The Michelangelo technique for humans greeting cats

The Michelangelo technique for humans greeting cats is Jackson Galaxy’s. I’d rather use his inimitable words than mine as I don’t want to in any way misdescribe it.

The Michelangelo technique for humans greeting cats
The Michelangelo technique for humans greeting cats. Illustration: PoC. My apologies to Michelangelo.

As the cat approaches, I will allow my hand to relax, palm down, extend my pointed finger – not extended rigid, but relaxed, so that it almost seems to be coming off my hand like an upside-down “U”. This presents the tip of the finger in a way that’s similar to the way one cat might present his nose to another’s.

He is referring to the classic cat nose touch friendly greeting.

Cat nose touch greeting
Cat nose touch greeting. Photo: YouTube.

He is also referring as you can see from the illustration on this page to Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”. In the painting, there are two relaxed hands pointing. I think Jackson favoured the one belonging to the old man on the right but I prefer the one on the left as the hand is more relaxed and the finger less rigidly pointing and therefore less threatening or more friendly.

Why do cats touch your face with their nose?
Friendly nose touch greeting by a cat on her human.

He is uses the technique on his travels to his feline patients who need his cat behaviourist’s cures. I agree with him when he says that people who are a little anxious about cats tend to greet them in a way which can elicit a bite or slap from the cat they are greeting which makes the person even more anxious. They extend their rigid hand, fingers pointing and hover it over the cat’s head. This can be regarded by the cat as either a prey item to be snapped out of the air or a threatening object thrust near and above their heads.

The hand should approach from a low angle and the Michelangelo technique employed.

P.S. The tail up accompanies the nose touch when friendly cats meet each other. In my opinion cats don’t sniff when they nose touch.

Some more pages expanding on this theme:

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