Cats enjoy being petted for reasons beyond the obvious enjoyment of time with you. However, they may not enjoy being petted in certain ways.
Have you ever noticed that your cat will raise its chin to encourage you to pet it there? They also like to have the sides of their face stroked, and scratching at the base of their tails. The reason for this is that these areas have sebaceous glands which produce a distinct cat smell. Every time you pat or scratch your cat in this area, you are effectively letting it mark you with its scent.
Certain areas on the cat are very sensitive to touch, and your kitty gets a lot of pleasure from you stroking these areas. Not only is the skin of the cat very sensitive, but hairless pads are as well. These areas of skin and pads are particularly sensitive as they help the cat to investigate and be aware of things that are taking place around it in the wild. While most cats don’t mind their body being patted, many do not like their paws to be touched. A light massage between the paws is one thing that many cats enjoy even if they don’t ordinarily like their paws touched.
If you have been patting your cat for some time and its tail begins to start flicking rather rapidly, he is starting to get somewhat agitated. At this point, you need to stop the petting for awhile.
Cats can get a little rambunctious when you pet their bellies. 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 understand that they are hurting you.
Hopefully you have learned some new ways to pet your cat and areas to avoid petting.
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