Petting a cat "against the grain"

[Ogre]

To my surprise recently, a fellow Doper opined that petting a cat the "wrong way" is not a good idea, and that they hate it.

This runs very much counter to my experience with cats. Every single one I've ever owned (which has been quite a few) has absolutely loved it. Start from the base of the tail and skritch against the grain up the spine, and cats invariably go all cat (ha!)atonic with bliss, stretching out to full length, purring like crazy, and making biscuits on whatever's available. I currently have three cats, and they all react this way.

So what say ye, cat-Dopers?

Poll coming.

[Markxxx]

Every single cat I've ever petted hates to be petted the wrong way. Some will give you a glare and some will turn on you with a scratch and all of them will move and let you know that type of behaviour toward them is never acceptable again

Perhaps because the cats are getting scratched is why they like it. Try just petting the fur against the grain without scratching them

[sandra_nz]

My cat loves a scritch along the spine, especially nearer the base of the tail, filthy minx that she is.

But if she's lying on your lap and you start just random patting her against the grain, you get the LOOK OF DOOM.

[Ogre]

Every single cat I've ever petted hates to be petted the wrong way. Some will give you a glare and some will turn on you with a scratch and all of them will move and let you know that type of behaviour toward them is never acceptable again

Perhaps because the cats are getting scratched is why they like it. Try just petting the fur against the grain without scratching themWeird. I'll even start without a scratch. I'll lay my hand on their back and simply pet "upward" so that their fur gets ruffled. They LOVE it.

[WOOKINPANUB]

My cat is a total moosh so it takes a lot to piss him off. It's only the mild look of disdain that tells you he does not want. He'll definitely not hang around for long if you keep it up.

[runner pat]

My cat loves a scritch along the spine, especially nearer the base of the tail, filthy minx that she is.



Obviously, she likes her paws shaken.

[Ferret Herder]

Most cats that I've tried it on really hate it, but one of the cats we had when I was a kid absolutely loved being petted against the grain. You could rapidly rub back and forth on her side or back (alternating with and against the grain) and she'd purr up a storm, all the while shedding off so much fur that you could knit up another cat from it.

[silenus]

Split votes from our Master and Mistresses. Pixel and Brindle hate it, Caelan likes it, Havoc adores it.

[Ogre]

Split votes from our Master and Mistresses. Pixel and Brindle hate it, Caelan likes it, Havoc adores it.
Damn it, I wondered if I should have made this a multiple choice poll, but didn't see a reason to do so at the time.

[Anaamika]

Wow, I am not a cat person but every cat I've ever known HATES being petted against the grain and will leave the room if you persist, if not scratch you outright.

[PapSett]

Just gave it a try on my 2 furry felines. Charlie barely woke up and began purring loudly. He is a burn victim kitty and has large hairless patches along his back and just seems to like having them touched gently under any circumstances.

Miss Ruby purred and turned around and began licking my hand. So I'd say it was a hit with both of them.

[Dogzilla]

I think I saw that very post the OP is referring to. And then, a few hours later, my cat presented his fat ole belly for me to rub. I obliged. I rubbed that thing every which way, with the grain, against the grain, around in circles. I even tickled his now-empty little sack.

Other than he sounded like he'd swallowed a lawnmower, I'd say he was fine with it. Hell of a purr that cat's got.

My conclusion was that it is individual to cats. I've had cats that didn't like to be petted or handled in certain ways, but this one is a total scritchin' slut. He doesn't care who rubs him, where he's rubbed, or how, as long as someone's rubbing on him.

[Swallowed My Cellphone]

(The Late Great) Lenny: "Thems fighting words!" instant play-combat ensued.

Squiggy: "PUUURRRR?" :confused: "PURRRRRR?" :confused:

[Harmonious Discord]

Our last cat liked it so much she'd hump her back and stretch out her legs.

[appleciders]

I can't even vote here- it varies from cat to cat. If I had to generalize, I'd say that cats with strongly directional fur patterns (usually shorthairs) are usually against it, while cats with less directional fur patterns (longhairs) like it more. But that's a generalization and I know of counterexamples to both.

[aruvqan]

Fuzy overlord is sleeping (http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy176/aruvqan/Miscellaneous/sleepyhead.jpg) on the bed next to me, so I started petting her against the grain and she didn't even wake up.

[ugly ripe tomato]

Fuzy overlord is sleeping (http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy176/aruvqan/Miscellaneous/sleepyhead.jpg) on the bed next to me, so I started petting her against the grain and she didn't even wake up.

Cue the "awwwwwwwwwwww"s :D

My shorthaired cat lurves to be petted against the grain. He will arch his back and dig in his front paws while purring like a 747 and I only get reproachful looks when I stop.

He turns into Razor Kitty of Death of you try to touch his belly or paws, so I'm 100% sure that if he didn't like the backwards petting he'd let me know.

