Have you ever thought about what animals feel when they are pregnant? Do they feel what humans feel when pregnant? Are they excited?
One common question that most people ask is if animals or their pets know that they are pregnant? Do animals know that they are pregnant? Let me give you a concise answer.
Do animals know they are pregnant? Yes! Animals know that they are pregnant. The bodies of animals release chemical signals when they are pregnant. Animals wouldn’t realize it straight away because they have no pregnancy test. But animals will still find out that they are pregnant soon, and if they find out, they will change their behavior.
Let’s go deeper around this topic. We will also take a look at some signs to tell if your female pet is pregnant or not. Let’s go!
Do Animals Understand Pregnancy?
When animals are pregnant, they become more protective, hostile, and will rest more. Animals act aggressively when they are pregnant because they are too vulnerable during pregnancy. They also rest more because it is stressful to be pregnant.
Animals understand pregnancy, and they will sense it if they are pregnant. They might not know it at first because there is no pregnancy test, but they will find out that they are pregnant soon. Once animals find out that they are pregnant, they will act hostile and be more aggressive.
Animals are more careful than humans when they are pregnant. Why? Because animals want to pass their genes to the next generation, and they don’t want their lineage or species to stop.
That is why female animals act aggressively when you try to get close to their babies. This is a form of defense to keep their offsprings away from danger.
Humans should stay away from female animals that are pregnant. If humans get too close, female animals might attack, and humans might get injured. This is also proof that animals know they are pregnant. When they act very defensive, it means they know that there is a baby inside them that they need to protect.
It is in the instincts of female animals that they need to protect their offspring, and it is natural for every mother to protect their children from every danger. Female animals, including humans, love their offsprings more than their husbands or partners.
Do Animals Know That Sex Make Babies?
When animals know that they are pregnant, then it means that they also know how they get pregnant. Right? Let me give you the answer.
Do animals know that sex makes babies? No. Animals do not know that sex makes babies, and they don’t need to. Every animal performs everything instinctually, including sex. All animals need to do is to have sex and reproduce. Animals don’t need to know that sex makes babies.
Even early humans don’t know that sex makes babies. Early humans don’t know that sex is the reason for reproduction. They thought that females get pregnant magically. But over time, humans began to understand that sex makes babies. Thanks to science!
Animals don’t know that sex is the main reason for reproduction. All they know is that sex gives them pleasure. But, even though animals don’t know that sex makes babies, animals will still protect their young because it is in their instincts as well.
Do Animals Feel Pain When Giving Birth?
Now that we already know that animals know that they are pregnant, but they don’t know that sex is the reason that leads them to pregnancy, let’s move to the other question related to our topic. When animals are giving birth, do they feel pain?
Do animals feel pain when giving birth? Yes! Animals feel pain when they give birth. However, they keep their pain private. It is scientifically proven that many animals show some signs of pain and distress when giving birth. Some animals sweat and scream during labor.
Like humans, animals also feel pain when they give birth. However, not all animals feel pain when giving birth, but most of them do. Only animals that are capable of feeling pain can feel pain when giving birth. Animals that don’t feel pain, like jellyfish, certainly don’t feel pain during labor.
Do Pets Know If Their Owner Is Pregnant?
Pets like dogs and cats know when they are pregnant because they are animals too. If pet dogs or cats know that they are pregnant, do they know that their human is pregnant?
Do pets know if their owner is pregnant? Possibly! However, pets might not realize exactly that their owner is pregnant, but they might sense that something is different. When their owner starts to change behavior or change scent, they will pick-up on this and realize that something is different.
No proof supports this. But because pets have a great sense of smell and hearing, they may know that their owner is pregnant. Some scientists said because of the strong sense of hearing of pets, they can hear the baby inside their owner’s belly.
When pets hear the kick or the heartbeat of the baby inside their owner’s stomach, they sense that something is inside. But they never know exactly if that is a baby. All they know is that there is something different happening.
Dogs can read body language because that is how they talk to each other. They also have a strong sense of smell and hearing. When humans are pregnant, their body language changes, their smell changes, and their behavior change.
Dogs can pick up on this, so it may be possible for dogs to sense that their owner is pregnant.
Do Dogs Know That They Are Pregnant?
Dogs will not exactly know that they are pregnant like humans do. They don’t have the self-awareness humans have. However, dogs can still sense something different in their body during pregnancy. When dogs sense it, they will realize that they are pregnant and will change behavior.
