
Belly fully exposed
PostureRelaxed
Belly Up
Ultimate trust, fully relaxed (but belly may not be for touching!)
Tension
Relaxed
Interpretation
BThe cat rolls over exposing its soft belly, legs open or slightly curled. The belly is the most vulnerable area — showing it means absolute trust in the environment. ut note: showing belly ≠ please touch belly! Many cats expose their belly purely as a trust signal; reach for it and you may get grabbed by all four paws with teeth and kicks. This is one of the most commonly misread cat signals.
How to respond
Appreciate the trust, but pet the head and chin first — not the belly — unless you know this cat well.
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