Are cats ticklish under their arms and on their belly?

Are cats ticklish!! We don't know. Image: MikeB.

The truth is that we don't really know why humans tend to be ticklish. If we don't know why humans are ticklish, we are not going to be able to answer the question in the title!!

There is another obstacle to discussing the ticklishness of domestic cats. Cats don't laugh. When a person is tickled, they laugh. It's a kind of social bonding if you agree with what is stated below.

And thirdly, it is impossible to tickle a cat's skin. Genuine tickling, as I understand it, is about touching the skin directly often under the foot of a human. But there has to be direct contact between hand and the skin of the person being tickled.

We can't do that with a cat. There's too much fur in the way.

I conclude, therefore, that cats are not ticklish because you can't tickle them in the first place and they don't laugh in the second place. And we wouldn't know if they were ticklish or not anyway because we don't understand it.

Some more in answering the question: Why do humans laugh when tickled?

The phenomenon of laughter in response to tickling is still not completely understood, but there are a few theories that attempt to explain why humans and some other animals laugh when tickled. Here are a couple of the prominent theories:

Reflex Theory: According to this theory, tickling triggers an involuntary reflex response that causes laughter. When someone is tickled, the body experiences a tactile sensation that can be interpreted as a potential threat. The laughter is thought to be a way for the body to signal to others that it is experiencing a non-threatening interaction, thus helping to maintain social bonds.


Social Bonding Theory: This theory suggests that laughter resulting from tickling is primarily a social behavior. Tickling is often associated with playfulness and is commonly performed among family members or friends. The laughter that arises during tickling serves as a form of communication and bonding between individuals, reinforcing positive social interactions.

It's worth noting that not everyone finds tickling enjoyable, and different people have different tickle sensitivity thresholds. Additionally, tickling oneself is generally not as effective at inducing laughter because the brain can predict and suppress the tickling sensation when it's self-induced.

Boycott China by not buying their cheap products any more to make a statement about the Yulin dog meat 'festival'

I agree with Phaedra on Twitter. With the Yulin dog meat festival around the corner (June 21st), today is a good day for all citizens in the West to boycott Chinese products manufactured in China. Billions of their products are bought by citizens of the West to support China. 

Sickening and abject cruelty. We must not accept it. We should make a stand and boycott Chinese goods. Image: Twitter.

I don't mind normal business but if people in the West want to make a statement about the objectionably cruel and barbaric dog meat 'festival' then they should stop buying Chinese products. That means checking whether it has been made in China or not. It means doing a bit of research and paying more perhaps for the same sort of product.

It'll be hard. But we can contribute to making the world a better place. And my God it needs to be improved especially, for me, concerning the lack of animal welfare in Asia.

RELATED: How can the 10-day dog meat market in Yulin be called a FESTIVAL!?

I think that we are addicted to cheap Chinese products. They do make some great products which is why online businesses such as Amazon sell billions of them. And I love Amazon. But, we should make an effort I think to put some pressure on China to change their attitudes and culture regarding the cat and dog meat businesses.

It's just too cruel to ignore. The governments of Western countries do not want to put any pressure on China to improve animal welfare in their country. It is, therefore, down to the citizens of these countries to take unilateral action. To do their little bit to put even a tiny bit of pressure on China. 

If millions of people stopped buying Chinese products it may achieve something. It is highly unlikely obviously because only about 10 people will read this post!! But something has to be done because every day, on Twitter, we see the barbaric human behaviour at the Yulin dog meat festival. We can't simply acquiesce to this. In acquiescing we are accepting it.

I know there is a cultural issue here. People say that people in one country should not get involved in the culture of another country. In general, I tend to agree with that except in exceptional circumstances as is the case with gross animal cruelty. In my mind this is a universal and global issue. It is up to anyone anywhere to criticise and become involved. This is about mother Earth not individual countries and their cultures.

Today is a good day to to #BoycottChina and stop shopping except for the most important items. Even the cheapest #Chinese items add up.#StopYulin

Save money, send a message. We do not accept ⬇️
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ https://t.co/HiaQCN9AS6 pic.twitter.com/CWIN0XzwOI

— Phaedra (@PhaedraXTeddy) June 3, 2023

It is crazy bad to teach a kid of 6 to shoot an animal for fun

Please click on this link to see the image. It has to be on another page where there are no advertisers as they might object. Sorry. The link opens another tab so you stay on this page.

A tweet on the above image by MoS and which I agree with:

"I don't care what anyone says, THIS IS child abuse. At that age the children should be taught about life and the wonders of nature, including the many species of wildlife. Many parents thrust their love of killing animals onto their offspring teaching them life is worthless!!!!"

