Can you kiss your cat? Behaviour Manager Nicky Trevorrow explains all.

This National Kissing Day (Friday 22 June) you might be tempted to give your moggy a peck or smooch, but is this wise for you and them? Cats Protection’s Behaviour Manager Nicky Trevorrow offers some advice…

The first thing you should consider is whether you and your moggy are healthy, as diseases can be passed between you through kissing. If either of you is ill, then this type of close contact should definitely be avoided!

Another thing to make sure of is that your cat is used to this level of contact from you. If you’ve never given them a kiss before, they might not take kindly to the sudden invasion of personal space.

When going in for a kiss, the most important thing is to avoid kissing on the lips, for hygiene reasons. It’s best to avoid the stomach too as most cats don’t like having their tummy touched. Cats usually prefer brief interactions so if you do want a kiss, a quick peck is best.

This ideal way to show your cat some affection though, is to let them come to you. Cats greet each other with nose-to-nose touching, so try presenting your face to them to see if they come forward for a sniff.

Do cats kiss each other?

Not as such. Cats are descended from the African wildcat, a solitary hunter, which means they are more independent by nature. Cats also didn’t develop the complex facial muscles to show a wide variety of expressions like dogs can.

If you want to see if your cats get along, then it’s all about reading the body language! If they walk around each other with an upright tail, rub against each other, or play-fight with their claws tucked in, then those are all signs of feline friends!

For more cat behaviour advice, please visit https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/cat-behaviour