If they bump their head against you (called “bunting”), they are marking you as theirs. [4] X Research source
Don’t touch the tail or move your hand along to the side. If the cat likes what you’re doing, they’ll arch their back to add more pressure to your hand. When you bring your hand back to where you started, the cat may rub their forehead firmly against your hand to encourage you to do it again. If the cat puts their ears back, cowers away from your hand, or just walks away, stop petting. You can scratch gently as you bring your hand down along the cat’s back, but don’t stop at one spot and scratch there. Keep your hand moving. Apply a little pressure at the base of the tail, though with caution. This is another scent gland area, and there are cats that like getting scratched right here. [6] X Research source Others, however, have a habit of suddenly snapping their teeth at your hand when they’ve had enough.
If they show no interest in your hand or just stares at it suspiciously, reconsider your intention to pet them. Try some other time when the cat may be in a different mood. If the cat sniffs your hand, meows, and then rubs their chin or the side of their head against it, or brushes the side of their body on you, chances are they are open to being touched. Open the palm of your hand and softly touch their body.
Avoid the belly, though (see Part 3, Step 3).
The loudness of a cat’s purring denotes its happiness level. The louder the purring is, the happier the cat is at the time. A soft purr means that they are content, a loud purr means very happy. Excessively loud purring means over-excessive happiness, which can sometimes switch quickly to annoyance, so be careful.
Ears flattening against the head Tail twitching Fidgeting Growling or hissing[7] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Some cats do like it, but they interpret it as an invitation to play rough or wrestle with claw-grabbing and scratching. They’ll wrap their claws around your hand or arm, bite it, and scratch at it vigorously with their front and back paws. This is not always an attack; it’s how some cats “wrestle. " If a cat grabs you with its paws, hold still and let the cat disengage their claws. If necessary, reach over with your other hand and gently pull the paw back to unhook the claws. Cats often scratch deep when they don’t intend to if their claws get stuck. They use claws to hold and grab, so when the message is for you to stop moving your hand, they’ll stop if you stop.
Many cats don’t like their feet handled at all, but can be trained into it for activities like claw clipping through a slow, successive reward system. If the cat doesn’t object, lightly pet that foot with one finger in the direction the fur flows (from wrist toward toes). At any point the cat pulls their foot away, hisses, flattens their ears or walks away, stop.
