Well, if you were thinking the latter, then you would be correct!

Pregnant Belly Syndrome?
Pets seem to have an innate intuition when it comes to important events. An animals ability to sense changes in the weather, earthquakes and even volcano eruptions well before humans has long fascinated many. It has also been found that some dogs can detect certain cancers in humans as well as alert a person that they are about to have a seizure or even a heart attack. With such amazing abilities, it should really comes as no surprise that pets can know you’re pregnant before you even think about taking a pregnancy test.

Learn More About The Safety Precautions To Take With Pets And Pregnancy.

Pregnancy, Your Dog, and that Sixth Sense
While there is no scientific proof that explains precisely why dogs, or any other animal for that matter, can pick up on pregnancy, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence. Just take a look at what the women in our Reader’s Write section have to say about their pets during pregnancy.

Although your dog may not actually understand that you are pregnant, they do notice any changes in your behavior, posture, routine and emotions. These changes may be so minor that you don’t even notice them yourself. But dogs are very much in tune with such differences and will pick up on them right away.

It has also been suggested that dogs may be so sensitive to pregnancy because of the variations in hormones and pheromones in pregnant women. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell that is vastly superior to humans. In fact, their ability to smell is one million times better than humans; when stretched out, their smelling receivers can cover an area of 130m2. In humans, our smelling receptors will only cover 3m2. This is why, before the pregnancy symptoms kick in, before the pregnancy tests are taken, your dog might start to act a bit…different.

Table of Contents
1. Pets Sense Pregnancy
2. Pregnant? You cat and dog know it too.
 
 
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Crys1609
hey I'm Crystall. I'm about to be 20 next month. My dads cat doesn't really like me to give him lovings a lot or pick him up. For the last couple of days he's been following me around, laying on my lay on my lap/belly, and will even sleep on my bed with me. My little chihuahua mix is attached to my dad but has been up my butt. I'm supposed to start my period tonight but I haven't. Could it be stress or that I'm pregnant? I need help..
9 years ago
looking4mydork
I work closely with dogs and cats and I have noticed that some are more cautious of me. Even animals I don't see often or meet for the first time. Cats that arealways loving and affectionate, started to his at me; a therapy dog even bit me!! There isn't much said about animals in my situation, but I have definitely noticed a difference.
9 years ago
britanip18
My cat is not one to be picked up and be loved all the time, she kinda keeps her distance occasionally letting me pet and hold her, but lately she\'s been following me around more often. I go to the bathroom she whines at the door till i let her in. She has to be in the room when im sleeping. She\'s constantly wanting me to pet her and she\'s always near me. And even last night she went under the blankets and wanted to sleep right next to me. Im hoping that this is a good sign.
12 years ago
Raeofsunshine
Wow this is interesting I have noticed lately my friends dog has been very clingy to me lately she always wants to be on my lap and has stopped going to her owner when she wants something. She was just sitting by me and she started to bark at my puppy when she got close. I am waiting for my period to come and I am hoping this is a good sign that I am pregnat.
12 years ago
bagfullaleeches
My husband and I aren't trying at this particular time but are planning soon (as soon as his insuance kicks in). Anyway, the past week or so (since Christmas) our 2 yr old Great Dane has been acting odd. While she's always been a mommas girl, she really has been "stuck like glue" to me. She cries if I leave the house and sits at the door waiting for me, she will go upstairs to sleep on our bed only to come down every 5 minutes and "check" on me by sniffing my face and nudging me. If I leave the room she is on my heels, which she followed me before but she wasn't as clingy. When I go to the bathroom she follows me in and buries her head in my lap (yes, it is a little inconvenient at the time). When my husband and I sit on the couch together she will bury her head in my arms, lap, try to lift my arm over her head, put her snout directly in my face and just sniff for as long as I'll let her, pace back and forth in front of the couch as if she's upset because she's not right next to me. She all but ignores my husband now which she never did before. Now as for me; I'm not due for my period for about two more weeks (give-or-take), I am a person who usually wakes up with a queezie stomach because of GERD. I am experiencing light pelvic cramping and slight lower back pain but that's it. These are symptoms that I have experienced before, it just varies from month-to-month. Does anybody have any thoughts??
12 years ago