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Why does my cat make a noise when I touch her?

If your cat has been making a noise when you touch him/her, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about them.

So, why does my cat make a noise when I touch her? Likely reasons why your cat makes a noise when you touch her are that your cat is showing you affection or that your cat does not like how you touch it.

There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat might be doing it and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Why does my cat make a noise when I touch her?

Below are likely reasons why your cat has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely.

Your cat is showing you affection

Cats will often make a trill sound when someone they like touches them. If your cat makes a trill sound and purrs, rubs you or does not move away when you touch it, it would be likely that your cat is making a noise to show that it likes you.

Injury

The reason might be that it has injured itself and it does not want you to touch it because it hurts. This would be more likely if your cat has started doing it suddenly and it has been showing other signs of being injured such as not moving as much as normal or walking in an unusual way. In this case, it would help to take it to a vet. 

Intimidation

The cause could also be that your cat becomes intimidated. It might be intimidated because of the way you approach it, how loud you are or how aggressively you touch it. This would be more likely if your cat also does things such as try to move away from you, hiss at you or bite you. Instead, it would help to be gentle with it and to be calm around it. 

Previous experiences

The cause might also be that someone mistreated it in the past, causing your cat to not like being touched. This would be more likely if you adopted it as an adult. 

It might also be the case that you hurt it when you touched it before and now it does not want you to touch it again. This would be more likely if your cat started meowing suddenly after you hurt it.

It does not like how you pet or hold it

The issue could also be with the way you pet or hold your cat. This would be more likely if your cat does not make a noise every time but it does make a noise when you touch it in a certain manner and it also tries to move away from you or it scratches or bites.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.

If your cat always made a noise when you touched it

If your cat did not always make a noise when you touched it, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started. It could be due to things such as injury, a change in the way you touch it, or your cat might have become more comfortable around you and started showing you affection.

What is different when your cat does not make a noise

If your cat does not always make a noise when you touch it, it would also help to consider the timing of when it does it. For example, if it does not make a noise when you touch it in a certain way, it might be the case that it makes a noise when you touch it in a way that it does not like.

The body language your cat shows

It would also help to consider the body language your cat shows when it does and does not make a noise. If it shows positive signs such as purring, kneading and rubbing itself against you, it would be more likely that it is showing affection back to you. Whereas, if it does things such as push you away, hiss and bite, it would be a lot more likely that it does not like the way you are touching it.

What to do about my cat making a noise when I touch it?

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Be gentle

When petting it, it would help to pet it gently since it could be the case that you have been petting it too strongly.

Touch it differently

It would also help to consider the way you have been petting it. Generally, cats prefer it when you rub their chins instead of rubbing their whole backs.

Get help

If your cat has started doing making noises, when touched, suddenly and it seems like it be due to an injury, it would help to take it to a vet for a checkup. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular cat and to rule out the possibility of it being due to injury.

Let your cat do it

If your cat seems to be doing it because it is happy and showing affection, another option would be to continue letting your cat do it.