All animals, including dogs, act instinctually. Dogs will become aware if something is going on inside its body, but they don’t fully know that they are pregnant.
Dogs also don’t know that sex makes babies. Their behavior is controlled by hormones, and they don’t get a period as humans do. Dogs only get pregnant when they know that they are ready to get pregnant.
How To Tell If Your Dog Is Pregnant?
Here are some signs that your dog is pregnant:
- Vomiting
- Gain Weight
- Nipples Starting To Erect
- Eat Plenty
- Less Active
- Very Aggressive
- Very Protective
Dogs are pregnant for two months, and they will give birth after that. They have to find out quickly that they are pregnant. So that they will know what they should do during pregnancy.
Your pregnant dog will gain weight during her pregnancy period. When your dog is pregnant, it will be visible after some weeks. Your dog will sense that she is gaining weight, and probably, she will be aware that she is pregnant.
To keep your dog safe and have a healthy pregnancy, I suggest you take her to the vet for checkups. If you are also not sure that your dog is pregnant, take her to the vet after two-three weeks for an ultrasound.
When the fourth week comes, the vet can touch your dog’s belly and sense the puppies. If you are going to touch the belly of your dog you should be careful because the puppies are only one inch long.
If you have proven by yourself that your dog is pregnant, then soon she will also realize that she is pregnant. Give your dog everything she needs. Your dog may act differently during the pregnancy period so have a little patience with her.
Dog Pregnancy Test
Like I have said, you should take your dog to the veterinarian after two to three weeks. The vet will give the checkups. They will ultrasound the belly of your dog to see if there are puppies inside your dog’s belly.
If you cannot wait this long or if you don’t have enough money to go to the vet, there is an alternative for you. You can buy some pregnancy test kits for your dog.
When using the pregnancy test kit, you need blood from your dog to check if she is pregnant or not. This will detect the hormone called relaxin. However, I don’t recommend you use a pregnancy test kit for your dog because it can take weeks to have results.
If you have no access to the vet, wait some time. After some weeks, you will see some changes in your dog’s belly. You should also pay attention to the pregnancy signs like gaining weight, vomiting, etc.
Do Cats Know That They Are Pregnant?
Cats may also sense that they are pregnant soon, but it’s hard to know when they will find out that they are pregnant.
Like any other animals, cats will know that they are pregnant. But because they don’t take pregnancy tests as humans do, they won’t realize that they are pregnant right away. If they sense some changes in their body, they will know it and will take action to protect their kittens.
Cats are controlled by their instincts. Their instincts will be the ones determining when they should have sex, also known as a heating period. When a cat is in heat, it will be noisy and will find someone to mate with.
How To Tell If Your Cat Is Pregnant?
Here are some signs that your cat is pregnant:
- Vomiting
- Tummy Starts To Grow
- Eating More
- Nipples Start To Erect
- Become Less Active
- Become More Protective
- More Clingy
- More Aggressive
The cat will be pregnant for two months like dogs. Sometimes it could be a little bit longer than two months. You should be able to notice their belly growing after some weeks. After one month, their belly becomes bigger, easier to recognize that they are pregnant.
Your cat will know that they are pregnant after one to two weeks. The cat will become less active and lazy when they are pregnant, so it is easy for you to determine if they are pregnant or not.
After a few weeks of pregnancy, your cat will gain some weight. They will eat more than usual. When they gain some weight, your cat will start to notice that they are pregnant. Cats will not realize it at first, but soon they will recognize that they are pregnant when signs come to kick in.
Cat Pregnancy Test
The pregnancy test for cats is the same as the dogs, and our recommendation is also the same. We don’t recommend you to pregnancy test your cat by yourself. If you want them to have a healthy pregnancy, bring your cat to the vet.
But if you don’t have enough money to go to the vet, I don’t still recommend you use a pregnancy test. It is easy to know if your cat is pregnant. You just have to look for the signs and make sure to notice the changes.
Final Words
To end this article, let me give you a conclusion. I conclude that animals know they are pregnant. They may not know at first. But when they sense that their body is changing, they start realizing that they are carrying some babies.
Pets and other domesticated animals can also sense that their owner is pregnant because they have a strong sense of hearing and smell. They can hear the heartbeat of the baby inside the stomach of their owner, and they can smell the changing scent of their pregnant owner.
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