• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Dear God - When a cat rolls on its back it means it DOESN'T want its belly rubbed.

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MrDaravon

Member
3N16MA said:
Watch more National Geographic. Many animals due this as a sign of trust and submission.
Click to expand...

Yup. My cat would occasionally like belly rubs, but usually wouldn't have anything to do with it; it's basically a submissive thing.

I could see how most people misunderstood that, but I thought the leg rub/marking their scent thing was pretty obvious. What did people think the cat was doing?
 
M

Mr_Appleby

Member
cats are not all the same. two of my cats are mad for belly rubs and one in particular rolling over does literally mean OK please rub my belly now. no biting just pawing at the air and purrs.
 
G

Gr1mLock

Passing metallic gas
One of my friends has the most adorable kitty ever. Her name is plushie and she doesnt have a single mean bone in her body. When i play with her and hold on to one of her legs she'll just rub her head on my hand incessantly until i submit. Or worse yet she'll lay down and let me *ghasp* rub her belly. I've seen this cat grow up since she was a day old and she is without a doubt the awesomest cat ever. She even fetches like a dog. His other cats though? Huge assholes.
 
N

Nappuccino

Member
SailorDaravon said:
Yup. My cat would occasionally like belly rubs, but usually wouldn't have anything to do with it; it's basically a submissive thing.

I could see how most people misunderstood that, but I thought the leg rub/marking their scent thing was pretty obvious. What did people think the cat was doing?
Click to expand...

"They just love me so much!"

No, you're the cat's now. It owns you. Best not piss it off or it will end you.
 
A

Andrew.

Banned
you know you want to scratch this belly motherfucker

eOnAwsd.jpg
 
C

Choppasmith

Member
My sister's male cat loves belly rubs. My younger female cat used to hate having her belly rubbed but she's lightened up a little these past few months after being fixed. Still not her favorite thing in the world though, she prefers sitting on my lap while having her head and back stroked.
 
Johnny Cage In The Shower

Johnny Cage In The Shower

Member
My cat's a bit of a pissy diva, she doesn't like to be carried, handled much. This explains why I never see her lying on her back, belly exposed. The bitch hates me, even though I treat her like a queen.
 
S

shadowkat

Unconfirmed Member
This really depends on the cat. I had a cat who loved belly rubs. In fact he only ever wanted you to pet his belly. If you went to pet him on his back he would move so that you were petting his belly. He would also trap your hand so that it would stay on his belly.

I had another cat who only liked getting his ears and neck scratched. My current cats don't mind belly rubs but will tell you when they've had enough.

Oh, and the tail swishing doesn't always mean they are agitated. With my cats it means one is bored and going to start chasing the other. Or they've found something that interests them.
 
P

Persona7

Banned
my cat sometimes actually does want a belly rub

I rub the belly and then my cats feet start fluttering like a rabbit
 
L

Leeness

Member
This is my cat. She's always flopping around and offering her belly and then trapping anyone stupid enough to pet the belly. She loves being scratched on the head once she's flopped down though.

gMlg4.jpg
Click to expand...
 
E

Eric C

Member
• The leg rub – when the cats rubs its head and body against your legs it is saying you smell strange and is trying to mark you with its scent
Click to expand...

All the cats I've had only did the leg rub & figure 8 inbetween your legs thing when they wanted you to do something for them.

Most often in the kitchen when they wanted food.

With the cats I had that went outside, they'd do the leg rub figure 8 thing when you went by the door and they wanted you to open it so they could go outside.
 
M

Macapala

Unconfirmed Member
One of my cats absolutely LOVES to have her belly rubbed. The other er.... not so much, but she does like the "chin scratch".
 
R

RDreamer

Member
My cat doesn't mind the belly rubbing much, but definitely prefers head scratches. When he's on his back and you rub his belly he'll take his paws and grab your hands and pull them to his head as best he can while bending his head upward. He's pretty good at it, too. And he does it without hurting or scratching.
 
T

ThoseDeafMutes

Member
My cats don't like belly rubs. They do love chin scratches though. Start a bit under the chin and their neck stretches out and they close their eyes.
 
M

mantidor

Member
Miyamoto quote already, I'm satisfied.

am I really the only one who thought this was completely obvious even before reading the article? the rare occasions I get a cat to show it's belly the last thing that crosses my head is to rub it, cats aren't touchy-feely at all, the way they touch you is extremely calculated as opposed to dogs, and nowhere near how we humans touch, it's something that annoys me from my friends with cats, they really have no idea how to treat them, and then they come up with nonsense like "that cat is bad tempered" or " he wasn't in the mood", you are the problem, not the poor animal. I'll be a much better owner but I actually don't like pets to begin with.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
The leg rub – when the cats rubs its head and body against your legs it is saying you smell strange and is trying to mark you with its scent
Click to expand...

I remember going over a friend's house and her cat was rubbing his head and body so hard against my leg that I almost fell over. lol
 
I

iamblades

Member
It's play fighting behavior, it doesn't mean they want you to touch their head instead of their belly.

It's not affection seeking or trusting behavior, it just means they wanna wrestle a bit.

People need to stop anthropomorphizing animals.
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
Makes a kind of sense, since other animals will also expose their abdomens as a sign of trust.
 
P

Persona86

Banned
MDSLKTR said:
The behaviors in the op don't apply to my cat. She loves her belly rubs.
Click to expand...

Yeah I hate studies like this. There is probably some truth to it but:

Any real cat owner will tell you how every cat has a very different personality. Some react to mirrors, some don't give a shit. Some play fetch, some don't give a shit. When I carry a chair one of my cats gets excited and jumps on it, the other runs away like a pussy.


Basically, it depends on the cat.
 
P

Persona86

Banned
shadowkat said:
Oh, and the tail swishing doesn't always mean they are agitated. With my cats it means one is bored and going to start chasing the other. Or they've found something that interests them.
Click to expand...

Cat's also move their tail when they are happy, but it's less aggressive like a whip and more gentle like a branch swaying in the wind.

Also a cat rubbing your leg is not always about marking their scent on you, they also do it out of habit to show their love/affection for you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

[PC Gamer] How Cyberpunk 2077 clawed its way back from disaster to complete one of the greatest redemption arcs in gaming history
Opinion News 2
99
6K
EDMIX replied
  • Poll
Et tu, Brute?
Poll 2
51
3K
TrueLegend replied
Helldivers II | Review Thread
Analysis Review 2 3
127
11K
DaleinCalgary replied
I am a 'Filthy Casual' - welcome to my meltdown my fellow potatoes
2 3 4 5 6
250
14K
Putonahappyface replied
[WSJ] Company Documents Show Meta’s Flagship Metaverse Falling Short
News Business
38
3K
StreetsofBeige replied
Top Bottom