Now you might be of the opinion that there is nothing to learn about petting a cat. Just a tap or a rub on the back should do the trick. However, and I hate to tell you this, this is not the case with a cat. Cats, unlike dogs, do not like to be petted at all times, and they have some particular places or spots where and only where they like to be touched. In fact, if you think you can just do it your way, do remember that cats are found to even go to the length of scratching and biting if they do not like your speed or skill!
Cats are very particular creatures. You must know that the Egyptians worshipped cats once upon a time. Now, you might have forgotten or overlooked this but, trust me, they surely have not. So, the first thing that you should do before petting a cat is to make it clear to your feline companion that you are seeking permission to touch it.

First things first, I think you should let your cat sniff you for as long as it wants to so that it can be comfortable with your touching it. Remember, in all other cases, it is you that adopts the pet. However, with cats, it is the other way around; cats adopt you, and they can be really exacting!
Now, what you should do is extend a finger and allow the cat to rub its nose against your fingertips. More often than not, it will show no interest in sniffing your hand, and instead stare at you suspiciously or with utter disregard. This is a way of their saying, “Back off, I am not in a mood!”
You should never, at this point, try to pet it for it will definitely be against its will, and you might just be awarded with a scratch or a bruise. All you can do is wait for your cat to be in a better mood. Another thing to remember is that you cannot always be lucky with cats. Some cats just are not friendly. They do not like to be petted, and if, sadly, you have brought home such a grumpy soul, it would be in your best interest to let it be. However, if the cat, exhibiting an unexplained change of mood, sniffs your hand and rubs its chin or one side of its head against your hand or any part of your body, there is a slight chance that your pet expects to be petted. If that happens, open your palms and touch its body in a gentle fashion.

You should be gentle with your cat at all times, because your feline companion approves of it. Your fingertips are nonpareil. Now you need to know about some pleasure spots in your cat’s body. Not all parts of your pet are open to your touch, mind it. If you go on, however lightly, touching it all over, be confident that you are about to be bruised badly. The most viable spot to pet is the area between or behind the ears in a back-to-front- movement.

Now, if you are a stranger in a friend’s place who incidentally has a cat, and you have heard hilarious stories about how friendly it is, do not, under any circumstances , try to check out for yourself. You must remember that however friendly a cat is, it does not like to be touched by strangers. You need to acquire the trust of a cat before daring to pet it!

The forehead is another good place to begin with. With your fingertips or the palm of your hand, pet the forehead and then, gently, travel along the length of the forehead to the base of tail and repeat. Massage the muscles in the neck by applying a little pressure. Once the car is warmed up, you might try using your middle finger and thumb simultaneously stroke the cat’s moustache, which however is a daring attempt and I advise you to try this only after the cat has become quite comfortable with you.

While the shaft of the moustache and the forehead has musk glands that give pleasure when stroked, you cannot ignore the other parts of your pet. For getting it to like you, you must dig deeper, and wider! To do that, you should start by running the palm of your hand gently from the neck and along the back all the way, until you reach the tail. Do not, under any circumstances, touch the tail, for your cat would not like it. Now, if your cat likes what you are doing, it will arch its back and expect you to apply more pressure. When you start over, it might even rub its forehead against your hand in a pressing way to encourage you to do it again. However, if you notice your cat cowering away or covering your ears, or simply trying to walk away, then you should probably stop petting it.

There are sundry ways of petting a cat but what you have to remember is that you must pay attention to its reaction to what you are doing.

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No matter how much we try to believe, cats don’t understand a peanut of the words which come out of our mouth, irrespective of how emotionally moving or full of affection our words are. Hence, the easiest way to express your feelings towards your pet is to pet! Unlike dogs, which, you can have your way with, and be as frank as your buddy from the fourth grade, cats are more like mistress. You either go their way or you maintain your distance. And if by chance, you dare to take things in your hand, make sure you have enough bucks to treat the bleeding scars your cat leaves you with. Yes, cats are very specific with their likes and dislikes especially when it comes to touching them. All you need to do is to harness your urges, turn your mobile phone or any other distraction away and keep the steps mentioned below in your mind. The mistress shall be all smitten if done right!

