Belly Rub

armylife1

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my kitten (splodge), she is a tortoise shell, only ever rolls on her back for me and she lets me stroke her belly, is this natural? as she only does it for me, and what does this actually mean???
 

zane's pal

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Zane does this, and it looks as though he wants his tummy rubbed, but don't be fooled--touch his underside and he'll get you.
 

alleygirl

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

Zane does this, and it looks as though he wants his tummy rubbed, but don't be fooled--touch his underside and he'll get you.
Same with Riley. He teases us with his belly all the time, but if you touch it, you bleed.
 

ashro

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It means she loves you and wants only you to rub her belly because...she loves you so much!
 

danits_24

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Cats usually don't like being touched in heir belly, but if your cat roles over for you and exposes her belly, it means she trusts you.
 

ilovestripey

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cats tummies are very vulnerable areas so by her rolling over to allow you to pet her there she is showing great trust and love to even let you access her tummy...stripey (pookie) does this also but if you try to pet her there she will grab your hand and bite you...although my moms cat (who is much kinder to us than she is with stripey) will allow us to pet here there and everywhere else...your cat mus love you very much for her to let you rub her there...youre being a great cat owner becuase she has great trust and love in you in order to allow you to pet her there
 

denham

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both of my kittens let me rub their tummies
now that I know this it makes me feel really good. I do have to be careful WHEN I do this though. If they are playing/tumbling together, even if they show tummies to me I cannot reach in or will get scratched. When relaxing on their own, they lay down next to me and I can rub their tummies for quite a while. They will often then go to sleep.
 

mom of 4

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My husband is teaching Talley to roll over her back when she walks up to anyone. She seems to enjoy it.

My son's cat is a roll on her back fool. She will even fall off furniture in an attempt to get a belly rub.

Zoey will only exxpose her belly on a rare occassion. I usually do a quick, gental rub and stop before the biting starts.
 

cruisermaiden

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My 4 month old kitten Mulder rolls over for tummy rubs with me and a select few people he is very comfortable with. He wants 2-3 tummy rubs a day.

My 1 year old Spooky on the other hand will make you bleed if you touch his tummy, even if he rolls over to expose it to you. Yet in every other way he trusts me completely.

I think its mainly an individual thing, but they only do it if they are very comfortable with the person.
 

baloneysmom

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Bugsy LOVES his belly rubbed. Especially if you are holding him like a baby in your arm and rubbing the belly with the other. His favorite thing is when his Daddy holds him like a baby on his back and I stand on the other side of him and give him a serious belly rub. Sort of like a Busgy sandwich lol.

Capone loves to show his belly, but if you touch it be prepared to have your face ripped off LOL. Then again, if you touch Capone anywhere other then his head area, he will attack.
 

piikki

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All three of ours let us rub bellies. They all do it their way though.

Kille - always asking for belly rubs and can take it endlessly

Teppo - will turn over for a rub but does not care for too long rubs. Will never grab the rubbing hand though, just turns away.

Ossi - more ambivalent with belly access. Will offer but then gets second thoughts and flips back on his feet. Usually only allows me to do it and usually can only tolerate a few strokes. He knows he is not supposed to grab with paws, so he'll grab the wrist and raise the hind legs for bunny kick, then have a weird look on his eyes - and all of a sudden spring on his hind legs and run a few feet away. (Only to flop on his back again a minute later, opening his back legs to what we call the "diaper change" position") Silly boy.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

Zane does this, and it looks as though he wants his tummy rubbed, but don't be fooled--touch his underside and he'll get you.
same here, except for Pixel, who adores belly rubs! the other 4 - touch the exposed belly at your own risk!
 

emmylou

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Interesting that so many cats are this way. My cat is always showing his belly in a position I think of as "the bear trap." Touch it and it snaps closed on you...

You learn quickly not to fall for the bait.
 

hwc

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Originally Posted by emmylou

Interesting that so many cats are this way. My cat is always showing his belly in a position I think of as "the bear trap." Touch it and it snaps closed on you...

You learn quickly not to fall for the bait.
You have to be really careful not to train this behavior with kitties. When they are little, the claws and teeth don't hurt and it is so tempting to play "gnaw on me" games. Then, they get a little older and those attacks with the teeth and the back legs going hurt, but you've got 'em trained.

Gotta force yourself to immediately pull back from attack the hand games.
 
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