Well with my cat, she's always nice and lets me pet her a little then she falls on her side and starts doing something that looks like she is scratching her back on the floor. When I reach down to pet her, she waits til my hand is by her side, then she attacks my hand by biting and scratching with all her legs. If I don't go by her side, she gets up and walks away.The pain isn't as bad as my other cat "Spike" (very aggressive cat, if i play with him, I bring along some bandaids), who is gone from this world. Thats why I always return for more with this other milder cat and plus she seems to really like attacking my hand. She won't play with anything else in this manner besides people's hands which makes her a perfect tool for revenge.