Likes to be poked on head???

So, here's one I wondered for a while.

Our 16 year old calico, Patches, was a stray we got when she was 6 months old. She's never been friendly. She does like head and neck scratches, but on her terms only. If you pet her down her back and tail, you're asking to get your hand ripped off. And she doesn't even give you a warning growl or hiss. She just attacks.

Last year, my bf decided that she was annoying him, so he would annoy her. He poked her on the head. Nothing. He continued to poke her, thinking to provoke her into attack. She PURRS.

Through experimentation, we discovered she likes to be hit on the head. The harder and faster, the better. She stops purring when you stop poking. If we continue to poke her on the head, she will let us pick her up when she's awake and she doesn't struggle. Over the last year, she has actually become somewhat nice.

What gives? We joke that she was angry at us for 15 years because we didn't know how to properly pet her. Now that we hit her majesty on the head, she is nice. Has anyone heard of a cat acting like this?

Sorry! Not a helpful thing to say on this one except !!

Many cats like to be pummelled around the base of their tail because there are extra special `feeling' spots there. There are also similar erogenous zones in a cats head, so perhaps she is responding to this. I don't know, but I'm glad you found a way to give your kitty some special pleasure!

My Sunday is particularly sensitive around the head. She doesn't attack when you stroke the rest of her body (and she loves the base of tail area being scritched) but if you get near her head she almost gets aggressive in her need to be petted on and around the head and face, the harder the better, usually, though I've never thought of poking or hitting her on the head!! I don't think she'd like that, but hey, to each their own. Maybe your kitty likes it rough!

though I've never thought of poking or hitting her on the head!!

Click to expand...

yeah, neither had we! She's always liked hard head scratches too. She tries to rub her head into you if she wants a harder scratch.

Many cats like to be pummelled around the base of their tail because there are extra special `feeling' spots there. There are also similar erogenous zones in a cats head, so perhaps she is responding to this.

Click to expand...

That's interesting. I wonder why it only works on her head then, and not her tail? I'd always thought that there was something wrong with her tail, but our vet assured us that she's healthy. Thanks for the info!

lol

Cats have extra sensitive patches on their cheeks, above their eyebrows and near their ears. There're actually scent glands that are there, too, so when they rub their faces and heads on you and other things although it looks sweet they're actually claiming whatever their rubbing as their territory. But I believe that these areas are also very sensitive to touch, and so they enjoy being stimulated there as well. Does your kitty like to be touched around the ears? I find that mine just LOVE a good hard scritch right at the opening of their ears - not IN them, of course - but pretty close to it. That usually sends them into writhing ecstasy without too much ado!

She probably does not like being poked in the head. Cats will purr to comfort themselves when they are edge, they purr when they are in pain. Her one photo looks like she is quite annoyed. I believe you might be reading her signals wrong, and should perhaps reconsider poking your cat in the head.

I know i wouldn't like being poked on the head no matter how light it was

It sounds like she just doesn't like being petted too much because my Rosie only likes being stroked for so long before she tells me shes had enough.

She's always loved to be scratched around the ears. In the picture, she's actually getting a scratch and purring. I think ear scratches are only topped by her love of neck scratches. But she has to like you ("like" is relative with her, "trust" is probably better) in order to allow you to touch her neck.

If she doesn't like the poking, then why doesn't she scratch or even pull away? Usually, if she doesn't like someone petting her, she scratches, and she'll pull away if she's too sleepy to bother lifting her paw. Usually she just pulls her tail under her paws if someone dared to touch it and she's too lazy to deal with them. That was what made us think it was a happy purr, not a scared purr.

I know some cats love headbutts but poking hmm...when I was younger we used to have a cat that would head butt you like a ram (sheep). You had to be careful anytime you were down at her level (tying your shoe that kind of thing) she'd hit you with enough force to knock you over!

I think I kind of know what you mean. My mothers cat likes being kissed on her head, she stretches out her neck so you can reach her better and purrs. If you dont like gettin a mouth full of fur, shes just as happy with a little poke... hehe its really cute... I dont know if its the same, but she really seems to love it.

oh! and I forgot to mention she is also a calico!

I think some cats like "rough" treatment! I had a cat that would love when you patted him on the head quite hard - Like his head would bounce up and down but he loved it!

As long as you aren't doing it too hard, I don't see a problem with it!

Some cats are just strange!