I’ve used “inside the ear pets” with dogs and horses (yeh, depends on the animal to an extent) to great effect—appreciation and calming—but I’ve not had good results with cats. . . *heh*
N.B. It’s more of a massage than petting, and part of a deeper, more massage-like petting/grooming of the critter than just simple stokes like most petting action, so it does take some practice.