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Are there any cat experts who can tell me if it means anything when a cat lies on its back? I've heard it is indicative of their trust, as they don't often expose their "soft underbelly" - my kitty loves to have her tummy rubbed and also lies on her back regularly to play with her milk rings. At any rate, it is endearing, and amusing....just curious if it bespeaks anything else? ;)
I was wondering what that behavior really means, too, tuxluvr. What's funny in my case is that my first kitty, Saima, will roll over to have her tummy rubbed--but only for a few rubs! It seems like she gets too nervous after a couple of seconds and then she flips back over. I pat her tummy as gently as possible, but she still gets a bit freaked out. I know some cats will let you rub their tummies for as long as you're willin' (like dogs do!). :) ;)
Oh yes, this is a huge sign of trust from your kitty. And Margaret, don't be insulted that your kitty flips over after just a few rubs. My cats have learned that I can't resist an exposed belly, so they do it to "lure" me over ... then flip over for some neck rubs and butt "scritchens," (their favorites.)
Catwoman
[ July 27, 2001: Message edited by: catwoman ]
My Bo loves to have her tummy rubbed :D she rolls over on her back every chance she gets and especially likes to be massaged. :) She is the first cat we've had that ever liked to have it's belly rubbed. I think it's a sign of supreme trust, because it took her a while to do this.
My Charlie (now @ Rainbow Bridge) used to come to the door when I came home from work and immediately plop himself down and roll over for some belly rubs. :)
My Marius is a belly rub fanatic, but Scooter on the other hand is more reserved. It definitely is a sign of complete trust from a cat, so I always feel honoured when Marius rolls over on his back for some belly rubbins....plus it's so darn cute!!! :D :D
No tummy rubs in this house! :( Do you think they don't trust me? Or that maybe their tummies didn't get rubbed enough early in life? Mimi and Butter love to be petted, brushed, etc. But you had better stay away from the belly, or you get attacked!! :eek:
I think that it varies from cat to cat - and indeed from animal to animal! I know one rabbit, for instance, who loves to have his tummy rubbed, but ours - well, she has no tummy - if you tried to tip her over to find a tummy, all you'd get were feet!
Logan, I think you're right ... starting young probably helps. Thelma starting exposing her belly early on (I think to air out her spaying incision as it healed.) Once Weezie noticed all the attention Thelma got, she joined in.
Do Butter and Mimi ever lie on their backs at all? This does seem to be an invitation-only thing. If T&W are lying on their sides (not backs) and I try to sneak a belly rub ... I get smacked! The best time to try is when you come across a cat lying on their back in a sunbeam, all sleepy. Go down VERY slowly so as not to alarm them ... then try more of a tickle or rub than a pat. Be brief the first few times you attempt ... don't press your luck. Good luck!
Thelma, two of mine do the same thing, but especially Big. We call it "going belly up" and everyday when I come in from work, there's Big in front of the door, already "belly up". Cookie does it to, but she doesn't greet me with her belly as often as Big. Pepper will only go belly up once I have already started lovin on her. Peaches tolerates it but doesn't ask for it. I think the kids love it so much becuase from the day they were born we began picking them up and rubbing their fat little kitten bellies, so they now see it as the ultimate form of lovins. Peaches, being a former stray, probably never experienced the pleasure until she moved in with us, and even then what with her pregnancy, nursing, and spaying it was several months before we could even rub her belly!
I've heard the squinting of the eyes (lovey eyes as we call it) is also a sign of complete trust, because a cat who does not feel completely free of danger will always have its eyes wide open unless sleeping.
Thelma,
Just saw your post. I had a cat, Sidney, who would greet me at the door "belly up" too. Sometimes he would block the door and I would have to scoot him along the carpet to get inside. LOL!
Hey, thanks for the comments! Now that I think about it, she didn't like the tummy rub until after the spay surgery. She was so ouchy that lying on her side and back seemed to be the only comfortable position...that is when I started the comfort tummy rubs---ever since she's been hooked! And so have I :D
our Cat Pumpkin,Always does that!! and She looks so cute!!!
My senior cat Lily will roll over on her side and coyly tilt her head back and forth. This is her signal for me to give her a brushing. She will play-bite or snip at me if I try to rub her tummy, but I tell her I'm going to count all her "belly buttons" (meaning her belly spots ~ she is a gray tabby) and then I kiss each one. She doesn't mind that at all! :)
My young boy Meeshe loves to be massaged; the firmer your touch the better. I put my knees together and lay him on his back like a baby; he goes limp and will stretch his head back so it is hanging over my knees just so I can scratch his neck better ~ very trusting. He enjoys playing on his back, too; lazily swatting at dangling toys. I should put him in a crib with a mobile overhead! :)
Kylie does this too, when I come home from work, she runs ahead of me and throw herself down and flips over on her back. When I try to have her sit on my lap to rub her belly which her 1st mommy did and she loved, she only lets me do it for like 5 sec!! But when she sits on my stomach, I rub her behind her ears she like goes into a hypnosis trance.
I do love her soft little paws,(declawed) when she puts them on my face or arm. She sometimes lets me rub them, but not very often!!! :rolleyes:
Our Lucy rolls on her back and shows her tummy everytime our Ricky, a chihuahua comes near her. If he doesn't say hello by licking her or nuzzling with her, she chases him down, knocks him over and then rolls on her back again. The chihuahua takes it all in stride but she outweighs him by at least 3 pounds. I guess she really trusts him. ;)
Exposing the belly is definately a sign of feeling completely secure and trusting. My Bo is absolutely irresistable when he goes belly up - which is often, so he gets lots of rubs. One day I decided to keep track of how many belly rubs Bo asked for - he got 14! From the look of contentment on his face and the roar of his purr, it must be absolute heaven. I sure wish I had someone to give me some sugar like that! LOL!
