According to researchers from the University of Lincoln, cats prefer being touched on their faces, “especially around their lips, chins and cheeks, where they have scent glands.” The worst place to pet a cat is at the base of the tail, which the researchers equated to “a cat erogenous zone” (there’s a phrase you didn’t expect to read today), which can be overstimulated to the point of being uncomfortable.

The scientists came to this conclusion by attempting to pet 54 different cats on varying parts of their body and, although their findings are fascinating, it’s more interesting that petting cats for a living might be a viable line of work.