Has your cat ever meowed at you after sneezing? You may even ask yourself, “Why do cats meow when you sneeze?”
We have the answer! We always thought it was to get a human’s attention, but it turns out there is much more to that kitty cat meow. To get the full scoop on why cats meow when you sneeze, keep reading on!
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Why Do Cats Meow When You Sneeze?
When you sneeze, you’re making a sudden, disturbing noise. For cats, loud noises are often associated with pain or danger.
When your cat meows to you after you sneeze, they may be trying to tell you that they think something is wrong or dangerous. They’re worried that you might be hurt, and they want to know if you’re all right
Your Cat Thinks You Are in Danger
This isn’t as crazy as it sounds. All animals have fight-or-flight instincts, and when you sneeze, your cat doesn’t know if you’re fleeing a predator or on your way to attack one.
So, being an affectionate creature, it tries to alert you to an apparent danger that only it can sense. In doing so, it is attempting to ensure its own safety by attempting to distract you from your potentially life-threatening behavior (to them).
They want to make sure that you don’t go rushing off into what they perceive as certain doom.
Your cat may think that you are in some kind of distress and that it needs help by meowing at you. This goes back to how a mother cat would comfort her kittens when they were sick or scared, so she would lick their noses and faces to let them know everything was okay.
Even though cats no longer nurse their kittens, they still remember these behaviors from when they were younger!
Your Cat is Scared
A cat will meow when he feels scared or threatened. Whenever you sneeze, your face contorts in a strange way that may alarm your feline companion and cause him to meow. In addition, your sudden movement might startle him and scare him into feeling like he has to defend himself.
To eliminate any concerns on his part, make sure that you’re keeping yourself calm when you sneeze or cough-even if you don’t know anyone else is around to hear it!
Also, keep an eye out for curious cats who are trying to check out what’s happening; they may not be afraid at all but simply trying to figure out what all of those strange noises mean!
Your Cat Wants Your Attention
We all know that cats are a little weird, but did you know that they can communicate with us, humans? Meowing is one of those forms of communication. It is likely that your cat meows when you sneeze because he or she wants your attention.
Just think about it when you feel sick and start to sneeze, what do you do? Do you continue doing what you were doing before, or do you try to get help? In other words, how does your behavior change when something disrupts your day-to-day routine? The same goes for our furry friends!
Your Sneeze is Similar to a Prey’s Cry
If your cat is a hunter, it could associate your sneeze with a cry for help from a smaller animal. Your feline friend may feel compelled to help. It’s also worth noting that cats are known to prey on animals that make small sounds.
A sneeze just happens to fit right in that category. Does your cat try to save you every time you start to sniffle?
Then maybe you should consider yourself lucky! There aren’t many humans who can say their own pets will protect them in case of danger.
Although technically, a sneeze isn’t exactly dangerous. But still, your kitty will always be there for you if need be, so don’t take him or her for granted. Just keep an eye out while they stand watch; you never know when those instincts might kick in again!
Your Cat Wants to Leave the Room
If your cat sees you sneezing, there’s a good chance it wants to leave. According to Dr. Ilana Reisner, a feline behavior specialist. Cats have sensitive hearing and often associate loud noises with predators like dogs, coyotes, or thunderstorms.
If your kitty hears you sneezing from across the room, she may assume that a predator is present and wants to get away as fast as possible. But don’t worry-this flight instinct isn’t permanent; once she realizes you pose no threat, it should calm down within about five minutes.
Your Cat Sees or Hears Something Outside
It’s normal for cats to react to certain sounds. For example, if you have a dog, your cat might meow or screech at it because he wants attention from you. If a siren goes off in your neighborhood, he may notice and respond with a sound of his own.
If you sneeze and make a weird sound, he might meow back at you just to see what’s going on! In most cases, your pet isn’t necessarily trying to express something – he’s simply reacting to noise coming from somewhere around him.
They do not understand words but are highly tuned into new noises. They can understand that loud noise is linked somehow to you, so if you make an unusual sound like a sneeze, they will often want to check that everything is ok.
Your Cat Sees Someone New In the House
One common reason why cats will respond when you sneeze is that they realize you’ve brought someone new into their home.
Whether it’s a friend, neighbor, or family member, your kitty may associate your sneezing with someone unfamiliar. Instead of running for cover when she hears you sneeze, she might actually come up to you and try to smell these people through her sense of smell.
The louder your sneeze is, of course, the more likely it is to react.
Final Thought
Why do cats meow when you sneeze? Ultimately, many scientists believe cats simply find people sneezing to be interesting.
But in addition to being exciting, there’s also an evolutionary reason why cats might meow when you sneeze: It seems they are attempting to assist.
According to various studies (albeit less-than-scientific), when a cat hears a human sneeze, it may assume that person is in need of help and is trying to alert them of danger by imitating their sound.