# Our cat is VERY affectionate **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 23, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748 "2012-02-23T17:44:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acorns.but_not_Bacon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/1 "2012-02-23T17:44:09Z")
maybe overly affectionate? We got her a few days ago and she’s very sweet and good natured, trained aswell but she is very cuddly for example when sitting at the desk writing on the computer she nuzzles her head right under my hands while I’m typing because she wants to be stroked, she does this everytime I’m at the desk, so it’s difficult to get work done. I do put her on the floor but she just jumps up again. Also is it normal for cats to drool when purring? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/2 "2012-02-23T17:51:24Z")
Just a guess, but your post makes me think you might not be accustomed to cats. If you mean “trained” as box-trained, that is a natural instinct that needs no discipline. Drooling isn’t all that common, but affection is. If you can’t abide the distraction, you will have to train her to not get on tables or counters, and that will take some gentle discipline. Be sure she knows that you aren’t scolding her for being affectionate, just for getting on the desk. Maybe you can put her on your lap or in a basket nearby? ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/3 "2012-02-23T17:56:04Z")
Some cats are permanently “kittenized” possibly from leaving the mother cat too young. Sometimes this happens when young male cats are neutered before they reach maturity, also. The drooling, kneading paws, and sucking on things like buttons or your fingertips, are all behaviors you’ll see from “kittenized” cats. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/4 "2012-02-23T18:02:11Z")
> [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](#): > > maybe overly affectionate? > > We got her a few days ago and she’s very sweet and good natured, trained aswell but she is very cuddly for example when sitting at the desk writing on the computer she nuzzles her head right under my hands while I’m typing because she wants to be stroked, she does this everytime I’m at the desk, so it’s difficult to get work done. I do put her on the floor but she just jumps up again. Also is it normal for cats to drool when purring? Our cat Clarence did, but, then again, he’d had a serious accident and his jaw was rebuilt. He probably couldn’t help it. Our current cat Hermes can get _extremely_ affectionate, nuzzling against me and rubbing against my hands when I’m trying to work at the table. But since this behavior correlsates strongly with his wanting Cat Treats, I suspect it’s not just Love for me he’s feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/5 "2012-02-23T18:07:35Z")
> [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](#): > > she nuzzles her head right under my hands while I’m typing because she wants to be stroked, she does this everytime I’m at the desk, so it’s difficult to get work done. This is completely normal behaviour for a cat. > [@](#): > > I do put her on the floor but she just jumps up again. So is that > [@](#): > > Also is it normal for cats to drool when purring? Not so much. She might have a problem with her teeth. And where the hell are the photos?? You can’t post about a cat and not include a photo! ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/6 "2012-02-23T18:14:30Z")
Have her teeth checked, but it isn’t all that uncommon for a cat to drool when being very affectionate. It just means she likes you, a lot. My cat does it at times. Is she a rescue? She may just be very happy to be in a home. Everything else you listed is completely normal. Aren’t they cute?! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/7 "2012-02-23T18:14:42Z")
Drooling is not uncommon, in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/8 "2012-02-23T18:17:09Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Some cats are permanently “kittenized” possibly from leaving the mother cat too young. Sometimes this happens when young male cats are neutered before they reach maturity, also. The drooling, kneading paws, and sucking on things like buttons or your fingertips, are all behaviors you’ll see from “kittenized” cats. I question your reasoning. I’ve never met domestic cats that didn’t have all those characteristics, with the exception of drooling, and they came from vastly different sources. They couldn’t all have left Mom too soon. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/9 "2012-02-23T18:19:23Z")
She sounds like a very sweet, very normal cat, and is probably both a little attention-starved and eager to show you she accepts you. I suspect she’ll chill out significantly after a few months, and be content to just curl up on your lap (or on a nearby soft/warm spot) and sleep. The drooling, though… yeah, sorry about that. One of my cats drooled all the time, so much that we made up a bunch of nicknames for him, including Drools Verne, Droolian Schnabel, Droolio Iglesias, Droolie Andrews, and Downtown Droolie Brown. Maybe you can start calling her Droolia Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/10 "2012-02-23T18:23:35Z")
