Pet jealousy

ABeautifulMind

My cat has always been super lovey and I've always given him lots of attention.  He has always been a good kitty and used his litter box without problems . . . until recently.  In the past 2 weeks I've noticed him trying to get into the nursery, climbing in the crib, scratching at the door to get into LO's closet, etc.  AND, the worst part of it all, he has peed twice outside his litter box.  The first time was on a blanket on our couch and then last night he peed on the bathroom floor mat.  WTF?!?!?!  I can only imagine how much worse this is going to be once LO arrives and he isn't getting the attention he used to. 

Any other pet owners have similar experiences or practical solutions to offer up? I'm so sad he is acting this way.   

ktroutm2

I've just started having problems with my English bulldog within the last 2 weeks. We let him out 3 times a day for a walk (of course if he goes to the front door we will let him out as well). Within the last 2 weeks he hasn't been going to the front door to let us know if he needs to go out. But he has peed on the same wall twice. And today when no one is home we put him in a room with a baby gate up because I don't trust what he will get into when no one is home. I was gone for about 10 mintues and he jumped over the gate and peed on my clean clothes. I think he can sense that she's coming soon. I hope that he gets better and not worse when she's here. I don't know what to do. We allowed him to come into the baby's room when we were setting it up and he allowed him to smell everything. I plan to have SO bring home a blanket before we leave the hospital that the baby was wrapped in. Hopefully that will help. 

ModestMousette

My dog is doing the peeing thing also he's never ever had an accident in the house and now he's had 3! The first time he jumped on the couch walked over to me and peed right on my lap! I couldn't believe it! I yelled and scared my poor LO. But that was mainly in the 1st and 2nd Trimester. Now I just take him outside ALL the time. I know that doesn't really give you any good advice since you have a cat but I just wanted to let you know your not alone!

ephillips1981

Just coming from a cat owner.  Our cat started doing this, and I thought it was behavioral, but even with changes it is very odd for a cat not to use his or her litter box.  We wound up taking ours to the vet and he had a urinary tract infection that was bad.  The whole time I was thinking he was acting out and he was actually sick.  Might want to check that just in case.

ABeautifulMind

ephillips1981:

Just coming from a cat owner.  Our cat started doing this, and I thought it was behavioral, but even with changes it is very odd for a cat not to use his or her litter box.  We wound up taking ours to the vet and he had a urinary tract infection that was bad.  The whole time I was thinking he was acting out and he was actually sick.  Might want to check that just in case.

 

OH NO!  I will definitely bring him to the vet just to be safe.  THANK YOU!

jemgirl202

I have no cats so I wouldnt know how to handle that. But I have a dog who we have had since he was a puppy. He is the most well-behaved dog. He is still being good but lately he has been having seperation anxiety. He comes in at night and goes outside all day. However when he comes in at night now, he wont leave my side.

However I have been reading up on how to bring a baby home to a house with pets. There are certain ways to help them adjust. But like I said I have only looked up how dogs adjust and not cats. For dogs they say to start introducing them to baby clothes, lotions, and diapers to get them used to the smell. Also dont start changing their habits right before the baby comes because I read that the pet will resent the baby for the changes and that is the last thing you want.

We are hoping our dog will adjust well to the baby. Im sorry its been so hard with your cat. I hope your cat learns to adjust to your baby

Lesleyjking

My basset was doing the same -peeing in house where he never did that. I was convinced something was wrong with him but tests were fine. I'm working from home now and the accidents have stopped though I'm not sure why. If anything he's a bit more clingy

MotherMonster

ABeautifulMind:

ephillips1981:

Just coming from a cat owner.  Our cat started doing this, and I thought it was behavioral, but even with changes it is very odd for a cat not to use his or her litter box.  We wound up taking ours to the vet and he had a urinary tract infection that was bad.  The whole time I was thinking he was acting out and he was actually sick.  Might want to check that just in case.

 

OH NO!  I will definitely bring him to the vet just to be safe.  THANK YOU!

My mom's cat did the same thing, except he had kidney stones. He was in so much pain and that was his only way to tell us there was a problem. He ended up needing surgery to remove one stone, but after that and putting him on a special diet, he never had a problem again! 

laurack

My berner has been acting a bit strange lately, he is just very needy, more than usual. No peeing/pooping in the house or being naughty, but he definitely seems to know "something" is up. It's quite sweet actually, though sometimes annoying haha. It's like he is always around me, nuzzling into me, trying to get on my lap (he weighs 105lbs!) etc.

I do feel sad thinking about when LO gets here, he will get less attention for sure (our first child and until now, he has been our furbaby and the center of our worlds). But once I am mobile again, he will have me home for 12 weeks, and get to go on plenty of walks and stuff so that will be good.

Even now I feel a bit guilty, sometimes I am too tired to play with him or give him the attention he wants, sometimes i am too sore and he doesn't get his walk that day, if hubby isn't around to take him.

Also he'll be banished from the bedroom in preparation for the LO as I can't deal with the dog hair and having a baby in the room/breastfeeding etc. Oh I feel so sad to think of it, poor doggie! But he'll survive and I know he'll love the little one and they will be great friends

buggie1369

I have a cat, and he pees because he is mad, and wants to go outside in the backyard (I have had him checked many times to ensure that he is healthy, he is just nutty) He usually pees on the carpet or the laundry basket full of clean clothes. I have learned that when he scratches on the wall it means he wants out, and to not ignor him. It's probably your cat's way of saying he needs attention or is bored (hopefully he is healthy and this is just behavioral, and he gets over it soon). As for the juming in the crib, I've read a few different things- one of them being to put tin foil in the crib/car seat/baby swing, cat's don't like the tin foil on their feet, so if the cat jumps in there, he probably won't like the feeling of the tin foil and eventually stop doing that, you will need to leave the tin foil in the crib and where ever else you put it in for awhile. The other thing that lots of resources have mentioned is to let your cat smell the new stuff so he know that it will be in his home now, and it's his chance to get to know the new stuff. I've been doing this with my cat, and he actually hasn't bothered with any of the baby stuff, he just smells it, rubs against it and that's it... 

Good Luck!   If your vet offers any helpful tips let us know!

Ximena M

One of my dogs doesn't go far from my side, but so far no behavior issues.