Are you a good pat?

I know my dog well. I can always hit his! Other animals not so much. :)

not really to be honest

Yes...my cat comes to me to get her back fur and tail stroked. If I pull the scruff of her neck she will lay down.

I just read an article about scratching a dog's ears to trigger off their feel good vibes, cats love to be stroked under their chin.  If you're interested there is a book called The Tellington Touch which is all about calming animals by making little circles on their bodies with your fingers.  That's the basics, obviously a lot more to it but I have tried it on our dog who is afraid of storms and it does calm her down.