How to massage the cat

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 20 February 2021
Update Date: 12 November 2024
Anonim
How to give a cat a back massage
Video: How to give a cat a back massage

Content

Although cats have an unfair reputation for being unloving animals, the truth is that our feline companions can enjoy enormously from the massages we offer them. Especially if we want to strengthen our bond, the practice of massage on cats is especially recommended.

For best results, in this Animal Expert article, we'll explain a complete walkthrough on how to massage a cat for him to relax. In addition to knowing some additional information about cat massage, we'll see the benefits that this practice can bring, as well as the precautions we should follow.

Cats like affection?

Before explaining how to give a cat a relaxing massage properly, we should know that most of them like and enjoy the caresses that we humans offer. Cats are animals that we domesticate and this allowed that, even though they are adults, they retain some small characteristics. For them, their human caregivers are like their mothers and, for this reason, they ask for and accept our pampering with satisfaction.


If we look closely at our cat, we notice that when it rubs against our body, it always follows the same pattern, starting with face and head and ending with trunk and tail. This behavior is explained because these are their favorite areas to receive our contact due to the presence of pheromones that provide them with a relaxing effect. This pattern that they follow will give us the clues needed to perform the massage correctly, as we will see below.

The Benefits of Massages for Cats

A massage provides benefits for both the recipient and the giver. A well-done massage is a moment of wellness and relaxation which works as a tool for fight stress, which will be beneficial for all cats, especially for the most vulnerable, affected by age or disease.


In addition, the relationship between the caregiver and the cat will be reinforced by proper physical contact. Massage can become a practice nice for both, and will establish, maintain and expand the bond between humans and their cats. According to studies, for humans, stroking a cat implies a drop in blood pressure, which contributes to the health maintenance. In addition to being well known, the success of therapies implemented in hospitals, centers for adults or schools where physical contact between animals and humans is encouraged.

Another beneficial effect of massage is that it allows us to manipulate our cat's body, which, with practice, can help detect the early stages of any dermatological problem such as alopecia, wounds or parasites and also monitor the growth of all lumps. With that, we will obtain a previous veterinary attention that will favor the diagnosis and treatment of any condition, resulting in benefits for our cat.


In the next section, we'll cover how to give our cat a relaxing massage.

How to massage the cat in a relaxing way?

If we remember how our cat seeks contact with us, we will observe that the crucial areas for the caresses they will be the face, the head, the neck, the back and the tail ​​following the order in which he greets us.

So, to explain how to give your cat a relaxing massage, we'll follow your pattern with the following recommendations:

  1. Let's wait for the cat to approach to start the session.
  2. It is essential that this is a time of dedication where we will have time to remain calm. Stress, hurry or nervousness on our part will be noticed by the cat who may prefer to leave.
  3. We need to settle in a place that is comfortable for both.
  4. Contact should start orally, that is, we will talk to our cat, talking calmly and lovingly, so that he knows that we are interacting with him and that we are going to touch him.
  5. Once contact is established, we can start stroking the sides of your face, an area that will release pheromonesrelievers that will increase your well-being. For these caresses, we can use extended fingers or just the yolks, exerting slight pressure.
  6. If our cat refuses to connect, we should stop immediately and leave the massage for later. We must never, never force it because it would be counterproductive and their relationship would suffer. Respect is essential! Also, our movements always need to be smooth.
  7. After the face, we can run a hand over the head, concentrating on the area behind the ears and chin. We can also draw small circles with our fingertips.
  8. In the neck, we can perform the movements we have already described and also add the "kneading" from the sides, always being careful not to put pressure on the trachea, as it could be uncomfortable.
  9. With an open hand, we move along the spine, from the head to the beginning of the tail, taking repeated steps. You can also do this movement from the sides, avoiding contact with the belly, as it is generally an area where the cat does not allow caressing, as it is a vulnerable part of its anatomy.
  10. Finally, we can stroke the entire tail, ​​from the bottom to the top.

The duration of the massage can be only 5 to 10 minutes, always adapting the time and areas to be massaged to the feline's desires, as they may differ from one cat to another. The important thing is that, through this practice, we observe our cat and get to know him, being one of the best ways to get closer to him.

Cat body language during massage

In addition to explaining how to give a cat a relaxing massage, we have to know how to pay attention to the signals it can emit, as they constitute its non verbal comunication. Remember that knowing cats' body language helps us understand them better and communicate more positively with them.

We can observe the following reactions:

  • Purr: this sound so characteristic of cats, as we know, is one of the signs that tells us that he is comfortable, in this case, enjoying the massage.
  • sactivation: Some cats drool in moments of pleasure, so if we see hypersalivation in our cat during petting, we can be sure he is enjoying the massage.
  • "Kneading": are the contraction and extension movements made by the cat with its fingers, as if it were kneading. It is a reminder of the first phase of their life, because it is the gesture that kittens make on their mother's breast to stimulate the release of milk. It is synonymous with well-being.
  • folded ears: if our cat presses its ears against its head, so that they barely protrude, it indicates that it is not comfortable and that it is getting ready to attack, if we do not stop touching it. Cats can be affectionate, but they don't accept more than a few petting sessions. We must respect them, pay attention to the first signs of discomfort and, from that moment, stop the massage.

Of course, any attempt to escape or attempt to end contact involves ending the massage session.

Deepening the massages...

Now that we know how to give relaxing massages to our cat, we can explore the different accessories we find on the market, such as massage centers, utensils of different textures, specially designed for the cat to massage itself.

These massagers serve as entertainment and enrich the environment, maintaining the massage routine, especially if your furry friend is alone for a long time. On the other hand, other techniques, such as Reiki, the Tellington method and tapping, can help us to deepen our contact with our cat.