What Is the Best Way to Pet a Cat? If it's your own cat, I'm not going to assume it's your own, you didn't say it was. Tell the owner if not, still. I like to imitate what a mother of cats does with her kittens' tongue. Small shorts around your eyes, back, and under your neck and chin. When one of me sits on my lap while watching TV, I just softly place my hand on her back and run my thumb and forefinger (or the two) in short strokes behind her ears. Whatever one of my cats gets, it will rumble happily as long as I do. A two-handed approach seems to be another petting method some cats woul...