No, I didn't mistake LTS for a veterinarian forum;-)

My mother has just told me a very weird proverb which can be translated as "If you don't pat a cat on its back, its spinal cord dries up". Spooky, innit?:-) The strangest part is that, according to her, the proverb is originally English and is supposed to mean that every living creature needs some care and kindness.
Needless to say, I couldn't believe that, it's just too crazy, even for the English (no offence;-), so here I am, asking English-speakers if there is such a proverb in your language. Or at least which ones would carry the same meaning.
Thanks in advance:-)

Yeah, I googled it, too:-) Could find nothing relevant, so I decided to ask the people who actually speak the language on the daily basis. The Russian version sounds awkward as well, it goes like "Åñëè êîøêó íå ãëàäèòü ïî ñïèíå, ó íåå ïåðåñûõàåò ñïèííîé ìîçã". My mom told me she heard that a long time ago, before the fall of the Union. I guess it's just a tale about those wacky English, like the ones about feral bears on the Red Square, so we had a bet. I've got to be sure:-)

The Russian equivalent is, by the way, "Äîáðîå ñëîâî è êîøêå ïðèÿòíî" ("Even a cat appreciates a kind word"). The fact that both proverbs include cats seems a bit suspicious, huh?:-)