He started stroking it with his palms, like he was petting a cat.

I've heard that for human beings, petting a cat lowers our blood pressure.

There's something really calming about petting a cat...

Doyle eyed the man's lean, sharp-chiseled face and nervously tried to imagine the fellow doing anything just domestically pleasant, like petting a cat.

Holden took his coffee mug out of the machine with a little sigh and stroked the brushed metal plates like he was petting a cat.

Petting a cat or dog has proven to lighten the mood and lower stress levels.

"Were you petting a cat?"