Cat Massage - A Hands-On Experience

Many cats are unhappy having a tummy rub - they feel vulnerable and switch between kittenish enjoyment to defensive aggression. Another area to beware of is the back of the hind legs. Relatively few cats are happy being touched here though many can be gradually accustomed to having these areas touched or stroked. Once again, it's up to the owner and the cat to work out between them what feels good. If the cat decides that one part of its body, e.g. the belly or backs of the legs, is a no-go area, then you must respect that.

With Squeak (my neighbor's cat who used to sneak in for a regular rub-down) I always had one extra area to massage - she loved to lie with her mouth wide open for a roof-of-mouth massage. I've never worked out why, but it's something she loves and she will lie flat out for five or ten minutes for this. If I forget, or I try to skip the mouth massage, she grabs my hand and sucks my finger against the roof of her mouth to remind me.

Some cats enjoy a massage so much that they ask for one if they feel low. Dr Michael Fox's cat Sam asks for a hindquarter massage to relieve the muscular discomfort associated with his occasional bouts of cystitis. He knows it makes him feel better. Scrapper liked me to soothe away the pins and needles associated with old age and worsening circulation. Sappho and Affy loved tummy rubs. Queenie liked me to massage around her empty eye socket (the eye had been removed due to injury) and even pushed the socket against my thumb; I was always worried about massaging this area but it may have helped with a 'phantom limb' type of sensation. Sappho developed a bowel problem and the belly rub probably made her feel good.

Most cats just know how good it feels to be massaged and after a while they will probably pester their owners for more.

Afterword

On the occasion I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Sappho's lump appeared to be benign though I didn't ask for it to be tested. Two years later, I discovered that its early detection and removal had probably prolonged or saved her life. Once again, I was massaging her belly (by then a little thinner due to age) and I felt a lump close to where I'd found the original one. Although it was promptly removed, three further lumps developed within a matter of months.

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