[Tamerlane]

If I had to generalize, I'd say that cats with strongly directional fur patterns (usually shorthairs) are usually against it, while cats with less directional fur patterns (longhairs) like it more.

That has sort of been my experience as well. In the case of my two shorthairs, they love to have their bellies rubbed any old way ( and their belly fur is much less directional ), but are slightly displeased by reverse petting of their backs.

[Wile E]

I will name him "George" and hug him and squeeze him and stroke his fur backwards!

I usually don't go against the grain but if I do I immediately smooth the fur back down with the next petting so as not to incur the nasty, pointy cat wrath.

[Lasciel]

None of my three like being petted against the grain.

But! Both the long hair and the tortie like being brushed against the grain. The other is generally against the concept of brushing altogether, so I can't say anything for him.

[rhubarbarin]

Mine won't tolerate it for long. Bitch Cat will glare and punch me, Sweet Cat will purr for a while but eventually look alarmed and grab my hand gently with his teeth to stop me.

[Guinastasia]

My dad will rub our cats' backs like you would a dog -- they're not too fond of it. (They adore him, though -- because he's always slipping them cheese and butter) :rolleyes:

[Electric Warrior]

My cat freaking loves this. She cranes into my hand when I pet her fur backwards. I tried this on my neighbor's cat, and he hissed at me and grabbed my hand with all his claws stuck out. I bled quite a bit.

[WhyNot]

I wasn't thinking of belly rubbin's when I answered. Yeah, most of the cats I've known like their bellies rubbed (sometimes for a short time only, after which they attack the hand) back and forth. But back hairs? Never met a cat who liked the back hair against the grain.

[AClockworkMelon]

Most cats I've petted, including mine, dislike having this done.

However, a friend of mine has a cat that loves when I pet him like a dog: One hand on either side of him rubbing very quickly both ways. You know what I'm talking about. If you do this to him he'll just freeze and topple over. Absolutely loves it. Funnily enough, he hates when my friend in particular does it.

[saje]

Depends on the cat. Some of mine love it, some get really irritated by it.

[pepperlandgirl]

Tara T. Cat loves any and all attention. She doesn't care if you're going against the grain or with it as long as you're touching her and making it clear she's the center of your universe.

[Terraplane]

I've just conducted my own research to mixed results. Zissou does not care. Kitty flipped onto his back, grabbed my hand, and started raking my arm with his back legs, and The Admiral gave me a WTF look and ran away to play with a piece of fluff on the carpet. This is pretty consistent with their overall personalities, so I guess I'll go with "depends on the cat."

[Digital is the new Analog]

I voted "Standard Skald boilerplate", because I don't have or deal with cats, and I share my coffee cake.

-D/a

[Superhal]

My cat would let you abuse him for dried anchovies.

[Czarcasm]

Just did it to Zippy the Wonder Cat...and she loved it.

[CanvasShoes]

Well huh! I voted "suspicious sniff" and who should come walking along but Lazy Maisie herself.....so, while it wasn't quite a purr, she actually seemed to enjoy it. I'll be darned.

[lizardling]

Once coaxed to permit a mere human to approach, Miss Minx seemed to like being petted against the grain.

His Lordliness Daniel the Terrible lurves being petted and roughly loved like you would a big dog.

[causticsubstance]

Our cat doesn't care for being petted on the back, as far as I can tell. She won't react or sometimes she will even get up, move 8 inches away and lay down again, out of arms reach.

On the other hand, she adores being scratched behind the ears and on the chin like a dog, being rubbed back and forth. Same with her tummy. Though sometimes, she does swipe at your hand during a tummy rub... but then continues to lay there exposing her tummy to you. I didn't think this meant she wanted it to stop, but maybe she thought we were playing a game.

[stargazer]

One of our cats likes it (all pettins are the same to her), and one of our cats tolerates it on her belly and head only. But she's a really sweet kitty and would never claw at us - she'll just get up and go away if we do something she doesn't like.

[Rushgeekgirl]

Miso and Wonton love it, but neither likes to be touched at the base of the tail, preferring their scritches to be limited to shoulder blades to the top of the head.
There's this one spot between Miso's shoulders that when scratched hard makes her stick out her tongue and lick the air desperately. It's so freakin adorable.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellabrigido/4525631399/

[Sparky812]

With my cat Ed, it depends... with me, closer to the head he enjoys but anywhere near the base of his tail there would be the glare...with other people there would be screaming and a spray of blood.
I understand though... if you spend all day grooming your hair and someone came and messed it up deliberately, you'd be a little perturbed.:)

[Grapefruit]

My cat likes it when I do it, but not when my sister does it. I suspect it's because when she pets him, she almost always absentmindedly grabs a bit of fur with her...