Isn’t it a weird behavior? You scratch his ears, you rub his belly, you pet his neck, and then your cat turns around purring with delight to show you his butt. His cute little nose offered a more pleasant sight…
You may wonder why your cat often presents you his butt in such a manner.
This weird behaviour is one of many explained in this new book available only in French for now.
One of the common perceptions about this behavior is that your cat shows you his butt when he becomes very aroused from all the petting. Be reassured: This is a false perception. Your cat is not aroused sexually; your cat simply wants to show you his affection. More precisely, your cat wants to tell you that he loves and trusts you like his maternal figure. So instead of feeling insulted the next time your cat presents you his butt, maybe you will feel “special”…!
Some explanations are required, don’t you think? Kittens get a lot of physical attention from their mothers. In addition to licking their kittens fur all the time to keep them clean and show their affection, cat mothers also clean the small kittens genital areas to help them expulse feces. And this simply explains why your cat also shows you his butt when he receives a lot of attention from you.
This is an instinctive behavior, and your cat cannot understand why such a vision might be unpleasant to you. If you however find his behavior very annoying, you can stop petting your cat when he shows you his butt, and resumes petting him when he shows you his cute little face instead. Cats are quick to catch on what they must do to get what they want; your cat will therefore learn that he needs to be facing you to receive attention from you.