# I Finally Understand Pets' Orgasmic Reactions to Scratching Their Ears **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569 "2004-11-18T23:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/1 "2004-11-18T23:36:23Z")
…cause I’ve recently discovered that scratching my leg, especially above the incision where I had some screws recently put in, literally gives me chills of pleasure and I can’t stop scratching. Not to share too much information here, but this feels as good as other things that people are known to do by themselves and is just as intense, if not moreso. Granted, I’d’ve rather not broken my leg but this unforseen side-effect makes up for it a little bit. ::scratch, scratch, scratch:: ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/2 "2004-11-18T23:43:13Z")
And as proof that you can indeed have too much of a good thing, my leg is now bleeding. I think I’ll stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/3 "2004-11-18T23:48:45Z")
The other day in class I was just idly scratching behind my ear with a pencil, and I hit some spot that made all the hair on the back of my neck stand on end :eek: it felt pretty good actually, and I could see why my cat is so happy about being scratched there. Of course, my cat _really_ needs a lot of pressure-scratching. I’ll be scraching behind his ear as hard as I can, but he keeps leaning toward my hand. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him cozying up to an angle grinder one of these days! :eek: Embarassed to say, but my ‘rump’ area also feels good when scratched, not unlike my cats (area of the back that meets the tail, specifically). Whenever I scratch my cat behind the ears, he always tries to return the favor, but somewhere he got a memo saying humans like having their eyelids licked and their noses bitten :eek: (what the hell does he think I’m getting out of that?! 😕 ) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/4 "2004-11-18T23:50:40Z")
Is it as good as scratching mosquito bites? ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/5 "2004-11-18T23:51:45Z")
I had surgery on my ankle like 12 years ago and they messed up the nerves now so it feels all good in a weird way when I touch the top of my foot. Like I can feel it but not the same as I feel things on the rest of my body. Tis weird but good. And , yes, scratching should stop when bleeding commences or you should cut your fingernails. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/6 "2004-11-18T23:53:00Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Is it as good as scratching mosquito bites? or poppin’ a zit? ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/7 "2004-11-18T23:57:43Z")
Rubbing my eyes when they’re itchy feels like that. I don’t let myself for more than a couple of seconds now, after I gave myself a couple of black eyes some years back, more trying to make the itching stop than because it felt so good. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/8 "2004-11-18T23:57:44Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Embarassed to say, but my ‘rump’ area also feels good when scratched, not unlike my cats (area of the back that meets the tail, specifically). Right above the crease between your buttocks but below the small of the back? Yeah… that feels good sometimes too. Forgot all about that. And the leg scratching feels a hell of a lot better than a popped zit and, I assume, a mosquito bite. Never had one so I can’t tell you for certain. ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/9 "2004-11-18T23:58:06Z")
Are you following me? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/10 "2004-11-18T23:59:47Z")
Damn it, I meant that for **UncleRojelio**. Buncha fast typers you! And, **Aes** , how in bloody hell have you never had a mosquito bite? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/11 "2004-11-19T00:02:01Z")
Being a recluse who never leaves the house has some advantages. Look at what happened when I had to leave to walk to work a couple weeks ago, for instance. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/12 "2004-11-19T00:03:23Z")
But how about when you were a kid? Were you a kiddie recluse? ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/13 "2004-11-19T00:04:11Z")
I’ve got a really, really bizarre thing about scratching the back of my knees. It’s…unsettling, how nice it can feel. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/14 "2004-11-19T00:10:03Z")
> [@luluBahrain](#): > > But how about when you were a kid? Were you a kiddie recluse? Not particularly. Maybe Tennessee (or my area of it) just doesn’t have a large mosquito population. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/15 "2004-11-19T00:12:10Z")
> [@luluBahrain](#): > > Are you following me? 😛 Don’t look behind you! ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/16 "2004-11-19T00:26:32Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Not particularly. Maybe Tennessee (or my area of it) just doesn’t have a large mosquito population. Kentucky sure does. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones, like my mother, who doesn’t taste good to mosquitoes. Me, I’m like filet mignon apparently. I’m the only person I know who got bitten in November. I’m also allergic and get really big, hideous hives. And the itching is undescribable. I know what you mean about the scratching though. At a certain point during my hive outbreak I get a strong urge to procure a sharp instrument and scratch away. I have sometimes done it until the skin bleeds, it hurts so good. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-understand-pets-orgasmic-reactions-to-scratching-their-ears/275569/17 "2004-11-19T01:26:51Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I’ve got a really, really bizarre thing about scratching the back of my knees. It’s…unsettling, how nice it can feel. Not unusual. That’s one of the lesser-known erogenous zones on some people.