I've heard about the idea that if a cat acts abnormally or dislikes being touched, it's a sign of pain - or more.
I have an elderly cat, probably 11-12. She's been acting more reactive when it comes to being petted.. It's not uncommon for her to switch up on where and when she wants to be petted, however.. this is different. Basically, the past few weeks or so- she doesn't like being held, petted, stroked, whatever. Instead, if I do it, she grimaces at me and hides in her cat hut after a while. We did recently get a kitten (though that was more than 6-8 months ago..), so I did think it was because she's displeased and doesn't like other cats being in the house. On the other hand, she occasionally makes these rough meows when I pick her up in order to brush or pet her/examine her reactions for any sign of pain, which seems pretty weird.
She's been scratching me more often now. Obviously it hurts, but it hurts mentally even more because she's never this reactive when I try to pet her.