Some cats drool when they’re purring because they get so relaxed that their jaw slacks open. One of our cats drips onto his own ruff when he’s in that achieving-nirvana state, and the vet has confirmed that his teeth are in excellent shape. Some cats are just clingy by nature. Kind of like people. If you only just got her, you’re probably both still getting used to each other. She will never, however, be one of those aloof cats. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/11 "2012-02-23T18:23:48Z")
Happy purring cats drooling probably isn’t common, but it’s not rare either. My g/fs cat does this, and it’s one of the most loving and affectionate cats around. And yes, cats absolutely insist on sitting on or in front of anything you might be trying to pay attention to. That’s just what they do. Keyboards, newpapers and notepads are particularly common. And you will soon learn that you aren’t training her, she’s training you. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/12 "2012-02-23T19:03:06Z")
Yep on the drooling. Neither particularly common, nor particularly rare. One of my two drools when he is truly blissed out and getting attention and he has fine teeth and is not exceptionally kittenish otherwise. The other doesn’t drool, but sticks out his tongue when _he_ is [blissed out](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff114/Timur_photo/cats/IMG_3592.jpg). They’re idiosyncratic critters ( like most pet birds and mammals, really ). ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/13 "2012-02-23T19:11:20Z")
One of my cats drools a lot. Especially when she is happy. I mentioned it to the vet and he was unconcerned. (It sure is gross, though.) ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/14 "2012-02-23T21:08:08Z")
The almost violent head-bumping-into-hands reminds me of my cat who ran off at the end of January. I MISS that cat! The DEMANDS for attention used to aggravate us, beause he’d appear out of nowhere and want the world to stop turning so he could get his lovies. Enjoy your new baby. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/15 "2012-02-24T02:14:27Z")
Well, thank Heavens, **Tamerlane**! Eleven posts before we got a cat picture in a cat thread! What is the Dope coming to? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/16 "2012-02-24T03:01:42Z")
I’m glad you mentioned the drooling, because there’s definitely something wet coming out of one of my cats’ mouth area when he purrs. I couldn’t figure out whether he was drooling or his nose was running. If other cats drool, I guess that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/17 "2012-02-24T03:07:23Z")
Its normal. Cats can be needy emotionally, but very cuddly. Mine still climbs up on my chest at 3AM regularly just to lie flat & purr. Sometimes she’ll put her paw on my chin & fall asleep. And while YMMV, …not one Troll has ever tried to steal my breath. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acorns.but_not_Bacon)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/18 "2012-02-24T03:19:16Z")
Thank you for the replies 🙂 I’m glad to know drooling isn’t that rare, she only drools when very relaxed ie purring heavily, oh by the way which seems like _all the time_! Haha! She starts purring as soon as she knows she’s allowed on someones lap or even the merest touch of a hand will set her off. Also I suppose I’m going to have find the balance between discipline and “telling off” I wouldn’t want her to get the impression she’s not allowed cuddles but there’s a limit when she tries to rule the roost. Now her favourite habit is sitting in front of the computer monitor! Instead of getting annoyed I kind of moved the cursor around the screen and she batted at it and watched intenetly…for a while like. I was amused too, to be honest. Also this is quite disgusting but when there’s an accumulation of drool on her whiskers she shakes her head and eurgh kitty spit everywhere! In my cup of coffee! No pictures I’m afraid, don’t have a camera. Also she doesn’t have a name, although her previous owners named her Bill/Billy she doesn’t seem to answer to that? She’s a six year old tortoiseshell, coloured Tarantula style and very handsome, I want to call her Ripley as she has the Sigourney Weaver look but that’s not popular with the family. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/19 "2012-02-24T04:27:10Z")
My cat does the drool and fling thing, too - I’ve basically gotten used to always having wet hands and chest (my cat has to lie on my chest when I’m lying down). [Feather on my Mac](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/Family/FeatheronMac2.jpg) - this pose is commonly known as, “Why are looking at that thing and not paying attention to ME?!?” ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748/20 "2012-02-24T04:35:17Z")
I vote for Ripley! ~VOW [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-cat-is-very-affectionate/613748.md?page=2)