Getting started-

• Find the right opportunity

Petting your cat is not a thing to be dealt with haste. Make sure you have time at hand and relaxed state of mind. It is best if your cat itself picks up the time to get cosy. Your kitty will let you know by gestures like curling next to your leg or calmly gaining your attention with touch. If your kitty approaches you by rubbing its head over you, yes your pet wants it! If you find yourself desperate to initiate, study your cat’s routine and pick the time to approach her when your little friend is calm and resting.

• Approach

Let us first know what all to avoid while approaching your cat for some petting time.

Cats love their freedom, hence they dislike being restrained or put on leash. Also forcing your hand on them would only draw them away from you. Avoid sudden or desperate movements if you don’t want to end up chasing them.

Then what is the right way? Learn to approach gently, with a smooth movement of your hand bring it at the eye level of your cat, close enough for them to sniff and record your scent. If your kitty is in the mood, she will give you her accordance by rubbing either her head, chin or side of her body on your hand. Hurrah!

The tricks!

•  Give gentle strokes on the middle of the forehead of your cat ranging from between the eyes. Doing this not only relaxes your pet, but also affects its nerve function.
•  After soothing your cat using a gentle touch on her forehead as mentioned above, you can go for a tricky one. Once having your cat in a mood to be pleased, brush the back of your hand gently alongside the face of your kitty. Provide a transition by simultaneously stroking the cat’s whiskers with a gentle touch as well as petting her between her ears at the very same time. This shall provide your cat with some exclusive pleasure if executed with gentle and patient approach.
•   A soothing caressing stroke with your open palm, growing slowly from their throat to chin can impress your cat very well!
•  It is one of the oldest tricks in the book, one that we have seen English women do to their kitties involuntarily in decades old cinema flicks. Yes! It involves running your palm across the entire length of your beloved cat’s back. The trick is to work your open palm from neck till the very beginning of the tail of your cat. Iterate the same procedure maintaining a gentle pace yet increasing the pressure gently with each turn up to a comfortable limit. Avoid any contact with the tail and save your hand from wandering and you shall do just fine. Keep your eyes on your pet for response and adjust accordingly. Avoid experimenting with patting or reaching the sides unless you know the cat very well.
•  Massaging in small circles around the cheeks of your kitty can be pleasing to them. It also positively affects their digestion! Make sure to enroll this trick in your routine.
•  Using your fingers, lightly caress the head of your cat. Limit your area to between the ears, often scratching gently behind the ears too. Most of the cats relish this feeling, especially scratching them from back to front and hardly anything can go wrong with it. If you are well familiar with the cat, you can risk petting the cat under the chin as most of them thoroughly enjoy the sensation.
• Avoid their tummy, no matter how much you think your cat is asking for it. Yes, majority of the cats don’t like being caressed on their belly. Though, some may get in a playful mood when done so but that aggressive act of playing will leave you with scratched arms scarred memories.
•  Some cats can enjoy their feet being given attention, yet some don’t. Start by touching just one foot, if there is no sudden repulsion you may pet your cat’s feet with a finger, going with the flow of fur.

If your cat withdraws itself from your petting, digest it, you were not good enough. Do not try to amend yourself by pulling back your pet, polish your skills for the next time instead. Pulling ears back or cowering is another sign by your cat that your pet is just not into you or at least what you are doing. Your cat may express satisfaction by purring occasionally. Quite opposite to us sapiens, the ultimate achievement of pleasure for a cat by petting still lies in the outcome where your cat falls asleep while your hands are still doing their job. That is the right time to bid farewell with a wide grin and a pat on your own back.

The post Pet your Pet Right! – Cats Special appeared first on Pet Attack.