if you pet a cat’s fur from head to tail, the hair lies down naturally and the cat likes it. If you rub your hand from tail to head, however, it’s unnatural and awkward, the hair fibers stand up uncomfortably, and the cat does not like it, at least most of the cats I have known. They call that ill-advised petting rubbing the cat “against the grain.” This is because “they” have read my chapter, this very one you’re delighting in right now. (I have heard tell of cats that actually enjoy this petting “against nature,” and they are actually legally prohibited from using litter boxes in some
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