He was right. As Maryanne knew he would be, which was one of the reasons she didn't move her paws out of his grasp. He was just doing what he thought would help. Logic sometimes won over instinct. Not all the time, but sometimes.
Once he was done with the second one, as it was just mostly scratches and raw patches rather than chunks of skin gone, she shifted her head just enough so that she could lick his arm. A patchy purr rumbling in her chest.