• Zachariah@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    36
    ·
    4 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@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 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.

      • ramble81@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        4 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.

  • Ben Hur Horse Race@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    4 months ago

    jesus…

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