Tickling a cat’s tummy: Invite for cuddles or lacerated hands?

Cats enjoy being stroked, patted and tickled. Theyre not the only ones, though. Other animals, from domesticated to wild ones, do too. — 123rf.com

Target was sitting bolt upright, his chin sticking up in the air as I tickled his neck. He had his eyes squeezed shut, his paws were paddling happily, and the purr was loud and steady.

When I teased him a little by running my fingertips right on the tip of his jaw, he lifted his front paws off the ground, and hung in space, vibrating with purrs. I ran my hand up and down his elongated neck, and then I stopped.