Joanna Wilson
The question is whether or not to kiss your cat. We appreciate our feline friends, so it’s only natural that we want to show them how much we care. But how are we going to accomplish it? Kissing cats is one way many people express their affection for them. Kissing may appear to be a natural expression of affection for our cats because that is what we generally do with humans with whom we have romantic feelings. When it comes to cats, though, things are a little more complicated. While many cats may tolerate being kissed and may even appreciate this act of affection, some will not.
If you’re in the belief of kissing your cat, you’re actually asking if they enjoy having your lips on their face or fur, or if they wish you’d just stop. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution; it is dependent on the cat in question as well as your relationship with them. Unwelcome kisses are no more delightful for a feline than they are for a person, therefore it’s important to figure out which category your cat belongs to.
Table of Contents
Do Cats Understand Kisses?
During my research, the common belief was that cats don’t fully comprehend what the gesture indicates because they communicate in different ways than humans. In other words, because a cat’s means of expressing affection and perception of feelings differ from human, they don’t really get the whole kissing thing.
Parts of that are accurate, especially the fact that cats have distinct ways of showing affection and may not fully comprehend the full significance of certain feelings and gestures. However, I’m not sure that this means they don’t comprehend the meaning of a love kiss. I say this because I’m confident Annabelle, my cuddle-bug cat, understands that kissing her is a sign of affection. What evidence do I have? She demonstrates this to me by her reaction when I kiss her, which is a great segue into the following section of this post.
Are Your Kisses Welcome?
It should come as no surprise that, because each cat is an individual, they all have varied tastes when it comes to the type of affection they desire. You need to know whether your cat like being kissed or not because you love them and want them to love you back. I guarantee it’s not that difficult to figure out!
When you’re trying to figure out if your cat likes your kisses or anything else you do, pay attention to their body language, demeanor, and activities. If your cat purrs, rubs against you, kneads, head-bonks you, leans into you, licks you, and appears calm and satisfied when you kiss her, you can be relatively certain she appreciates this type of affection. If your cat swishes her tail quickly, pins her ears back, hisses or growls, swats at you, turns her head away as you go in for the kiss, or tries to flee, she’s expressing her displeasure with what you’re doing.
Respect Your Cat’s Wishes
If your cat’s body language suggests that they aren’t fond of your kisses, you should stop. I understand how difficult that can be, especially when all you want to do is show your kitty how much you care. But here’s the thing: if you keep doing something your cat doesn’t like, your bond with them will suffer, and you might even be scratched or bitten.
When I ignored all of his clear signals that he didn’t like to be kissed, the latter happened to me with one of my cats. Normally, he’d simply turn away, but one day, I assume he’d had enough, because as I leaned in to kiss him, he bit me on the cheek — hard! It hurt, and I was angry at him, but after some thought, I knew I deserved it. He’d been telling me for years that he didn’t want to be kissed, but I disregarded it since it was what I wanted. That’ll never end good, trust me. Stop kissing your cat if you can tell they don’t enjoy it, as I did.
Consider yourself fortunate if your cat’s body language indicates that they like your kisses. Smooch away! Proceed with caution, however; always be aware of how your cat is feeling and stop from kissing them if they alter their mind.
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