Everybody knows that cats form opinions about everything. And when it comes to that they are very similar to us. They have tons of things they like and tons that they don’t. However, there’s something that can annoy them more than anything else. And those are the sounds cats hate to hear.
Imagine yourself standing next to someone who’s using their nails to scratch the blackboard. Or looking forward to Sunday because you know you can sleep for as long as you want. And then someone decides it’s okay to renovate their apartment at 8 in the morning. It sounds awful, doesn’t it?
Then it’s easy for you to understand that cats also have some sounds that make them really mad. I was interested to find out what it is that my cat hates to hear so much, and now I’m here to share that knowledge with you. I prepared 23 sounds that cats hate the most. Enjoy learning something new.
Cats and their hearing
Maybe you already heard that cats have extremely sensitive hearing and they can detect much higher-frequency vibrations than we can. Do you know what helps them achieve that? It’s their inner ear; which is specially designed so they can hear those sounds. And they are too high for us to hear.
We are only able to hear up to a range of 20,000 Hz. But when it comes to cats, they can hear up to a range of 64,000 Hz. If we do some quick maths we can easily conclude that it’s three times more than us! Aren’t they awesome creatures?
If you and your cat survived a storm or two together, then you must’ve noticed how much she hates them. But why is it like that? It’s because storms create decibel levels of around 120dB which is almost twice your fluffy friend’s hearing comfort zone.
It’s not only about the sound. But also about the intense vibration, it makes and she can feel it through her whole body and paws. It definitely isn’t a nice feeling. I imagine it is like having a muscle spasm for much longer than usual. It certainly isn’t something we would like.
However, the ability to hear high-frequency vibrations is there for a reason. It helps them survive in the wild. They can easily hear their prey and predators and stay safe and sound for as long as they can.
Cats also use it to communicate with each other, as other animals can’t hear that frequency. They would be very good spies and secret agents, right?
So… what are the sounds cats hate to hear?
23 sounds cats hate the most
Now that you know how good your feline’s hearing is, it’s easier for you to understand that almost every loud noise can make her annoyed. However, there are also some things on this list that will really surprise you. A little hint for you is to remember that we can’t hear some of the frequencies our fluffy friends can.
So, as I promised, I present to you 23 sounds cats hate the most in this world. Enjoy!
1) Balloons
Everyone gets annoyed at the sound of balloons popping. It can even scare us if it catches us by surprise. And now remember what I’ve told you about cats and how good their hearing is. Imagine how awful it must be for them to hear such a loud sound.
It’s also possible that cats dislike balloons because they conduct a lot of static. And it can be pretty annoying for a cat if she brushes up against it by accident.
2) Bubble wraps
Did you know that bubble wraps make a similar sound to fireworks? It’s especially annoying for cats when they walk around the house and accidentally step on it with their paws. And then it pops and scares them.
Or even when we pop those bubble wraps because it’s so calming for us. However, we aren’t really aware of how annoying it can be for our fluffy friends.
3) Different pots banging on each other
One of the sounds cats definitely hate is pots and pans banging together. Honestly, I think we can totally understand why this annoys them. Just imagine yourself taking a nap and someone deciding to switch things around the kitchen, so you end up being woken up by the loud sounds of pots and pans.
And now imagine that sound is 3 times stronger. How horrible would that be, wouldn’t it? Then try not to do it when your fluffy friend is around. Some people do it on purpose to discipline their pets, but please don’t be one of those people. It’s very cruel.
4) Dishwasher
Dishwashers are one of our favorite helpers around the house. They make our lives much easier and much better. However, everyone has a flaw, and so does our friend called Dishwasher. His flaw is that he’s so loud when he’s working, that our cats just stand being anywhere near him.
If you can, ask your electronic friend for help while your cat is busy playing in another room. That way you’ll save her some earache.
5) Dropping objects
I don’t think there’s anyone in this world who’s a fan of dropping something they were carrying. We mostly hate it because it means we need to squat to pick it up and we’re also afraid that it will break. However, cats aren’t annoyed for the same reason.
We already concluded that they hate loud sounds. But there’s something they hate even more. Loud sounds that appear out of nowhere. So you dropping a huge pile of books on the floor is definitely not gonna make your cat happy.
6) Every kind of lawnmower
And another example of sounds cats hate is something we also don’t really enjoy. It’s a sound of a lawnmower. What’s worse than having the beautiful sound of birds being interrupted by this horrible sound of a machine that’s cutting grass in front of our house?
7) Fireworks
Even if you’re not a pet owner you still know that fireworks are very dangerous for animals. They get so scared of it that it can, later on, cause PTSD and anxiety. Cats hate the sounds fireworks make, and they’re not the only ones who feel that way.
It’s even loud for us, and we can’t even imagine how horrible it must feel for cats who hear that sound but also feel the vibrations.
8) Fluorescent lightbulbs
Here’s something that will definitely surprise you. Did you ever think that fluorescent lightbulbs can make any sound? We certainly can’t hear them, but guess who can? That’s correct! Your cat can hear the sound of this kind of lightbulb. Isn’t that amazing?
Do you want to know how it sounds to them? Like a very faint but also very irritating buzzing sound that’s somehow always somewhere in your head. Even though you can’t really locate it. Now, I don’t think you mind not hearing it, am I right?
