I thought of it as “wrestle with me!”. To which I often consent, knowing what will await me. It just gets very hurtful if you pull your arm away. But I never got the impression that the cat actually wants to hurt you. They often end up liking you afterwards.
For my cat, laying on her back was always an invitation for belly rubs. She never attacked if I just rubbed. If I try to grab her she would switch to disembowel mode but only if I did it.
I thought of it as “wrestle with me!”. To which I often consent, knowing what will await me. It just gets very hurtful if you pull your arm away. But I never got the impression that the cat actually wants to hurt you. They often end up liking you afterwards.
For my cat, laying on her back was always an invitation for belly rubs. She never attacked if I just rubbed. If I try to grab her she would switch to disembowel mode but only if I did it.
I think its meaning depends a lot on whether the cat already knows you or not.
It also depends on the cat. Some cats like their bellies rubbed, others hate it.