Many parents such as the one in the image teach their children that animals are NOT sentient creatures able to feel pain. This kid does not know that he has caused a massive amount of pain and distress. It is an aspect of sport hunting which is never discussed by the shooters. For the child it is target practise. It is fun. There is no price to pay; no downside. It is a game. The dad is to blame.

How is humanity to become more civilised and improve animal welfare which is a hallmark of civilisation? How we treat the more vulnerable than us is a measure of our moral code and civility.

This father is educating his child to become like him: an unthinking brute when it comes to his relationship with animals.

Animal welfare is about education; what you put in the minds of the kids. They are the future of animal welfare. Good education invariably improves animal welfare in general.

The more one reads on animal sentience and animal abuse the more you realise that human ignorance is the foundation of animal cruelty.

What about fishing? People see fish as nuts and bolts; non-animate creatures. Wrong. They feel pain. Just an example.

Hunting traditions are throwbacks to the ancient past; hundreds if not thousands of years ago when hunting was necessary to survive.

When hunters say it is their culture based in old, well-established traditions to hunt they are admitting that their minds are rooted in a past when humankind was far more ignorant. That defence for sporting hunting is an admission of ignorance.

These sorts of traditions need to be put in the garbage bin asap. It is not just about the pain caused. Conservation is massive these days as humankind presides over the mass extinction of animal species.

And what about that good old-fashioned word 'compassion'. I guess it is not in dad's vocabulary.

Asian man is JOYOUS as he cruelly tortures a confused dog

Please I don't want anyone saying I am being racist. I am not. I am reporting on what I see. If someone criticises me, they are defending animal cruelty of the most heinous type.

As they say, all the devils are here and during the Yulin dog festival and they are all in bloodyYulin. I makes me weep to see this. There is another picture adjacent to this one on Twitter which is worse but I can't handle it. I can't force myself to download and upload it because it means looking at it. 

Note: I believe this to be Yulin, China. If I am wrong tell me please. It changes nothing though.

Sorry. I can't show the picture here as there are advertisers on this page. Please click here to see it.

And these devils in human clothes in Yulin are doing it. They are completely without any moral code or awareness of what they are doing. They have no knowledge of animal sentience. No thought about the pain and acute distress they are causing. 

Just blank, mindless and ignorant heads full of sh*t. I hate them with a massive vengeance. These idiots are the people I hate the most by a big margin.

In a more civilised society with animal welfare laws, they'd be arrested on the spot and charged but in good old Yulin, nada. It is entirely accepted and admired.

Look at the onlookers. Gawping at the crazy animal torture. Voyeurs of the worst kind. Disgusting.

Approximately 10,000 dogs are slaughtered each year for the “festival”. Actually, word 'slaughter' is wrong as it implies abattoir and European standards. It is not. It is just beating them to death or worse.

An estimated 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year across Asia in a brutal trade that involves terrible cruelty to animals and often, criminal activity. - Humane Society

That is about half the human population of the UK. That is about half the total number of domestic dogs in the USA. Yes, in terms of numbers, 50% of the dogs in the USA are brutally killed annually for their flesh in Asia. Great. This is massive stain on humanity. 

It is so bad I wonder if it affects the social conscience of the Chinese and Asian generally. No, that can't be true.

The nadir or animal cruelty and it takes places 30 million times in 12 months and it is LEGAL! And if for bizarre reason it is technically illegal who gives a sh*t as the law is unenforced.

Can declawed cats compete at Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) cat shows?

The answer is NO. I have the answer in two ways. On the CFA website they state that "At the October 1996 meeting the CFA Board of Directors also approved an addition to the show rules which disallows tendonectomy in show cats.”

Tendonectomy: the tendon that controls the claw in each toe is severed. The cat keeps their claws but can't control them or extend them to scratch. It is an alternative to declawing and almost as cruel.

So I found a partial answer on their website. But as I recall - I researched this about 6 months ago - there was no clear, in-your-face statement about declawing on their website. I would have liked to have seen one.

Anyway, I then emailed Charlene Cambell (CFA Animal Welfare - CFA Breeders Assist & Breed Rescue Pgm VP) and asked if a declawed cat was allowed to compete at a CFA cat show. Her response was NO.

Here it is:

Yes, a declawed cat cannot be shown in CFA. It is against the show rules.

Sincerely,

Charlene Campbell

So, there you have it. For the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) declawed cats are banned from competition at cat shows, which is the way it should be.

It'd be a travesty if it was any other way. 

P.S. there is also laser declawing but it is clear to me that any form of declawed cat is banned at CFA cat shows.

P.P.S. Charlene added later: 'If you search their CFA web site, they have written articles against declaw over the years!  That I appreciate.' Thanks Charlene.