Gabi’s father writes on his Twitter posting of December 4th 2017, ‘My kid did an interview with her cat’. Below the words is his photograph of the imaginary interview. It is very cute and understanding. Gabi understands and clearly loves cats and probably most animals.
She’s not quite right in her assessment of the domestic cat’s character.
Tummy
Depending on the cat, the person and the circumstances, domestic cats do allow people to gently caress their stomach. It is not a completely forbidden area of the cat’s body in regards to petting. It is an area where great respect and gentleness is required unless you want to be scratched or nipped although some cats enjoy it.
The Tail
Normally cats accept petting of their tail. It is less ‘out of bounds’ than the stomach. In fact it is hardly out of bounds at all. As long as it is stroked with respect and gentleness.
The Legs
Cats are averse to people fiddling around with their hind legs and less so with their forelegs. One should distinguish between the feet and the lower part of leg and the upper part. Cats are more tolerant of being petted in the latter and more finickety about the former. They are unsure about people fiddling with their paws and toes but once again it depends on the individual cat as to how tolerant he or she is and on the relationship between person and cat. It also depends on the overall ambience of the home in which the cat lives.
The Butt
The base of the spine is fine. No one wants to pet the cat’s backside for obvious reasons but cats are fairly tolerant of that part of their anatomy being touched.
The great aspect of the interview is that Gabi is very respectful of her cat companion. She is aware of her cat’s character and attitude. She does not want to impose her desires onto her cat. This is a perfect starting point in a successful cat-to-human relationship.
