Expecting a baby is an exciting time, with lots of change and preparation. This change of routine can be unsettling for your cat, so it’s important to try and help them adjust. For tips on how to prepare your cat for your baby’s arrival, watch our video below.
Can cats sense pregnancy?
When you’re pregnant, hormonal changes can alter your body's natural odour, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. Cats have a very strong sense of smell and can sometimes detect this change. You may also start to change your routine, and your cat may notice this too.
An unfamiliar scent or change in routine can cause your cat to change their behaviour. They may start showing increased affection towards you, becoming clingy and perhaps lying on your belly. Or they may become a bit withdrawn or unhappy.
In the past, there have been some health concerns around pregnancy and cats, linked to an infection called toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma is a microorganism that can affect the foetus if a pregnant person is infected.
The concern comes from the potential presence of toxoplasma parasites in infected cat poo. The parasite sheds cysts, which can become infectious after a few days. But a major study in the British Medical Journal concluded that contact with cats was not a significant risk factor for toxoplasmosis infection. The main sources of infection in people are:
through contact with contaminated soil from gardening without gloves
eating unwashed fruit or vegetables
eating undercooked meat
Despite the low risk, if you are pregnant, you should wear disposable gloves and an apron when cleaning out litter trays. Or even better, get someone else to clean out the trays for you! Litter trays should be cleaned out at least once every 24 hours to reduce the possibility of the toxoplasma parasite having time to become infectious.
If you’re worried about owning a cat while pregnant, speak to your doctor for advice.
Cats are wonderful, stress-reducing companions, so they can be a very welcome, calming influence during pregnancy. But the changes that come with expecting a new arrival can be unsettling for them.
Even though you’ll have a new baby and sleepless nights to contend with, your cat will still need you to care for them. The character of your cat will affect how they react to the changes in their home, but there are lots of things you can do to help them cope.
The early stages
Take your cat to the vet. Once you know you are expecting a new baby, book your cat in for a health check with your vet as soon as possible. If your cat does have any health issues, they can hopefully be dealt with before your baby arrives so you can concentrate on your new arrival. Make sure your cat is up to date with their flea and worm treatments, and take the opportunity to get them neutered, vaccinated and microchipped if they aren't already. A microchip will help you be reunited with your cat if they go wandering, perhaps to avoid the changes at home. Neutering and vaccinating will help to keep your cat healthy, giving you less to worry about.
Take care when emptying litter trays. If you’re pregnant, wear disposable gloves and an apron when cleaning out litter trays or get someone else to clean out the trays for you. Read our advice about cats and toxoplasmosis
Six months before your baby arrives
Make the room where your baby sleeps off-limits to your cat. This may mean that you need to move your cat’s essential items, such as their food bowl, litter tray or bed, out of this room. Try to do this gradually so as not to unsettle your cat. Make sure any open windows are cat-proof so your cat cannot enter from the outside
Reduce the amount of lap time your cat gets. As hard as this may be, when the baby arrives you will likely not be able to give your cat the same amount of attention as they currently get. Get them used to this ahead of time to make the change less sudden and stressful
Encourage your cat to use interactive toys. As well as reducing lap time, provide your cat with interactive toys and puzzle feeders they can play with alone, to help keep them stimulated and reduce boredom
Use a pheromone diffuser. Plug in a pheromone diffuser, such as FELIWAY®, to help manage your cat’s stress levels and reduce the risk of any unwanted behaviours
Introduce your cat to new baby equipment. Supervise your cat as they investigate items such as the baby’s cot or pram/stroller. Don't let them climb on them and store them out of your cat’s reach when you’re not around. It's important to keep baby items off-limits as they will be very tempting places for your cat to sleep. Find out how to keep your cat out of a cot or pram/stroller
The final stages before your baby arrives
Improve your knowledge of cat body language. This will help you recognise signs of stress in your cat should they begin to display them once your baby arrives. Find expert cat behaviour and body language advice
After your baby arrives
Provide your cat with plenty of hiding places. Make sure they have places they can escape to if they’re feeling stressed. Cardboard boxes make great hiding places
Keep baby bottles and feeding utensils out of your cat's reach. It’s also a good idea to keep baby and cat food separate. You don't want to mix them up in a sleep-deprived moment!
