Petting a cat in seven (7) steps
9th of May 2022
As pet parents, there’s nothing we love more than cuddling with our cat and feeling their love. But sometimes your pet will suddenly bite you, leaving you confused, and you start to wonder if the love is mutual, which leads to the question of “do cats like being petted as much as we think they do?” The answer is yes if you do it correctly.
In this article I’d be sharing we are sharing a step-by-step guide to pet your cat properly and build a strong bond between you and your cat.
1. Understand their body language
First, we must know that not all cats want to be petted, and that a cat might want to be petted right now but maybe not the next moment. This requires us to understand their body language and figure out when they want to be petted.
Here are the signs when they are friendly and might want to be petted:
1. They have their tail all the way up and walking around you, and their tail gently waves from side to side while held in the air.
2. They bump their head to you and rub their side chin against your leg or other body parts.
3. They have a relaxed posture, that their ears are pointed forward.
4. They look at you and blink slowly, purring or kneading you with their front feet.
In contrast, here are several signs they do not want to be petted:
1. They walk away or hide from you.
2. When you try to touch them, they bend down to avoid your touch.
3. When they are in play or fight mode, their eats flatten or rotate backward.
4. Sudden movements like flipping up and trying to bite or scratch you.
2. Let the cat pet you
After we see the signs and conclude that they are calm and want to be petted, it becomes so tempting for us to just start to stroke their hair, but that’s not the best step. Cats like to take it slow and feel in control too, so instead, we want them to approach us, sniff us, and rub their head against our feet or hands. All we do is sit or stand there and relax. They will go back and forth to “mark” that we are theirs.
3. Start with self-introduction
When they pace back and forth and bump their head and body against us, it’s still not the time to start to pet them yet. We want to put up our fingers, in a very relaxed way, and approach the cat. If they like you and want to be petted, they will sniff for a couple of seconds, and rub their head against your fingers. This is like our self-introduction.
Even when they live with us and we had introduced ourselves a thousand times before, it never hurts to do this again, take it slow and follow the cat’s pace. After they have accepted our introduction, it’s finally time to pet them.
4. Pet their face
In this step, we are focusing on areas with scent glands, it’s basically telling them, mark us, we want to be your friends. Following the cat’s lead, gently use the back of our hand to touch the area between the eye and the ear. This is where their scent glands located. Then we can slowly move on to a soft-chin scratch. Gently touch their forehead and their side cheeks.
5. Stroke their back
When they are comfortable with all the previous steps, we can start to gently stroke their back. From their forehead to tail, go with the direction the fur grows. Don’t go back and forth, stick with one direction, some cats don’t like their hair getting messed up or they feel uncomfortable that way. If they purr while you are doing this, they really enjoy it.
6. Don’t pet them like dogs
Another thing is that if they flip over and expose their belly to you, people tend to start to pet them like dogs. That’s not how cats work. When cats show their belly, it’s their way of showing trust, but that is not an invitation for belly rubs. And that’s how people get bit and scratched.
7. Avoid sensitive areas
Avoid sensitive areas like their belly and legs if you aren’t confident that the cat won’t bite you.
Conclusion
During any of these steps, we really must pay attention to their body language and decide whether they like it. Some cat parents don’t understand why they seem okay with being petted, and suddenly they start to grab our hands and bite. Their body language has been telling you this whole time, that their tail swinging back and forth, faster, and faster. That’s telling you that they are getting annoyed and overstimulated, and please stop.
Of course, if we ignore that sign, their frustration grows like a bubble, bigger and bigger, and suddenly it bursts. So, they will have to do something major to let you know you need to stop
This is how we pet a cat in 7-steps, it’s all about understanding their body language and following their lead.
Disclaimer: This article and all material used in this content is used for entertainment and educational purposes only.
I don't own a cat but I've seen the relationship between a pet and its owner and it always baffles me. The way thru carry it like a baby, stroking the back...
Isn't this an animal? Lol🤣 Sometimes pets are more than just animals.
I'm not a fan of it though 🧘