Anyone else's cat do this?

Question

My cat rolls on his back and tucks his paws up, then meows at me to rub his stomach. When I start rubbing it, he purrs for about 30 seconds then suddenly, out of the blue, wraps his paws around my arm and starts kicking me with his hind legs and sometimes trying to bite me. I pull my arm away and he seems like he is agitated, but then a few minutes later he comes back and does it again.

Answer 1

i have 13 cats so i might qualify to be a bit of an expert on feline behavior.

cats have a weird way of showing affection.  i mean they're not like humans who can talk so they show it physically.

rubbing their tummies relaxes them, and they like it.  to return the favor to you, they'd like to 'play' with you.  and playing for them is generally biting, scratching and kicking.  there's no explanation for that.  it's just their animal nature.  and to each his own, right?

throw a ball of yarn at your cat and you'll see that it's almost like he's attacking the ball --but he's actually playing with it.  this behavior is also present when he's playing with his brothers and sisters.  they look like they're fighting, but no, they're rough housing (aka, playing).  

so if your cat comes back to you for more (after what you thought was a feline schitzo attack), it only means he had a great time and that he loves you.

and don't worry, when cats 'play bite', they don't really.  they just nibble.  and the scratches aren't as severe as when they really want to attack and kill.

so just have cottonballs and a bottle of betadine ready.  eventually, you get used to this tough love.  love hurts, dude.  :)

Answer 2

Cats are crazy, man.  I never trust a cat if it seems it wants me to scratch it's belly... it's just trying to entrap me!  That happened to me once before, I learned my lesson.

Never trust the cats!

Answer 3

My cat does this to me, Its a love bite! Cats playing with you...

Answer 4

They have strange mating calls and displays.  My older female cat used to roll on her back in the grass and meow and the male cats would show up.

Answer 5

I used to think that my I must've rubbed her somewhere she hates to be touched, but now I know that's her way of playing with me :)

Answer 6

Yes, both of my cats do this. This is how they play.  

Answer 7

The rescue I volunteer with, has a cat that does this.

She's not playing, though. She's actually tempting people, like a dare.

"I dare you to touch my belly. Come on, I dare you!" -=rubs belly=- "How dare you!"

So, we just warn people who want to pet her:

"If she rolls over on her back and exposes her stomach, do NOT pet her until she rolls back over. It's a trick and she'll attack you."

Answer 8

Yup, all the cats I've had do this. I think it's a sort of play for them, because one of my cats would bite and kick the other one, but they were best of friends, it's just your cats way of playing with you, even though it might hurt.  

Answer 9

Yes, cats get overstimulated easily.. when your cat rolls on his back he likely doesn't actually want a belly rub, it's just a sign of trust. When a cat wants a belly rub they will usually stretch out on their sides and they won't bite you when you do it!

Don't pet your cats belly he doesn't like it and that's not what he's asking for... he's just telling you he trusts you and loves you. Pet his head or chin instead and I bet you won't get bit or kicked.

I can't believe how many people think that behavior makes a cat "crazy" or Bi-polar" it's just overstimulation aggression. Lots of cats have that their fur and whiskers are VERY sensitive and prolonged, irritating strokes can irritate them.

PS It's NOT play.. it's overstimulation aggression. My cat Topaz luckily redirects it onto inanimate objects.. she bites things near her instead of me. The reason your cat comes back and does it again is because it "hurts so good" they like it but too much overstimulates them and triggers aggression.

Answer 10

Yes my cat does something pretty similar to that lol stupid cats.

Answer 11

Yep our cat does 2, vet told us that anytime a cat (big or small) rolls on it's back it's saying, "You are the boss" b/c their bellies are a weak spot, they show u a weak spot, they trust & respect u as being "Alpha". Now the bite thing, ours also does, EXACTLY the same as u described..lol We were told it was play...can be painful, but it's just play!

Answer 12

Haha yeah, mine does that too. It's cute...and then painful. =)

Answer 13

Yup, my cat does that all the time.

See the scars on my arm

Answer 14

Some cats do this, but keep in mind there just playing, cats think of it as a game. Trust me if a cat really wanted to hurt someone, it would.

Answer 15

Omg!!!! My cat does the exact same thing! We think he is bipolar. Seriously

Answer 16

Killer cat!  Killer cat!  Killer cat!

About half my cats do this.  Of the remaining half, most of them present tummies for rubbing and go into transports of ecstasy at gentle tummy massage, purring and writhing in pleasure, and making all kinds of sounds that indicate "Ooooh!  That's so good!  Don't stop!"

The cats that go into the killer cat mode are mostly pretty good about keeping their claws sheathed and not biting hard, but if I jerk my hand away, the claws can come out.

This kind of tussling is the same kind I observe them to do with each other when they are playing.  Your cat probably views you as a member of his "pride" (social group) and is showing submission by rolling on his back, but letting you know that he will defend himself if you do more than minimally touch him.

If you're very gentle, and stop petting his tummy before he gets into killer cat mode, over time you may be able to convince him to let you extend the tummy petting time.  But remember that a cat on his back is vulnerable, and it's asking a lot for one to allow you to exploit that vulnerability.

Answer 17

Well cats only like to be pet in certain spots. my cat only gets on it's back when it's in heat (i gotta get her fixed). Don't pet them for a long time or they get agitated. Pet him in between his shoulder blades lightly and around the back, dont go against the hair direction. u can also pet under its chin, my cat likes that. once he gets more used to u he will enjoy being stroked on the cheeks

Answer 18

Yep that's normal cat behavior, they get very aroused or ticked by the belly rub

Answer 19

My cat doesn't do that. Normally cats don't like it when you touch there stomach. My cat lays on his back. But hates his stomach being touched. Maybe your cats stomach hurts trying changing the food

Answer 20

LOL OMG my kitten does the exact same thing