Why Did My Cat Randomly Swat Her Paw At Me?

[aforumuser]

I fed her wet food and after she ate it I went to pet her. Then I got down on the floor close to her with my face near her face. I wasn't touching her and she kept looking at me, all of a sudden she swatted her paw at my hand and then went under my bed. I'm not sure what happened there, why did she do that? unfortunately my cat gets so scared easily, she is not very confident at all

 

[susanm9006]

Staring between cats is a sign of aggression. It's possible that when you went down face to face with her she saw this as the same thing, got a little scared and gave you a little slap.

 

[abyeb]

It might have just been her way of telling you that she wanted to be alone for a bit. Cats communicate in very subtle ways (from an ear twitch, tail flick) before escalating. Over time, you'll get more used to how your kitty communicates with you, and how she will show you that she needs some space before feeling that she needs to go to more dramatic measures.

 

[Columbine]

She probably just felt a little intimidated or threatened. Remember, your head is a lot bigger than hers Cats, especially nervy ones, generally find direct eye contact threatening too - in cat language, it's the first warning (e.g. respect me/move away/get out of my space), and hissing, growling or swatting will usually follow if the stare is ignored.

In future, give her a little more space, especially around/just after mealtimes. Wait for her to initiate contact (ie don't put yourself right in her space Calling or coaxing her to you is just fine though ). Avoid direct eye contact, and slow blink at her instead - this is saying that you're a friend, not a threat, and furthermore, it's sometimes referred to as the cat for 'I love you' Looking at her through almost closed eyes is another way to say that you trust her and are a friend.
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[ileen]

Did you get claws or just paw? If just paw I wouldn't worry about it. I agree it may have seemed to her to be a stare down.