Every cat that I have had has enjoyed having its nose rubbed, ever so gently. Stressed cats can often be calmed through this means. In fact, that was one of the things that I used in taming Bird, the feral cat that I took in. She would resist it at first, but very soon she would be getting into it. Rubbing, or petting, her nose from near the tip upward to her forehead can be a great bonding exercise.
Raising a cat is a give and take relationship so, while I may accede to their desires more than some people think I should, I will also feel free to pet them whether they think they want to be petted or not and, with the right amount of communication, I can usually persuade them that yes, they do rather like that after all. Sometimes, when I pick up one of the cats who doesn't think she wants to be petted, my wife will tell me to quit torturing the poor cat, because she clearly doesn't want to be petted. I reply to the effect that I am not overly fond of emptying their litter boxes or cleaning up after their vomit either, but I do it. Nearly always, with the right approach, the cat decides that being petted isn't so bad after all.
I especially like doing that to Cutie, who likes to pretend that she's mad at me if I've been away for a while. She'll even growl or hiss at me when I pick her up within the first fifteen minutes or so of being home, since she hasn't had time to forgive me yet. But if I'm busy bringing things in from the car or if my wife starts a conversation with me during Cutie's angry period, she'll make sure of getting my attention. After all, there's no point in being mad if no one notices.
