How To Pet A Cow

All domesticated animals show signs of relaxation and/or pleasure when petted but why. Scientists think they have figured it out.

"A team of French and Austrian scientists found that cows relax, to the point that their heart rate lowers, when petted in body regions they often target when grooming each other.

Handlers stroked 30 Brown Swiss and 30 Austrian Simmental cows in three different body regions: the top of the back, just above and below the neck, and along the side of the chest. Cow heart rates were monitored during the sessions. A control cow group experienced a human presence but no stroking.

The researchers observed that the cows stretched out their necks and let their ears fall — signs of deep relaxation — when stroked in parts of the upper back and the neck areas that cows often reach when they lick each other. Lower heart rates confirmed these observations."

So there you have it. You now know how to properly pet a cow. "The more you know" (shooting star).

via Neatorama