This cat has no problems being stoked on its tummy.
I’m sure you know just how much cats love you to pat and stroke them but have you ever really wondered why they prefer being stroked in some places more than others?
I think that 90% of cats will lift their chin to encourage you stroke it there. Both my cats regularly tilt their head back to make me stroke them under the chin. In fact, both will move their head to wherever they want to be stroked so I don’t even have to move my hand. I can be stroking under the chin when suddenly I’m scratching the top of the nose or behind the ears.
Cats also love to be stroked on the side of their face or scratched at the base of the tail. Cassie in particular will raise her hindquarters to encourage me to scratch there. These areas have sebaceous glands which produce body odors that ‘mark’ where they’re rubbed. Each time you pat or scratch your cat in one of these areas you are effectively being ‘marked’ to let other cats know you’re ‘taken’. Cats also like to find their own scent on people they consider ‘theirs’.
There are many other areas on cats that are very sensitive to touch and cats really enjoy you stroking these areas. The skin of a cat is very sensitive and so are the hairless pads on the feet. These areas of skin and pads are particularly sensitive as they help cats to investigate and be aware of things that are happening around it in the wild.
While most cats don’t mind their body being patted, not many like their paws to be touched although a light massage between the paws is something that many cats enjoy.
Some cats like being rubbed between the pads on their paws.
Keep an eye on your cat’s body language if you have been patting it for some time. If the tail starts flicking rapidly then this is a sign that it might be becoming agitated and it would be wise to stop patting for a while.
Some cats can get a little carried away when you pat them, particularly if you’re stroking them on their underside and they are lying on their back. One moment they can be purring with pleasure, and the next they can be biting and scratching your hand. Often they are just playing and don’t realize that they can be causing some damage to your hands. It is certainly not something that they should be reprimanded for.
Cassie will occasionally give me a little nip to show affection towards me. It is a funny sensation when she does this, it’s almost like she is trying to suck on my hand. She just holds it in her mouth and when I try to remove it, she will gently press down with her teeth to let me know she wants to keep it there.
Tags: cat mark, cat marking, cat marking territory, cat paw, cat paws, cat scent, cat skin, cat stroke, cats marking, cats marking territory, cats paw, cats skin, petting a cat, stroke a cat, stroke cat, stroking a cat
