He meows. Makes hard eye contact but if I touch him , he gets mad and runs off.
What? What do you want!?!?! Why are you staring at me and meowing if you don’t actually want me to do anything?!
He also seems to get mad and run off if I just look back at him and not try to pet him.
If I try to ignore him he just rolls around and sometimes does this little ridiculous “tantrum” deal where he will stand up and dramatically throw himself down and then roll onto his back. It’s always loud cause he’s a big cat. It can’t feel very good. But he does it all the time.
Idk. Maybe he just likes being dramatic.
Anyway. Any cat whisperers who have figured it out, let me know.
Cats will often show you their belly as a sign of trust, as it makes them vulnerable. Some cats love to have their bellies rubbed, others view it as a breach of trust and will shred you, even though they flopped over. If it’s a cat you don’t know, the best thing is to just reach down and scratch the top of their head around the ears. If you want to see how far you can push it, give them scritches under the chin, move down to the upper chest, and inch your way lower to see how far they’re okay with going.
give them scritches under the chin, move down to the upper chest, and inch your way lower to see how far they’re okay with going.
This quickly turned into cat fan-fiction
If I even approach with my hand he gets mad and runs off before I even make contact. He is generally fond of cheek rubs. But he won’t even let me do that when he’s on his back.
Some cats, even cats that know and trust you react much better if you pet them with a hand they dont see approach. Sometimes I distract a cat with one hand and start stroking with another. I think laying on your back is a very vulnerable position for a cat, most cats I had did it but only one stayed in that position while I was approaching.
My friends watching me scratch the floor in the other room, look back at their cat, take another step and scratch the floor again
Blood (yours)
Attention. Purely you just talking to him and staying around him is enough usually.
Some head and ear scratches might also be acceptable.
Belly rubs might be interpreted as an attack.
Try getting a feather on a stick type toy and pulling it out when he does this. I’d say he wants to play, but doesn’t want to engage your actual huge ape body when it comes down to it. In any case, it’s a sign he considers you his human. He’s really a beautiful cat.
I have a heavy cloth, like canvas, stuffed tube that I break out when he is on his back with crazy eyes. I know he wants to get a good “dig” in. I rub the tube on his belly and he’ll latch onto it a tear into it like he’s gotten some sweet prey. I’ll even hold one end and drag him around the floor and rotate him while he furiously kicks and chews it.
Touch but don’t touch.
Pls pet?
No touch! Only pet!
Hes just like me fr
Showing their belly means they trust you. If they let you rub their belly they really trust you.
First part is correct. Second part not necessarily. Some don’t like having their bellies touched no matter how much they trust you. The show of trust is exposing their belly, going for he belly is usually taken as a betrayal of that trust.
Yeah, I’ve had good results just going for the chest instead of the chest and belly. Then they can interact with their front paws or head if they want to, and you avoid getting raked with the rear claws if they suddenly decide petting was ok up to then but must stop immediately.
Also don’t go from 0 to 100 instantly, unless you know the cat well. Ramp up the intensity more slowly so the cat isn’t jolted around unexpectedly or feels out of control. Same thing if you pick them up. If they instantly start squirming around, they aren’t comfortable. Maybe it’s nervousness about being dropped, maybe they just don’t want to be carried.
What if you stick you face in their belly and go “wuzza wuzza wuzza”?
Freezie pops
My cat will allow brief chest pets. NOT belly rubs!!!
Mostly I think she just wants me to stop walking and give her my full attention. She flops right at my feet. Usually while I’m carrying something.
Sometimes she’ll let me touch her paws too, NOT in a grabby way, just with my fingertips.
(She normally allows face scritches and back pets but this position isn’t conducive.)
And sometimes I just take a few seconds to tell her good things about herself, like she’s smart and pretty and brave and strong.
Fortunately, cats are cool with the attention only lasting a few minutes.
My cat does this when she’s happy. She’ll fall asleep like that with a literal little smile on her face in the sun and when I see it I explode because it’s so damn cute. She’s also an old girl so I have to kinda make sure she’s breathing these days and didn’t literally go belly up and give up the ghost on me 😭😭
hes telling you he likes you and is happy youre here and doing whatever youre doing.
not all cats showing belly want belly touched, simple as.
Yeah, my cat just wants effusive praise when she does this, she doesn’t want me touching her.
If they lie like that peacefully and contently then it’s because they find it comfortable.
If they’re active and trying to get your attention, but don’t want pets, then it’s because they want to play.
Violence
Every cat is different. One of ours demands belly rubs like this.
Another one cannot tolerate being touched in any way. You go to pet her and she’s like:
It means the cat is bored
To feel the weight of their sins on their bellies instead of their backs.
Like a weighted blanket
It’s comfy
Attention, pets, or possibly play time. Try a string or wand toy?
I have both. I’ll give that a try next time
