Why does my cat like gentle butt pats? Is it safe to continue?

Eerie is likely displaying either love or a very delicate way to play with you. Cats can be a little weird in the way that they display their emotions. As long as the play is gentle and you don’t see her flicking the end of her tail. If you notice the flicking, that generally denotes either irritation or play behavior! Ears laying back indicates irritation or getting ready to pounce! See what her little body language is telling you as well and you may pick up a book about cat behavior so that you can better interpret her body language. I hope you find this helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

Probably a love bite, but I would not encourage Gray to do that, since they could become harder. Maybe when he does this, stop petting him and see if he moves away or is happier to just sit with you.

This patch could be related to fleas, allergy, infection, or something called hyperesthesia. If you are not using a quality flea preventative right now I'd definitely recommend starting. Revolution is a good flea preventative for cats. If possible you can try using a gentle shampoo like Douxo Calm to bathe the area and see if this helps. If you do not see any improvement it would be wise to have Bast examined by your veterinarian to ensure she does not need any oral medication like antibiotics. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck!

This is a very common way for cats to play - so it's normal behavior, but not something that I would encourage her to do with your hands, as this type of play can often become too rough and draw blood. Instead, you can try providing her with some stuffed toys that she can grab and kick like this - many cats enjoy this, and it would give her a more appropriate outlet for this behavior.

Some cats can be "love biters" in which they will gently nibble or chew on you without actually biting or acting in an aggressive manner (and it isn't aggression!) This can be a sign of affection in some cats, and it sounds like your cat may be trying to get your attention for more cuddles and pets! (My cat does this too, especially if I haven't been petting her enough or she wants to snuggle.) If, however, his ears are flat, body stiff, and he's trying to get away when biting, then that is a sign that he may be overstimulated and needs some time to himself.

Thanks for using PetCoach. This is a normal play behavior. (So is reaching out to claw your pants as you walk by or trying to catch your hands with her claws while you pet her.) There are two ways I handle this. One is to stop petting and leave so that she knows play time is over. Honestly it hasn’t really worked yet (she still does it sometimes) and my cat is now 18 mos. What seems to work better is to get up and grab her favorite toy and start playing with that. That is something she CAN bite and claw at and get those natural play behaviors out- without chomping my hands. My girl is OBSESSED with one very similar to the one in the link below. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/leaps-and-bounds-caterpillar-cat-teaser?rrec=true Hope this helps and best wishes to you and Raven!

The best way to know if there is a medical issue causing pain is to have Kit examined by the veterinarian. Sometimes back pain or fleas can make a cat reactive. Some cats also will exhibiting petting related aggression: https://www.petcoach.co/article/petting-related-aggression-in-cats/ I hope this provides some guidance. Please feel free to post any additional questions.