If your cat won’t let you touch its head, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why won’t my cat let me touch its head? Possible reasons why your cat will not let you touch its head are injury, intimidation, it does not like the way you touch it, previous experiences or naturally not wanting to be touched.
Your cat might not let you touch its head for a number of reasons and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are a number of things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and it could be due to a combination of them.
Reasons why your cat won’t let you touch its head
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat won’t let you touch its head and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.
Injury
The cause could be that it has injured itself and it does not want you to touch its head 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 lowering its head to the ground a lot. In this case, it would help to take it to a vet.
Intimidation
The cause might also be that it becomes intimidated. It might be intimidated because of the way you approach it, how loud you are or how strongly you touch it. Instead, it would help to be gentle with it and to be calm around it.
Previous experiences
The reason could also be that someone mistreated it in the past, causing it to not like allowing people to touch its head. This would be more likely if you adopted it as an adult and if your cat does not let you touch it at all.
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 it stopped letting you touch it suddenly after you hurt it.
Nature
Many cats just do not like being touched and it could be the case that yours does not like it naturally. This would be more likely if it has always not wanted you to touch its head and if it has not liked you touching any other parts of its body either.
It does not like the way 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 let you touch its head sometimes but it does not let you touch it when you touch its head in a certain manner.
Things to consider
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat has not been letting you touch its head and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.
If your cat has never let you touch its head
If your cat did let you touch its head in the past, it would help to consider what else happened when it first stopped letting you touch its head. If your cat stopped letting you touch its head suddenly, it might be due to things such as getting injured, someone intimidating it or a change in the way you have been touching it.
What is different when your cat does let you touch its head
If your cat does let you touch its head sometimes, it would also help to consider what else is different when it does let you touch it. For example, if it lets you touch its head when it is sitting with you, the issue might be with the way you approach it or because you have been trying to touch it when it does not want to be touched.
If it does let you touch other parts of its body
If your cat does let you touch other parts of its body, it would be more likely that your cat does not let you touch its head due to injury, it just does not like you touching its head or touching its head the wrong way.
What to do about your cat not letting you touch its head
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Be gentle
When touching its head, it would help to pet it gently since it could be the case that you have been touching its head too strongly.
Get help
If your cat has started doing it suddenly and it seems like it could 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.