You just have to get them used to belly rubs when they’re young, and then you get to enjoy 10-20 years of pain free cat belly rubs.
And if they’re not used to it I pet them on their side or head when they’re rolled over and never get clawed
Tried that once. The cat did not accept the compromise and still went for my hand like usual.
If you start when they’re not young, it’s still doable, will just take longer
One of my cats actually seems to like belly rubs and doesn’t really do this. From what I’ve heard though, the reason some do this is actually that their belly is really vulnerable, because there’s just some skin and little else protecting their vital organs under there, so them stretching out and showing their belly isn’t really an invitation for belly rubs, but a way of saying that they trust you not to attack them. Then if you go and touch their belly, they go all defensive because that part is soft and vulnerable and from their perspective touching it is exactly the reverse of how you were supposed to respond to that.
Yeah but my cat is also a big slut so half the time he’s also doing the “oh no it would be awful if while I was exposed and vulnerable someone were to pet my stomach” thing.
There is very little way to tell which scenario you’re in UNTIL the claw trap closes or the high pitched purrs begin
My cat reacts to belly rubs like he’s ticklish there. Which does make sense…
Do y’all not even cat? Every location on a cat has a preset pet limit, if you reach it they attack. That is also an over all pet limit that counts down to attack. And then sometimes cats just like to attack for no damn reason.
My 3 cats have never intentionally clawed me except for the newest one, and that’s not her fault. She was a stray kitten on my driveway, and I scruffed her, and she didn’t like that. We’re cool now though.
