Does Your Cat Like Belly Rubs?

kalebkat

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Sometimes YES, but most of the time no. He'll flop and turn over to each side but won't expose his belly for that long. Sometimes, though, he surprises me and falls asleep flat on his back with his belly exposed.
 

ArtNJ

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I didn't know any cats liked belly rubs. I thought it was universally regarded as a signal to latch on to your arm bite and maybe kick with the back paws. As D duncanmac said, "a horrible, scary trap" lol. I *can* rub one of my cat's belly when he is totally zonked, but there isn't any point -- might as well be rubbing a dead cat -- any other time = arm pinata.
 

dustydiamond1

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When she is in the mood Gypsy like a good tumrub. When she isn't in the mood she will either just move away or gently push the hand away from her tummy with a back foot, that means we are to continue petting everywhere else.
 

cassiopea

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Two of my kittes love it.

Tippy Toes, my polydactyl, adores getting her belly rubbed :lol: She stretches out on her back, all splayed out in spread eagle, eyes closed, happy cat smile and purrs. Same with my Liffey. They will purposely floop over on me in belly rub time expectations.


I was surprised, since like many I had the knowledge that the stomach was a total No-Man's Land. Ah, such complex creatures sometimes.


The rest of my munchkins however, are not tummy rub lovers!
 

Adelei

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This is funny - I was just thinking about this the other day, wondering how cats got the reputation of hating to have their bellies rubbed! Of the 5 cats I've had, all but 1 have loved to have their bellies rubbed. They often will lay next to me when I'm watching TV and I'll just rest my hand on their belly. If I'm laying down, they'll rest their back against my chest and I'll hug them to myself with my hand on their belly. The first cat I owned didn't like it much, but she wasn't as cuddly as my other cats in general. She preferred to lay near me versus on me/touching me, whereas all my other cats like to be right up on my lap or touching me somehow. One of my cats even "weaponized" her belly - she knew I absolutely couldn't resist squatting down and rubbing it (it was soooo cute! ^.^ ) so whenever she wanted some attention and I was busy, she'd flop over in the middle of the room or hallway and expose her tuxedo belly to the sky. I had no defense for such an attack - even when I was running late, it always succeeded in its mission! lol

In addition to my cats, all the cats I've either baby-sat for or had close contact with (like my sister's cats) have liked belly rubs. So just the other day, as I was squatting down giving a belly rub to a visiting 4-year-old cat, I was wondering how cats got this reputation of attacking people who tried to rub their bellies!

I wonder if rubbing their bellies when they're babies helps them to like it or if it's just on a cat-by-cat basis, no matter what you do when they're little? My 1 year old cat used to bite me any time I tried to pet her at all, whether it was her belly or anywhere else. Now, however, she loves being petted - especially around her neck and on her belly.

The weaponized impossible-to-resist tuxedo belly:
20160719_071935.jpg
 

dustydiamond1

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This is funny - I was just thinking about this the other day, wondering how cats got the reputation of hating to have their bellies rubbed! Of the 5 cats I've had, all but 1 have loved to have their bellies rubbed. They often will lay next to me when I'm watching TV and I'll just rest my hand on their belly. If I'm laying down, they'll rest their back against my chest and I'll hug them to myself with my hand on their belly. The first cat I owned didn't like it much, but she wasn't as cuddly as my other cats in general. She preferred to lay near me versus on me/touching me, whereas all my other cats like to be right up on my lap or touching me somehow. One of my cats even "weaponized" her belly - she knew I absolutely couldn't resist squatting down and rubbing it (it was soooo cute! ^.^ ) so whenever she wanted some attention and I was busy, she'd flop over in the middle of the room or hallway and expose her tuxedo belly to the sky. I had no defense for such an attack - even when I was running late, it always succeeded in its mission! lol

In addition to my cats, all the cats I've either baby-sat for or had close contact with (like my sister's cats) have liked belly rubs. So just the other day, as I was squatting down giving a belly rub to a visiting 4-year-old cat, I was wondering how cats got this reputation of attacking people who tried to rub their bellies!

I wonder if rubbing their bellies when they're babies helps them to like it or if it's just on a cat-by-cat basis, no matter what you do when they're little? My 1 year old cat used to bite me any time I tried to pet her at all, whether it was her belly or anywhere else. Now, however, she loves being petted - especially around her neck and on her belly.

The weaponized impossible-to-resist tuxedo belly:
View attachment 245742
:loveeyes: :hearthrob::redheartpump:
 

golondrina

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Sombra doesn't turn around to expose her tummy asking for a rub but when I do rub her she likes it and never fails to lick my hand while I am doing it. Sometimes I rub her tummy when she is curled up on her cat tree on a level close to my face; she will then turn her head from my hand to lick my face. In other words she loves it when she gets it but never takes the initiative to ask for it.

My late cat Cucumella did not offer her tummy very often but she did occasionally and was then happy to get a good rubbing. If I took the initiative and she didn't feel like it she just moved away but was never aggressive.
 
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