Husband jokingly suggested wife take a pregnancy test when their cat suddenly became clingy — but the results left them stunned

She and her husband had only been trying for a baby for two months after stopping birth control in January.

PUBLISHED 5 HOURS AGO

(L) Young woman cuddling with cute gray kitten; (R) Excited couple looking at positive pregnancy test on sofa at home - Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Olezzo; (R) Gorica Poturak

Pets are known for their strange intuition, often sensing things long before humans catch on. One Reddit user says her cat started acting in ways that made her pause and wonder if something bigger was going on. u/baconater2000 shared in a post how her cat, Luna, had always been somewhat clingy, but her owner noticed she suddenly wouldn’t leave her alone. She followed her into every room, rubbed against her legs, and even seemed to anticipate her movements. What felt like an unusual phase soon became impossible to ignore.

Woman petting her cat on the bed - Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by cottonbro studio — Woman petting her cat on the bed. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by cottonbro studio)

"Every time I got up to go to a different room, she would follow and beat me to the room while rubbing her head on my legs. I started noticing that she was my little shadow no matter where I went," she wrote. That’s when she decided to trust her gut. "I joked to my husband and my mom, telling them, 'Who needs a pregnancy test when you have a cat,'" she added. The very next day, she jokingly decided to take a pregnancy test. "Turns out it was [sic] positive," she wrote. At the time, she and her husband had been trying for a baby for just two months after she came off birth control in January.

A couple looking at the pregnancy test - Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Gustavo Fring — A couple looking at the pregnancy test. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Gustavo Fring)

Two home tests confirmed it, one indicating she was 2–3 weeks along. A doctor’s appointment then confirmed she was 4 weeks pregnant, calculated from her last period. After that, Luna’s clinginess went away. "Ever since she’s been back to her normal self, like she knows I know now," she said, laughing that she now calls Luna her "little pregnancy test." She even uploaded a photo of Luna to Imgur, writing, "My cat, Luna, who 'told me' I’m pregnant."

Couple sitting on sofa at home - Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Vlada Karpovich — Couple sitting on sofa at home. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Vlada Karpovich)

While no study proves cats can detect pregnancy, researchers and veterinarians describe why this happens. Eboni January, MD, OB-GYN, and fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG), told Parents, "While there is no clinical study proving cats detect pregnancy, anecdotal and behavioral evidence suggests that they respond to physiological and behavioral changes in their owner." Aimee Warner, a veterinary surgeon in the UK and the resident veterinarian at Waggel, adds, "Some pet owners claim their cats modify their behavior during early pregnancy because the changes in body scent from hormones become noticeable to cats through their sensitive olfactory sense."

via GIPHY

Readers resonated a lot with the story and shared their own experiences with cats during pregnancy. u/mamaboy-23 shared, "We have a cat as well, and he’s nice but not the cuddly kind at all. When I was pregnant, he would lie, cuddling with my belly for hours on end. As soon as the baby was born, he was done with cuddling, but he liked me during that time at least." u/mrs-smurf added, "Super cool! I’m 9 months along and I swear my three cats don’t care." u/kalzonegal commented, "I love this so much! My kitties have been so friendly to me since I found out I was expecting. Cats are the best." u/librabean joked, "Aww, what a smart kitty! My cat still thinks my husband is pregnant. Congrats!"