Is there one thing that your cat companion especially likes?

SHORT NOTE: There is one thing that my cat especially likes. He loves me to rest my hand on the back of his head and neck. And he likes me to gently press that area and massage it. I know that he likes this because he does a silent meow (of sorts) when I do it. And he looks at me and I can tell in his expression that he loves the feeling. 

I have tried to figure out why he particularly likes this. It is probably something to do with the first few weeks of his life when he was being raised by his feral mother. I sense that he feels comfort and security when I pet him like this.

My cat loves me to hold my hand at the back of his head and neck. Picture: MikeB

I think that it is fair to say that caregivers should try and find the one thing (if there is only one thing) that their cat particularly enjoys and to deliver that to them as often as possible.

Like humans, I believe that cats have favourite things. In this instance I am referring to my cat's favourite form of interaction between me and him. But it might be other things as well. For example, he loves to be with me outside.

On almost every occasion that he is outside, he is alone. My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat in typical British style but I did try and keep him confined to the back garden with an expensive cat confinement fence, without success. He escaped. I gave up.

But he likes to be outside with me. He will go out and wait on the patio for me to join him. And whenever I go into the garden, even if he is asleep (and it is his night-time because he's been out all night) he still wants to come with me into the back garden. He particularly likes to be at my level. For this reason, I get down low sometimes on all fours or lie down on the ground. He becomes excited when I do this. It is clear to me that he loves it.

So, between me and my cat, I know that my cat loves two things particularly above all other things and that is pressure at the back of his head and for me to be on the ground at his level, outside. I try and deliver these things to him to keep him happy.

There may be an added benefit. If we know what our cat really likes we might be able to use it as a reward for good behavior in informal, reward-based (positive reinforcement) training sessions.

Does your cat have favourite things that they love and do you do your best to ensure that he or she gets them?