All cat lovers know that most cats are lovable and cuddly creatures. What makes them even more adorable is their playfulness and the fact that they love to sleep between their owner’s legs. They have this irresistible charm that cat owners couldn’t help but hug and kiss them all over! But have you ever thought if your cat can feel the love and affection you give them? To put it simply, do cats understand kisses? Let’s learn more about them.
Do Cats Understand Kisses?
More often than not, cats don’t understand kisses in the same manner that humans do. They have different ways of communicating and expressing their emotions. For instance, you may see your cat’s tail wagging, which is a cat language that may have different meanings.
While kisses are not part of your cat’s body language, they may perceive it as their owner’s way of giving them affection if their fur parents always kiss them. If you always kiss your cat, they may understand it in a manner that you are leaving your scent to them by physically touching and kissing them, which is a cat’s body language. But note that this is just one possible interpretation that cats may have. As cats have multiple personalities, their understanding of kisses may vary from one another. Therefore, you must observe the signs if your cat likes kisses or not to have a better grasp of their behavior. Let’s start with the signs that your cat likes kisses.
Signs Your Cat Likes Kisses
Do cats understand kisses? We mentioned earlier that if done regularly, it’s possible for cats to understand kisses. However, just because they can comprehend it does not mean they like it. Here are the signs that your cat likes kisses.
- Raising their tail and wrapping it on your legs.
- Purring while you’re kissing them.
- Follows you around and spends more time with you.
- Rubbing their head on you.
- Blinking their eyes slowly
- Starts grooming you by licking your face.
- Exposing their belly.
- Kneading.
- Starts to fall asleep.
- Ears are moving slightly forward.
- Leaning closer to you.
If your cats are displaying these signs, this may mean your cat appreciates kisses and human touch. However, not all cats appreciate this gesture. Additionally, your cat may like it at first but could change their mood in a second. Let’s learn the signs your cat doesn’t like kisses.
Signs Your Cat Doesn’t Like Kisses
One key point to remember about cats is they are unique, which means that while other cats may enjoy kisses, others might not like them. Hence, it’s a must for every pet owner to pay attention to their pet’s body language to know the things they like or not. Your cats will communicate with you if they do not like kisses through the following signs or behaviors.
- Swatting at you.
- Starting to hiss and become aggressive.
- Ears are slightly flat and back.
- Swishing or fast flicking of their tail
- Turning their head away from you.
- Vocalization
- Starting to act irritated or annoyed.
- Making growling sounds.
- Moving away or intentionally avoiding your kisses.
- Flicking their paws while you’re kissing them.
If you observe your cat exhibiting these signs, stop giving your pet kisses and give it some space. Otherwise, continuously kissing them will result in your cat’s stress which in the long run, will weaken your relationship with your feline buddy.
How Do Cats Express Their Affection?
It’s not only the fur parents who can express their love for their cats. Do you know that cats also have ways to express their love and affection to you? The following are the ways cat show their love.
- Slowly blinking their eyes. This is an endearing way for a cat to tell you it loves you. When a cat slowly blinks their eyes at you, it’s also a sign of trust.
- Rolling. Cats rolling around means your cat is happy to see you. So when you just came home and your cat suddenly rolls around the floor, they want you to pay attention to them.
- Purring. Purring is one of the most common expressions of a cat’s affection. You might often hear what seems like a motor inside your cat that produces this vibrating and rumbling sound- this is your cat purring.
- Giving gifts. You don’t like it when your cat brings home a dead rat or bird, right? This is how cats give gifts, which come from their hunting instincts. Gift-giving is another way cats express their love. For indoor cats, they may practice gift-giving with their toys.
- Licking. Cats spend a lot of their time grooming themselves or each other. They also groom the people they love by licking their noses, hair, or skin. This is one of their ways to leave their scent on you to mark you as their territory.
Other Ways To Express Your Love For Your Cats
If your cat does not like kisses, there are other alternative ways to show your love for your cat.
- Talking to your feline friend.
- Blinking your eyes slowly.
- Giving food and toys.
- Training your cat.
- Letting them lick or head-but you.
- Grooming.
- Spending time and playing with your pet.
- Petting your cat.
- Reciprocating their eye contact.
Conclusion
So back to the main question, do cats understand kisses? The answer is, most likely they don’t because they do not perceive kisses the same way as we do. But cats may understand or interpret kisses if you frequently kiss them.
Cats have different ways of communication than humans, and it’s necessary for us, as their fur parents, to understand how they show their love to us. Moreover, it’s equally important that we express our affection to them in the right amount, not in ways that could overwhelm them.
