How to (properly) massage a cat?

[SarahBee]

It's me again. Some of you have followed my cats' story this past week -- my mom wanted to declaw them, i asked for ways to prevent it & facts to convince her it was animal cruelty - then she took them while I was sleeping, so I asked for ways to make them comfortable.

Here I am again.

A couple of you YA people suggested massaging my cats from now on because they will not be able to properly stretch now that they are declawed.
A couple times I have softly tried to massage down their spine like I would a person (except, obviously softer). They don't seem to like this! Maybe they're odd - One of my cats likes to be "pat" like a dog - she prefers hard pats over smooth pets... the other one likes her belly rubbed and wants to flip over if I try to pet her back.

Anyways, I'd imagine that a massage should feel good (people like my massages!), so either I'm doing it wrong or my cats are weirdos....

any tips on how to properly massage them? especially areas to concentrate on now that they're (front) declawed? is the spine the main thing to worry about?
...............
sorry if I'm becoming an overposter here... I just want to do the best I can for them, and you guys have been AMAZINGLY helpful this week.

 

[Kia Koala (Go Phils!!!)]

Hmm, I will star this for you to see if any of my contacts know (I do not) but one reason they may not like it right now is because the surgery is still too recent. Let them relax a little bit, give them some treats and spend time with them to let them know they are loved. They are probably in quite a lot of pain right now, so depending on their reactions, they may also want some alone time. I hope things work out for you, and never worry about posting too many questions, its not like you can exchange points for money or anything, so what else are you gonna use em for

 

[just a cariboo angel]

from the head down.
working from the top to the bottom.. cats love this
come to think of it, so do I...

 

[Adri]

My cat LOVESSS it when i massage him. I don't know if i'm doing it right, or if it's a massage @ all...but here's what i do.

There is this spot almost where his body ends and tail starts that he just LOVES being petted on. I scratch him there, pat him, massage him and he's in heaven!! He lifts his tail up and would stay there for hours if i did it for that long. From what i've read, most cats like to scratched/petted in that area. Again, it's right where his tail begins.

I also, very softly, massage his spine a little...i just go down from the neck all the way to the tail, and just move my fingers around (sort of). he likes this alot as well.

I brush the hair on top of his head (this is where we have fun). I am assuming he likes the way the brush scratches him there...he's long haired, so after brushing the top of his hair for a while, we give him a "comb over" or the spiky hair look...LOL.

 

[Madeline]

My kitty is a 22 lb Maine Coon and he definitely prefers to be pat like a dog...hard pats on his spine, loves his tummy to be rubbed, and I even massage his temples =) Oh! Try using a brush or something....he goes crazy for that.

When you say you the cats don't seem to like the spine massage, what do they do? Try to nip at you? So yeah, I'd experiment with a brush. Just put it up to their face and they'll rub against it on the place they like =) Sometimes their face or side.