Have you ever had someone play with your hair? Chances are, it feels pretty amazing. It’s so relaxing it might just put you to sleep. Now imagine you’re covered in fur and someone does that to your entire body.

Yeah. That’s what it feels like for an animal to get a good rub-down from their owner. Or at least, we assume so. Obviously, we don’t know for sure. But based on the way they react when the belly rubs start, we assume they feel pretty good.

Dogs are always down for a good tummy scratch. Cats, on the other hand, view being touched on the stomach as being overly vulnerable. They’ll give in to people whom they trust, but usually only for short periods. That’s why they tend to bite or scratch if you pet their tummy too long.

But dogs and cats are far from the only animals that love a belly rub. If you’ve ever owned a reptile, rodent, or even a bird, you’ve probably seen how they reacted to a good scratch. Let’s face it: all animals love to get their belly rubbed.