diff --git a/pypdf/_page.py b/pypdf/_page.py
index 4ddbfb62d..4d53d1b54 100644
--- a/pypdf/_page.py
+++ b/pypdf/_page.py
@@ -701,7 +701,11 @@ def get_contents(self) -> Optional[ContentStream]:
             ``/Contents`` is optional, as described in PDF Reference  7.7.3.3
         """
         if PG.CONTENTS in self:
-            return self[PG.CONTENTS].get_object()  # type: ignore
+            try:
+                pdf = cast(IndirectObject, self.indirect_reference).pdf
+            except AttributeError:
+                pdf = None
+            return ContentStream(self[PG.CONTENTS].get_object(), pdf)
         else:
             return None
 
@@ -819,7 +823,6 @@ def _merge_page(
 
         page2content = page2.get_contents()
         if page2content is not None:
-            page2content = ContentStream(page2content, self.pdf)
             rect = getattr(page2, MERGE_CROP_BOX)
             page2content.operations.insert(
                 0,
@@ -955,7 +958,6 @@ def _merge_page_writer(
 
         page2content = page2.get_contents()
         if page2content is not None:
-            page2content = ContentStream(page2content, self.pdf)
             rect = getattr(page2, MERGE_CROP_BOX)
             page2content.operations.insert(
                 0,
@@ -1491,12 +1493,7 @@ def compress_content_streams(self) -> None:
         """
         content = self.get_contents()
         if content is not None:
-            content_obj: Any
-            if not isinstance(content, ContentStream):
-                content_obj = ContentStream(content, self.pdf)
-            else:
-                content_obj = content
-            content_obj = content_obj.flate_encode()
+            content_obj = content.flate_encode()
             try:
                 content.indirect_reference.pdf._objects[  # type: ignore
                     content.indirect_reference.idnum - 1  # type: ignore
diff --git a/tests/test_page.py b/tests/test_page.py
index 6916207cd..a7fa50364 100644
--- a/tests/test_page.py
+++ b/tests/test_page.py
@@ -264,7 +264,9 @@ def test_compress_content_streams(pdf_path, password):
     writer = PdfWriter()
     if password:
         reader.decrypt(password)
+    assert isinstance(reader.pages[0].get_contents(), ContentStream)
     writer.clone_document_from_reader(reader)
+    assert isinstance(writer.pages[0].get_contents(), ContentStream)
     for page in writer.pages:
         page.compress_content_streams()
 
@@ -330,7 +332,10 @@ def test_page_scale():
 
 def test_add_transformation_on_page_without_contents():
     page = PageObject()
+    assert page.get_contents() is None
     page.add_transformation(Transformation())
+    page[NameObject("/Contents")] = ContentStream(None, None)
+    assert isinstance(page.get_contents(), ContentStream)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.enable_socket()