Make time to give your cat daily attention. While you may not be able to give your cat as much lap time as before, try to establish a routine to give them regular playtime and attention. This can help keep you both relaxed.
Don’t leave your baby and cat alone together. Even if you trust your cat completely, it’s safer to always supervise them together. Make sure you continue to keep the room where your baby sleeps off-limits to your cat
Don’t rush introducing your cat to your baby. This is something that can be done gradually and monitored closely. Their bond will come in time, once they're used to each other
If you are concerned about your cat's behaviour following your baby's arrival, please seek advice from a qualified cat behaviourist who may be able to pinpoint a trigger and help you resolve the issue.
At a time when nothing else stressful is going on in the home, find a room that your cat is naturally relaxed in.
Find a device on which you can play the MP3 of baby cries. Test the sound volume when your cat is not in the room, so as not to spook them. Set the volume to a very low level so that it is barely audible.
When your cat chooses to enter the room, start playing the audio at the original, low volume for approximately two minutes. This may need to be shortened depending on your cat’s reaction. You can interact with your cat as normal at this time but don’t do anything that will make them stressed.
If the cat does not appear fazed by the noise, repeat steps one to three at the same volume level on two more separate occasions. If your cat remains unfazed by the noise, you can then progress to step five.
Increase the volume by a small amount and repeat steps one to four. If your cat is happy with the volume, slightly increase it again and continue this process over time until the volume is as loud as a normal baby’s cry.
Remember, if at any stage your cat looks uncomfortable or fearful, return to a lower volume.
Never make a sudden jump in volume as this could spook your cat. It needs to be gradual for it to work.
The entire point of this exercise is for your cat to have no reaction to the sound, so don’t panic if you don’t see your cat react. This is what is supposed to happen. If you increase the volume gradually over time, hopefully you’ll never see a reaction!
How to keep your cat out of a cot or pram/stroller
A warm, comfortable cot is often an attractive place for a cat to rest. They might also take a shine to moses baskets, next-to-me cots, prams, strollers and anywhere else meant for your baby. It’s important to keep your cat away from where your baby sleeps by:
Offering alternative sleeping places. Make sure to give your cat lots of different places to sleep so they can choose their favourite. Some cats prefer igloo beds because they are enclosed and many like to be up high on a shelf or bed.
Keeping cots and prams/strollers out of reach. Try to keep your cat away from your baby’s pram or cot by making sure they’re in a room your cat can’t get into. You could also fill them with objects that stop your cat from settling and aren’t comfy to sleep on to put your cat off. If your cat does get into your baby’s cot or pram, encourage them away or, if necessary, gently remove them and try to encourage them to a different sleeping spot.
Avoiding using cat nets. There are some so-called ‘cat nets’ on the market designed to go around cots and prams to stop cats getting in them. These are often ineffective as the cat will still climb on the net, and it could harm your cat if they get tangled or even harm your baby if the cat were to get on the net and it collapsed. We would not recommend using these but instead follow our advice above.
Are indoor cats bad for pregnancy?
If your cat is healthy, it shouldn’t matter for your pregnancy whether they are an indoor or outdoor cat. The main health concern is toxoplasmosis, which is more likely to affect cats who go outdoors and hunt prey. But if you follow our toxoplasmosis advice, the risk will be very low.
If your cat does go outdoors, this will give them more opportunity to get away from any stressful changes at home. Having this choice can help keep them calmer and happier. But if you have an indoor cat, there are lots of things you can do to keep them happy at home. Find out how to keep your indoor cat happy before and after your baby arrives.
Can I sleep with my cat while pregnant?
The health risk from a cat sleeping on your bed is very low. Most infections come from scratches, bites, fleas or contact with cat poo, not from sharing a sleeping space. Toxoplasmosis, the main concern for pregnant people, comes from contact with cat poo. You can lower the risk by following our toxoplasmosis advice. To lower the risk of getting a flea bite, keep your cat’s flea and worm treatment up to date and wash bedding regularly. Find out more about fleas.
