Woman Worried about Unborn Child Kicks Out 18-Year-Old Cat: 'I Do Feel Like It Was the Right Decision'

A pregnant woman is worried about the safety of her unborn baby after she sees how aggressive her husband’s cat was towards her dog. She forces her husband to rehome his 18-year-old cat, thinking it is the best decision for her dog and her baby. However, her husband didn’t take it lightly.

Many circumstances urge people to rehome their cat owing to renovations, moving interstate, or due to financial reasons. However, ensuring you’ve decided it right is very important, and that’s what a pregnant woman was confused about when she asked her husband to kick his 18-year-old cat out of their house.

Reddit mom-to-be Both_Refrigerator239 and her husband had been living for almost a year together. The woman brought along her American Bully while her husband had his pet cat. They tried to befriend the two paw mates, and it appeared they’d gotten along initially. However, it didn’t last long.

WIFE ASKS HUSBAND TO GET RID OF HIS 18-YEAR-OLD CAT

In just a day, the cat started getting aggressive with the Original Poster (OP)’s dog, and the pets had to be separated by gates. She’d even splash water on them to keep them from fighting, but it turned out the cat was always after her dog. Posting to the online community where people try judging their behavior, the pregnant woman explained:

“While I’m not saying that the cat would definitely be nasty towards my baby, the way it has acted towards my dog has caused me to worry…I feel really bad for my husband. However, I do feel like it was the right decision, not only for the dog but our future baby.”

The woman asked her husband to rehome the cat so that it could find a better home. After a prolonged virtual argument, the husband agreed but was very upset with his wife’s decision. The online community didn’t spare the mother and thought it was heartless to abandon their cat like this.

CAN CATS SENSE PREGNANCY?

Some pregnant people claimed a profound change in their feline’s behavioral pattern and doubted if their cat could sense their pregnancy. Having analyzed expectant parents encountering similar issues with their cats, animal behaviorist Kate Mornement anecdotally revealed that pets do seem to know that their humans are pregnant.

“Their acute sense of hearing also means they probably hear the baby’s heartbeat in the later stages of pregnancy.”

Vet Richard Gowan says cats don’t usually care about the baby in the house, whereas they’re focused on their routine. For instance, even if morning sickness affects a pregnant woman’s routine, it can upset the cat, Gowan says. Meanwhile, most pregnant women are worried about contracting toxoplasmosis from their cats and are said to rehome their pets.

CLINICAL PROFESSOR SAYS REHOMING ISN’T THE RIGHT SOLUTION

For instance, a pregnant Reddit user, monstercatneedstogo, posted on a Reddit forum seeking advice about her husband rehoming his aggressive cat before the delivery. Redditor EightLivesDown advised the mom that pregnant women should not touch cats to avoid being infected with toxoplasmosis. But how far is this true?

“Toxoplasmosis can be a devastating disease, but with proper precautions, a woman does not need to rehome her cat if she becomes pregnant.”

Despite the risks of toxoplasmosis, Dr. Susan Nelson of Kansas State University claimed in a recent university release that many pregnant women might have been mistakenly advised to rehome their cats.

She tried debunking the myth that cats and pregnant women can’t safely coexist and claimed toxoplasmosis could be a devastating disease. Still, with proper precautions, a woman does not need to rehome her cat if she becomes pregnant.

TAKE BABY STEPS INSTEAD OF EXPOSING YOUR CAT TO SUDDEN CHANGES

Cats hate a sudden change in their routine, particularly if they’re highly strung and aggressive. Making slow changes to your household to prepare for your baby might help cats slowly reduce their stress.

For example, some cats don’t adapt to sudden changes in their bed location. Moving your cat’s bed out of your bedroom just a few inches a day can help them cope with the transition.

Experts like Dr. Gowan suggest giving your cat some extra love with frequent interaction compensates when you take away their regular routines like sharing a bed at night. It could be as simple as a bit of chin scratch, patting, or grooming, whichever makes them feel comfortable and less aggressive.

Cats tend to give their pregnant humans the cold shoulder initially, but they might get back on track if you give them some time. Sometimes, it might feel your relationship with your feline is on the mend when you know he feels excluded from the house after the baby arrives.

Looking after a pet once the baby arrives isn’t usually overburdening as long as you learn to balance pet parenting with your typical parenthood.

Do you think it’s necessary for expecting parents to rehome their pet cat and get over their human-animal relationship? If you feel it’s cruel, then you’re not alone! We’d love to know your opinions. Thanks for reading