Soft Gentle Patting Paws

golondrina

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When cuddling close to my chest my cat Sombra often extends one of her front paws to pat my face so gently that I don't feel her claws which I interpret as an affectionate gesture. Unfortunately I'm not very skilful at taking selfies to register this.

But Sombra doesn't reserve her patting only for cuddling moments. Sometimes she will come up to me and pat my arm before running away and half hiding in a lurking attitude which means that she wants to play. If I don't take heed she will repeat her gesture until I do. She always wins because I don't have the heart to disappoint her although I am not always in the mood to comply.

Sombra is more vocal than Cucumella used to be but she resorts a lot to "body language" to express herself. Although she is only 4 years old she has a strong personality and it has taken her only 6 months to train me to interpret her many ways to express herself.

I would love to know if gentle paw patting is a common gesture from cats in general.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Feeby does that sometimes, but maybe now for different reasons than she used to (she's 14+). Now, not so much to enact playing, but she will paw at my arm/leg to get attention. She also likes to place one paw on my arm or leg when she is laying beside me either on the recliner or in bed. But, it's got to be her decision, because if I try to do the same to her and she is not in the mood, she will promptly move her paw away.

Sombra sounds like a sweetie!!
 
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golondrina

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Thanks for your reply FeebysOwner. Cucumella was over 16 years when I lost her. In the later years when I threw ping pong balls to her she would return them 4 times and that was that. So I understand your Feeby.
 

weebeasties

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Buster passed away several years ago, but he would give gentle face taps. He was also a very sympathetic kitty. If I was sad he would give me kisses and pat my face as if he was brushing the tears away.:redheartpump:
Sam will walk up to me when I am standing and tap my leg. When I ask him what he wants, he just looks up at me. I don't know what that's about. I wish I could read his mind. You are very fortunate that you and Sombra understand each other so well. :):catrub:
 

susanm9006

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Willow who is a pretty quiet cat, communicates a lot through arm pats. When she gets hungry rather than meowing she reaches up and gives me a very gentle pat on the elbow. She also does this sometimes when she doesn’t want anything but seems to just be letting me know she is in the room or asking for me to give her a quick head pet.
 

Jayflower

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My Olivie does that. She likes to lay on my chest when I'm watching tv in the evening, and she will stretch her paw up and gently pat my face. She will also sometimes do that when I'm sleeping, as a way to get me to wake up.
 

danteshuman

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I get a gentle lip tap, as I'm starting to fall asleep and stop petting my cat Salem. Some cats are just better than others understanding how fragile their human's skin is. When Salem wants to show affection he gives me "kisses" by touching my nose with his nose.

It sounds like she starting a game of tag with you, I would try playing tag with her.
 

KarenKat

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Trin likes to wake us up to a paw to the face. Especially if hungry.

Olive is a face/chest pawer if I try and kick her off my lap. She also (less politely) grabs/scratches menifni leave a petting session too early.

 

Sonatine

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Amelia does it all the time, generally in an effort to get my attention. Typically, she simply rests her paw on my hand (always there, rarely anywhere else, whether I'm laying in bed or sitting on the couch). She might pat it a few times if I don't respond. Sometimes when we're cuddling, she'll put her paw on my arm... and hook a claw into my sleeve so I can't remove it! (it's probably an accident since she kneads sometimes too, but you never know)

It's really cute, even if she's using it to deprive me of sleep.
 

smosmosmo

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Sombra sounds like a sweetheart. My Smo pats me when I don't put down her treats fast enough, and pats/punches me when I've displeased her. I'm actually really flattered by it because she always knows never to extend her claws - she's just letting me know she's feeling bratty. She can be a hellbeast with anyone who isn't family so it's nice to see her go, "I'm annoyed with you but I would never hurt you."
 

SDerailed

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I have 3 cats who all tap me to get pets. It's just like a human tapping you on the shoulder to get attention.
 

jcat

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Our last cat constantly tapped me when he wanted something, particularly on the lips when he was in the mood for a one-sided conversation. Mowgi does clicker training, so he now thinks he should get a treat whenever he "shakes" or does "high five". My husband says I've created a monster.

A lot of the shelter cats do it when they want to be petted. The funniest thing is that many of the ferals in the shelter's colony won't allow you to touch them, but will poke at you with a paw if they want a treat or simply to be talked to.
 
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