This is the 18966th most frequent Korean word.
쓰다듬고
"쓰다듬고" means "to gently stroke or pat."
The usage of '쓰다듬고' here describes the action of softly touching and caressing an object, the cat in this case.
그녀는 고양이를 부드럽게 쓰다듬고 있다.
She is gently stroking the cat.
'쓰다듬고' signifies a comforting gesture, exemplified by the father soothing the child by touching their head.
아이가 울자 아빠가 머리를 쓰다듬고 위로했다.
When the child cried, the father stroked the child's head and comforted them.
Here, '쓰다듬고' refers to an idle or thoughtful motion, in this case, the person touching his chin while thinking.