Lower Back Scratches

kisabre

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When I scratch my cat lower back he turns over to his side or stomach. Do anyone know why he would respond that way?
 

yayi

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When I do the lower back scratch to my cats they raise their back and butts in expectation wanting more.
So I think yours is actually telling you to stop. But I could be wrong.
 

nellers

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Originally Posted by yayi

When I do the lower back scratch to my cats they raise their back and butts in expectation wanting more.
So I think yours is actually telling you to stop. But I could be wrong.
is that why they raise their back? Oh man I feel bad. I always thought this meant they did NOT want anymore, not that they DID want more.

*runs off to give extra scritches to her kitties for years of neglect*
 

sarahp

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It sounds as though your kitty loves belly rubs! Mine does that too - she prefers belly rubs and side rubs, so when we start patting her and rolls over for us to rub her belly


It means he likes it, so keep doing it!

And if your kitty lifts their back into the scratch - then they DEFINITELY love it!!
 

x-ta-z

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Mine both love belly and side rubs so they keep on rolling over.

But they also raise their butts too... but it that they then want "more" - not in the sense of scratching the area???
 

coaster

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Raising the butt is a natural reaction to scratching in the area around the base of the tail. I don't think anything needs to be read into either of these reactions....the butt raising or the rolling over. Cats react in different ways to different things. Kisabre just has a cat that likes to be scratched on the belly and so he rolls over.

You definitely know it when a cat tells you to stop doing something. There's no ambiguity about it. First the cat tenses up, tries to get away, then growls, then hisses, and then finally bites if you keep at it. If you're lucky, you get a warning bite that doesn't break skin. Neither of the behaviors asked about above are "stop it" behaviors. Fortunately, because it's fun to scratch a cat on his back or better yet on his belly.
 

strange_wings

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I think when they roll over it might not just be because they want their belly rubbed, some cats will scratch or nip you when you try. Maybe it's a way of extending attention time? The cat saying "ok, I still want attention", I'm only making a vague guess because that's also how some cats will initiate play with another cat.

ie, Sho will walk up in front of Tomas, duck his head to signal that he does want to play, and if Tomas doesn't hop forward Sho will flop over and roll on his back to start the playing.

Maybe that's why cats stop and flop in front of us? A more subtle demand for attention.
 

feral65

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fleas is another possibility. do you feel anything "gritty" like the texture of dirt or sand when you pet there? most cats are sensitive in that spot and may otherwise nip or simply run away. if there are fleas though, the cat may actually enjoy you scratching the "itch" there. another sign of fleas are small black flecks (like black dandruff).
 

coaster

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

I think when they roll over it might not just be because they want their belly rubbed, some cats will scratch or nip you when you try.
Quite correct and thanks for pointing that out. My comment wasn't intended to refer to cats in general, just Kisabre's cat.
 

strange_wings

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I'm sure Kisabre's cat just really loves the attention.


I just thought of another thing. In very young kittens, when the mother grooms them they'll flip over so she can lick them to go pee and poo. Young kittens will sort of get in this position when people are fostering them too.
Could some of the turning over be a left over behavior from that?
I only wonder this because Tomas will roll over in my lap and do the baby kitten position...kitty privates up... I'm not his mother cat and he's 8 months old, lazy little bum.


I'm probably putting too much thought into this, most people just pet their cats and think nothing of it.


Oh, and to the poster that suggested it was fleas... If you were covered in fur and didn't have hands to scratch those naturally itchy spots, you'd get itchy too. And if you had a nice owner (read slave) content to sit there in scratch you, you'd take advantage of it.
 

feral65

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haha! yes, i just meant to say "fleas" were a possibility. i've had that experience and i *did* itch the spot for him. he no longer has fleas, but now i've created a monster! the cat just LOVES being scratched on his lower back and practically demands it in fact! he sometimes gets so excited, he rolls over on his back too. i know better than to take the "bait" and try to scratch his tummy though. i like my fingers in one piece, thank you. :-)
 
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