If your cat won’t let you touch its paws, 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 paws? Possible reasons why your cat will not let you touch its paws 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 paws 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 paws
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat won’t let you touch its paws 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 paws 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 might also be that it becomes intimidated. It might be intimidated because of the way you approach it, how loud you are or how aggressively you touch it. Instead, it would help to be gentle with it and to be calm around it.
Previous experiences
The cause could also be that someone mistreated it in the past, causing it to not like allowing people to touch its paws. 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 paws and if it has not liked you touching it at all.
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 paws sometimes but it does not let you touch it when you touch its paws in a certain manner.
Things to consider
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat has not been letting you touch its paws and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.
If your cat has never let you touch its paws
If your cat did let you touch its paws in the past, it would help to consider what else happened when it first stopped letting you touch its paws. If it stopped letting you touch it suddenly, it could 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 paws
If your cat does let you touch it sometimes, it would also help to consider what else is different when it does let you touch it. For example, if it lets you do it when other animals are not around, it could be the case that the other animals intimidate it.
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 paws due to injury, touching its paws the wrong way or getting anxious because you do not usually touch its paws.
What to do about your cat not letting you touch its paws
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Be gentle
When touching its paws, it would help to pet it gently since it could be the case that you have been touching them 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.