A non-political question (I know, how dare I?!): Why does my cat hate having his belly rubbed?

Your cat is probably not completely comfortable with you. Their belly’s are there weak spots. Cat’s only expose their belly to someone they trust. They’re the same way with the bottom of there feet.

If you don’t want kitty to be mean stop poking him in the belly.

Think about it. On his back with his belly (and thus his entrails) exposed. It is a very vulnerable position.

Why should your cat let you poke his belly? Tell adult visitors and show children how to stroke your cat in a way he likes.

Once he is sure you will not hurt him or let him be hurt, he may tolerate a belly caress from you. I would not insist on it though.

Most cats don’t like their bellies rubbed.

My kitties HATE getting their tummies rubbed…....which is weird because they roll over all the time and act like they want a tummy rub. Jerks :(

I agree with Marina. I grew up with cats and they generally DON’T like that area touched. It’s sensitive. Nipples there too (if you look). Sometimes if they’re snoozing beside you and stretch out, you can try a mild petting by rubbing the fur in the direction of growth (ie from head down to stomach). They also don’t like being touched below the stomach, naturally. Rubbing that area or poking is pretty painful for their little tummies.

Don’t worry about your cat getting anti-social about it: if he likes being petted in general he’ll do fine with strangers (so long as they aren’t loud and scary to him!).

my poofy LOVES it… and even more, she loves digging at your hand with her back feet. So we rub with our feet in slippers and she can dig as much as she wants. You could argue that she’s digging because she hates it, but then when you stop she looks all wild and feisty, and doesn’t move from having her belly up.

Oh yeah, I quit touching him there once I realized that he was getting all cranky about it. When I first got him, he had a leg injury so his leg was in a cast, and he used to really like gentle rubbing on his belly and it would make him purr. So I kept doing it. But once he had use of all his legs he started getting all pissy whenever someone would touch him there. So I basically figured it was off-limits. Thankfully he has a tuxedo coat so I can pretty much tell people, “If it’s white, it’s off-limits!” But sometimes he even gets pissy when someone’s trying to scratch him on his back when he’s lying down. I think it’s just that he feels vulnerable and wants to fight back.

Sigh. Trying to figure out cat psychology is absurd.

I dunno if it’s still in practice, or if it applies to you cat, but ours is sixteen and we can’t touch a small area on her stomach where they gave her the tattoo in the shelter. Maybe his leg getting hurt might have caused lingering pain or sensitivity in a nearby area? Dunno.

My kitties love their bellies rubbed, but I’ve had cats in the past that were more skittish. If you want to make your cat more comfortable with touching, offer him a treat when he allows you to touch him, and when he starts to gets feisty get up and walk away. After awhile he should allow you to touch him for longer periods of time.

My cat is getting mellower in her older age – 9 YO.

yeah, my cat used to hate it too, but i can pretty much touch him anywhere, but he still does get sensitive to when i touch his stomach at times. i think most cats don’t like it.

my cat normally HATES it too! but the best thing to do is just get more comfortable with it and pet him/her more. that will show that she can trust u not to hurt them, or anything. Soon they will trust u more and eventually start exposing there belly. try petting him on the sides more. good luck!

@simone54 It doesn’t necessarily mean that your cat needs to be more comfortable with you. None of my cats like it, and I couldn’t be closer with the one that has been with me for 12 years now.