• @Zachariah
    link
    English
    363 months ago

    “trusting” should be “testing” or “trap”

    It can mean “ please rub my belly” but it’s often testing if you’ll follow cat etiquette and refrain from touching a stranger’s belly. Or sometimes it’s a trap because the cat has learned the human cannot resist, so it’s a surefire way to get in some hand bites and jackrabbit kick attacks.

    • @cmhe
      link
      English
      83 months ago

      I thought of it as “wrestle with me!”. To which I often consent, knowing what will await me. It just gets very hurtful if you pull your arm away. But I never got the impression that the cat actually wants to hurt you. They often end up liking you afterwards.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        53 months ago

        For my cat, laying on her back was always an invitation for belly rubs. She never attacked if I just rubbed. If I try to grab her she would switch to disembowel mode but only if I did it.

      • @Zachariah
        link
        English
        33 months ago

        I think its meaning depends a lot on whether the cat already knows you or not.

  • Ben Hur Horse Race
    link
    fedilink
    English
    63 months ago

    jesus…

    sure. the “this is mine” thing, though, isn’t perfectly accurate- its more like “this is safe/accepted”