Random Hissing

jessteroni · Apr 20, 2021

Just curious if anyone knows what this is about. Nugget doesn’t hiss, he just never has, or had any reason to. He only does this like once or twice a week at night. I’ll be laying in bed and he’ll jump up, stretch, look at the wall and just give a big hiss then curl up like nothing had happened.

It’s actually a bit funny. My other cat is a grumpy lady who just wants to eat and be 20 feet away from everyone and she hisses constantly, especially if you just walk by her too close. Is he possibly just trying to copy her randomly? The only time he meows is when both cats get their morning wet food and I’m taking too long to get it ready(which is also the only time she purrs and is super sweet), which he learned from her. Or maybe he’s just hissing at a ghost in my room...

Any thoughts?

ArtNJ · Apr 21, 2021

If the cat is older, I'd be worried its a precursor of senior sensory issues. Senior cats often get confused at night. But it could easily be a reaction to a noise that is more common at night in your house/apartment from your heat or the house settling as it gets colder or whatnot.

susanm9006 · Apr 21, 2021

Maybe he is hissing at something he thinks he sees on the ceiling, or maybe he is like my girl who is nearly eleven and has randomly hissed since I adopted her as a one year old. She hisses at ceilings, toys and usually nothing at all. She opens her mouth to yawn or meow and a hiss comes out. She isn’t angry or fearful and seems as surprised as me when one comes out. So it may just be a cute and harmless oddity of your cat too.

Mamanyt1953 · Apr 21, 2021

Hekitty occasionally hisses at "nothing." Cats' eyes are remarkable things, and can detect motion that we cannot. There may be some very tiny flying insect (gnat sized or even smaller) that he is reacting to. He may also be reacting to a dream. And although cats do not see into the infrared, some have reacted to hot spots in walls from electrical malfunctions, so it wouldn't hurt to actually touch the wall that he is focused on, just to be on the safe side. Or you have a ghost. Sweet dreams.