9) Hissing
Cats associate hissing sounds with dangerous situations. So if they hear another cat hissing they’ll probably get ready to either defend themselves or be the ones who attack first.
Cats are annoyed by that sound because it obviously reminds them of stressful situations. And who likes to spend a day stressed about something?
10) Hairsprays, deodorants…
Did you know that hairspray, deodorants, and other spraying aerosols have the same hissing sound as the one that I’ve just mentioned? Maybe you even noticed your cat taking a defensive or an offensive pose when you were spraying your deodorant.
If you did, now you know the reason that happened. It was the sound that made her feel threatened and she needed to act quickly.
11) House parties
House parties are events that our neighbors always complain about. They usually say that it’s too loud, there are too many people, and they can’t fall asleep in conditions like those.
Now, your cat can hear every sound much better than we can. If your neighbors who live close to you can hear it, imagine how loud it sounds for your cat.
That loud music you’re playing is definitely one of the sounds cats hate. Maybe you should think about finding someone to catsit for you when you’re planning on having a party. I don’t really think your cat would like to be invited to that party.
12) Loud household
We are not the only ones who can get anxious. Unfortunately, our pets can too. And cats are one the animals who can easily get depressed and anxious. It usually shows in a way that they’ll stop eating, drinking, cleaning themselves, or even using the litterbox.
And what’s one of the most common reasons for that? Living in a stressful household. If your cat is constantly listening to you yelling or arguing, then you need to know that it’s definitely one of the sounds she hates.
13) People humming
Here’s something that might surprise you again. One of the sounds cats hate is people humming. And don’t take it personally; it doesn’t mean that you’re such a bad singer.
It’s just that low-pitched humming noises are very difficult to locate. And they’ll try so hard to find where it’s coming from that it’s gonna annoy them a lot until they figure out it was you who was making that sound.
14) Phone ringing
I already mentioned that it’s not only about how loud the sound is but also about how surprising it is. If your cat wasn’t expecting to hear it, she’ll probably freak out. That’s why a phone that’s ringing might be one of those sounds she hates.
Maybe you can try to put your phone on silent mode if you know that you’ll receive a call in a few minutes. Just to spare your fluffy buddy some stress.
15) Plastic bags crinkling
This one is closely connected to those deodorants and hairsprays I’ve already mentioned. Plastic bags and their crinkling also remind cats of hissing sounds. And if you’ve paid attention while reading you’ll remember that those sounds remind them of dangerous situations and it stresses them out.
16) Sirens
What’s another very loud and scary sound that just appears out of nowhere? Sirens! Any kinds of them, and there are many. Unfortunately, we can hear them almost every day and our fluffballs can too. It has the power to scare them and stress them out.
So sirens are definitely one of the sounds that cats hate.
17) Tea kettle
As we’ve learned so far, high-pitched sounds are the ones that can make your cat go crazy. She’ll get so annoyed that your furniture or even your arm might suffer from some new scratches. And what’s one of those sounds that are frequently in our kitchen? The sounds tea kettles make!
It’s even irritating for us sometimes, and I don’t even want to imagine how bad it feels for our fluffballs.
18) Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are one of the top sounds that cats absolutely hate. Why is it like that? Because they create a loud noise but it’s also accompanied by a change in air pressure. And surprise, surprise, your cat can sense that.
It also reminds her of danger so she’ll spend some time on high alert. It’s definitely not fun to be in fear of danger for a few hours.
19) Tin foil
Cats don’t like shiny metal textures. And they usually avoid even walking on them because they make a weird sound they can’t really understand well.
If you need to use tin foil you’ll probably notice your cat is running away from it. First, because it’s annoying her. Second, it’s confusing for her since she can’t figure it out.
20) Turning on your TV
When you turn on a TV it makes a high-pitched “small” noise that is very irritating for your cat. This is usually a sound that we can’t really hear but it’s exactly at a decibel that bothers cats the most.
If you want to hear this sound, you can try getting very close to your TV when you’re turning it on. That way you might be able to hear a bit of that sound.
21) Vacuum cleaners
Imagine you’re as small as your kitty. The vacuum cleaner would definitely look like a scary device that makes such a loud sucking noise all the time.
But that’s not everything that is scary about them. They pick up things from the floor! And your cat might get scared and run away in order not to be sucked up too.
22) Your kitchen blenders
Of course, one more very loud thing that is placed in almost every kitchen is a blender. If you’re one of the people who adore making healthy smoothies, then your cat probably doesn’t really like that part of the day.
Those sounds are too high for her and it makes her angry and irritated. Luckily for her, it never lasts for a long time.
23) Your video games
And the last example of the sounds that cats hate is video games! Yes, I know that you probably heard that cats love music. So why don’t they like video games?
However, when you think about it a bit more, it’s logical. Fighting zombies with heavy machine-gun fire is certainly a weird sound coming out of your computer. And it can definitely confuse your fluffball.
Final words
I’m sure you were surprised to read some of these things. But I promise you cats hate these 23 sounds more than anything else in the world. Okay, despite the belly rubs.
Remember how hearing some sounds makes you feel mad, and try to be as careful as possible next to your cat. Of course, you won’t keep your TV off every day just so your fluffball doesn’t hear the sound of it turning on, but there are some things you can pay more attention to. I’m sure you’ll figure it out right!
Read more: 10 Things That Cats ABSOLUTELY Hate And Wish Humans Would Stop Doing