Misty loves her tummy rubbed. It is a ritual when we come home from work. She is waiting for us to come home at the door and we say do you want you bellie rubbed and instantly she is on her back for the rub. If I am laying on the floor she will lay beside me bellie up. She sleeps on the couch bellie up. I think that it means they are in total trust of us and want a bit of affection. ;)
What can I say, but Misty is a complete Cutie!!! LOL LOL :D :D
My kitty Scooter absolutly hates having his belly touched at all. He sleeps on his back with his belly fully exposed, it looks so inviting, but he will bite if you touch it.
My other guy Clyde will tolerate a few rubs but that is it.
I had a cat growing up, Oopee, who LOVED it. She would see someone coming, and she would flop over and block your way until you rubbed her stomach.
Just thought ya'll would like a dose of some kitty belly!! Here's my Marius...he's always good for a tummy rub...especially in the early mornings or the evening! I think he may just have been drying his nails in this picture...LOL LOL :D :D
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/028/Vi/Oh/bS/OE12717.jpg
He must have those nail caps! Do you like them? Are they able to detract their claws if they have their "Lee Press on Nails" on?
4feline, yes!! Marius is the proud "wearer" of Soft Paws! :) They work great and yes, he can retract his claws :) I absolutely refused to have my cat undergo declaw surgery, so I opted for the nail caps (my husband has a declawed cat, and we thought it would be a little safer to have my cat wear caps in case they started to play a little rough). I'm lucky with him because he doesn't mind me handling his paws (a lot of cats are senstive to that), so that makes it easy for me to apply the nail caps. I fill the cap with a little of the nail glue (basically it's like super glue)and then put it on the nail. They usually last about a month, which is about the length of time there is before a cat sheds its nail. So, when they come off, I simply replace them...and it's only about 2 or 3 at a time. They work great, and I've been very pleased with the product :)
Marius doesn't seem to mind...either that or he's just putting up a macho (??? :D) front! LOL LOL He usually wears blue caps, but over the Christmas holidays we switched to red. You can see the transition from him going from red back to blue in the picture! LOL LOL
I have been feeding a semi-feral stray cat on my front porch for the past 3 months or more. He was trapped, neutered and released after the first month. I have managed to get him used to me so that he will let me pet his head and some of his back. He often rolls over on his back, but if I try to pet his tummy, I get a swift slap.
I suspect he feels as I do, that we trust each other, but not completely. Or maybe he wants to play, but I'm the one who doesn't trust those sharp claws.
He will come into the house a few feet if I'm sitting on the floor. He even turns his back on me while I pet his head and back.
Since I'm a dog person (I have 4) I'm not sure what he's telling me. What do you all think?
Our Tinker has a contagious case of RUBBER BELLY!
She flops over and whoever passes her, can not resist the urge to Rub-her-belly (aka Rubber Belly)!
You've probably all seen the symptoms, but I feel the need to post again now that the 'disease' has been identified! lol :D
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/033/ON/VN/Fg/Fb12898.jpg
Zippy, I just LOVE that pic!!! That belly is just BEGGING for a massive belly rub from me! My hands would be so glued to that belly, you'd have to pry them away! LOL LOL LOL :D :D It's amazing how quickly I can go into "cuteness overload" when I'm around cats! LOL :D :D
I read it in a cat fancy magazine if they exposed their tummy, they are trusting their owners. My Joey, he lays on his so I can rub his tummby, he just loves that.
Storm loves to lie on the floor and expose his tummy. This is one of his favorite positions. He also loves belly rubs. Here's a picture of himhttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/...a/fdaf777b.jpg.Sunny will sometimes lie with his tummy exposed but not very often. He'll usually start off by wanting his back scratched and then he'll roll over on his back so he can have his belly rubbed. Here's Sunny's belly.http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/fdaf77a0.jpg Pepper will rarely expose his tummy and he doesn't like belly rubs as much as the other two do.
My Amy cat is the only one of my furkid family who willfully turns over so I can rub her tummy. Also, Mackerella will do this same behavior to an extent.
..........wayne
muffruff, I suppose, from your post, that he may have been someone's pet and that they used to rub his tummy. Any truly feral cat will not allow a person to touch them. I know that some cats will play rough when anyone rubs their tummy, and other will simply lay back and enjoy it. That it all depends on the character of the cat. Personally, I'd recommend that the next time he flops over for you to rub his tummy, that you get a pair of gloves on and proceed with the tummy rubs. If he gets too rough then you are reasonably protected. If , on the other hand, he becomes not as rough as you might have expected, then I would rub his tummy until he wants you to stop. Then there is hope to rescue him from the streets and make a house pet of him.:)
..............wayne
My tortie Kona loves to lie on her back and curl her little toes over. She looks just like a sleeping Hobbes (from Calvin and Hobbes). We call her a "sea otter." :D I've sneaked a few pets occasionally, but in general you are not allowed to touch her tummy.
Noah is always laying on his back...of course, I only have one picture and it's with me in it...I warn you....this was right after a car accident... :( (read: tears made the makeup go away...) :eek:
That's such a cute picture NoahsMommy. Thanks for sharing it.http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/colours.gif
Ahhhh! So sweet!Quote:
Originally posted by NoahsMommy
...of course, I only have one picture and it's with me in it...