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How to Pet Cats Properly
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How to Pet Cats Properly

perroEditorial
Jul 30, 2022
9 min

One of the best ways to bond and communicate with your cat is by petting them. Many cats love to be stroked, petted, and scratched.

Petting your cats is one of the best ways to show you love and care about them. Interestingly, your feline friend is not the only one benefiting from this event, as petting your animal can help relieve anxiety and stress in humans.

Your cat enjoys this exercise and would want you to pet them more often. However, many cat owners have been doing this the wrong way. There is a better way of petting your cat.

The exercise is mainly for them, not you. With the proper petting approach, your cat will not only have a good time in your arms, but you will also be able to detect if there are any problems going on under their hair that you cannot see. Without wasting much time, here’s the proper way to pet your cats!

How to Pet Your Cat Properly

You need to focus on providing your feline friend with as much control and choice as possible when petting them. For instance, giving them a choice is determining whether they want to be petted or not. You should also let them have control over where they want to be touched and for how long. Here are the best ways to pet your cat.

1. Determine Whether They Want to Be Petted or Not

The first step to petting your cat properly is determining whether they want to be petted. To know if your cat needs petting, you have to read their body language first. It is not ideal for picking up your cat whenever you want to pet them; you need to respect their space.

Cats are very sensitive to touch, and their body language will help you determine if they are okay with a stroke or cuddle. If your cat is purring, it’s a sign they want to be cuddled or petted. However, if they are hissing, scratching, turning away, or trying to escape when you want to pet them, it’s a sign they are not in the mood for it.

A feline that wants to be petted will be relaxed throughout the process. They might even nudge underneath your hands or rub the sides of their mouth across your hand when you stop stroking them.

2. Know Where They Want to Be Petted

The second phase to getting this even right is giving your cat control. You are not the one being petted, so you need to allow your cat to choose where they love being petted the most.

In general, cats like being touched or petted around the regions of their facial glands, including under their chin, the base of their ears, and around their cheeks.

They prefer those areas over other areas like their back, tummy, and base of their tail. Their underbellies, whiskers, tails, and paws are super sensitive, so you should avoid them. Nevertheless, not all cats are the same. You might need to spend quality time experimenting with your cat to know the best places they like being petted and touched.

3. Know When to Stop

Knowing when to stop is the key to having a great petting session. You need to observe your cat’s body language to know when they’ve had enough. If your cat starts turning its head, moving, or shifting away, it means you should stop. You should respect their body language and allow them to go when they want to.

Besides petting your cat, there are several ways to entertain them. One of the best ways to keep them active and engaged is by providing them with quality cat toys. We highly recommend the following products for this purpose.

Product Recommendations

  • Pawise Kitty Roundabout Cat Toy: This is a fun and highly interactive toy to keep your cat busy for an extended period. It has some stylish and appealing designs to attract your cat’s attention. You can bat the ball on the toy to watch it go round and round while your cat preys on it to satisfy his hunting instincts.

  • Kong Feather Teaser Cat Toy: This toy makes a crinkle sound to always attract your feline’s attention. It is designed for interactive play. The toy’s crinkle sound and bright features will tempt your cat to capture it. It is safe and highly durable, thanks to the quality material used to make it.

  • Kong Cuteseas Octopus Cat Toy: If you are not always around to touch and cuddle your cat, this is the perfect toy to give them. The toy has a plush, soft corduroy body for cuddling and snuggling. It also makes a crinkle sound to encourage play. The toy’s design is safe and promotes healthy exercise for indoor cats. It is also suitable for cats of all life stages.