Cats are cute and fluffy, which invites people to pet them as if they were just fuzzy dogs. Unfortunately, cats don’t like being touched all over their body so when trying to pet a cat, use caution.

Although there are exceptions, most cats don’t like to be pet on the belly. Even if a cat rills over on its back, that’s not always an invitation to touch its belly. If you’re going to pet a cat, stick to its head and chin. Then let the cat decide if it wants other parts of its body touched. Doing so may spare your hand a scratch or two.

To read about how to pet a cat, click here.