OK so tell that to this one cat I have who will randomly flop down on his side next to my head when I'm in bed and then reach out for my head with his front paws to then try and shove my face into his belly. If I don't cooperate there that's claws in my head.

The little guy is highly food motivated but also highly cuddle motivated and he's definitely letting you know which of the two he currently wants from you more. He also knows that he can just get up and walk away from any cuddle session whenever he so pleases. Question just is whether he does so after 4 strokes or 4hours. Yes hours, he's semi frequently demanding 3h to 4h of belly rubs.

He also cuddles a lot with my other cat, so uh... Clearly he must actually despise being touched and just put up with it. Or something...

And said other cat will also (albeit rarely) let me rub his belly. He used to be a stray and was super used to letting humans do almost whatever petting to him at the beginning but oh boy did he learn fast that he doesn't have to endure anything he doesn't want to. Cuddle amounts with him dropped off hard really early but over time actually started to climb again. Belly rubs are a newer development because those were the one thing he did not want to in the beginning. I'm taking them as a sign of trust and affection whenever he offers them.