A mom-to-be was resting when her two cats decided it was time to greet the upcoming addition to the family.
TikTok user @brownsfam is mom to two kids, with a third on the way—and it appears the cats can’t wait for the new baby to arrive.
In a video posted to her account on August 19, she shared the unusual scene she woke up to: her cats kneading their paws on her bump, looking relaxed.
And as they applied pressure to the bump, the bump kicked back, with the unborn baby boy saying hello to his cat siblings.
She wrote over the video: “POV: [You’re] woken up to your cats doing this while [your] baby boy kicks them back.”
In the caption, the mom-to-be asked, “Can someone please explain this,” adding that they “do it every night.”
Can someone please explain this they do it every night and google doesn’t have a answer for me..?? #catsoftiktok #catslovers #cats #catsandbabies
TikTok users had a big reaction, awarding the sweet video more than 370,000 likes and watching it more than 3.3 million times.
One mom shared her own story: “I’m 37 weeks and I legit had this happen for the first time last night with my 2 fur babies. My human baby must have thought he was getting jumped because he was kicking with all his might for dear life.”
“My cat used to do the same thing with my babies when I was pregnant and always laying on my belly purring and the babies would start kicking,” another shared, while one joked: “They are telling their new best friend to hurry up.”
“They know you’re pregnant. They just think you’re gonna have a litter and they’re massaging you,” another suggested, as one guessed: “They’re bonding with your baby, they know that you’re pregnant I think it’s the sweetest thing ever.”
Some commenters were concerned about the risk of toxoplasmosis, a common parasite that can be carried by cats. An estimated 40 million people in the US are infected with the parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but most people with healthy immune systems do not get the flu-like symptoms associated with it. Pregnant women are more at risk, which is why it is advised that pregnant women do not clean cat litter boxes during their pregnancy.
Kneading is common instinctual behavior among cats, and is affectionately referred to as “making biscuits” due to its similarity to kneading dough. It begins early in life, with kittens kneading their mother to stimulate milk flow, and continues into adulthood to create a sense of calm and relaxation, according to PetMD.
When it comes to kneading and pregnancy, Newsweek previously spoke to Dayne Adams, a registered nurse and maternity photographer, who said their photography studio cat has repeatedly been drawn to the stomach of expectant mothers, and will begin to knead it.
He believes a cat’s heightened sense of smell can detect hormonal changes, with a shift in body heat and routine also alerting a cat to changes going on inside the body.
“If your cat climbs onto your belly and starts kneading, there’s a good chance they’re picking up on the nurturing energy radiating from you—and responding in kind,” he said. “Maybe it’s science. Maybe it’s instinct. But after seeing what we’ve seen, I wouldn’t bet against a cat’s intuition.”
There is no evidence that pregnancy produces odors that cats can identify, although it can’t be ruled out, Healthline reports.
In a follow-up video to her account on August 22, the mom-to-be shared that after millions of views on her clip, the consensus has been that her cats were simply “making biscuits”.
Newsweek has contacted @brownsfam via TikTok for comment on this story.
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