system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What sensation does an animal feel while you are petting it?
gpt
Probably the same you feel. Touch is very powerful. Cats and dogs (assuming we're just talking about them) will engage in grooming behaviors in the wild, or when left to their own devices. Just a way of bonding, really. Since bonding is good, they evolved to enjoy it.