Too intense, even for your cat? A cat fanatic recommends alternative ways to bond with your cat besides the "cat sniff."

"Nekosui," which involves inhaling the scent of a cat to fill your nasal cavity and letting the "beloved cat fragrance" permeate your body, is an addictive form of physical affection. As a cat fanatic myself, I enjoy "Nekosui" daily, but I've also explored other original and intimate forms of physical affection while living with my cats.

This time, I'll introduce all the "cat-crazed methods of physical affection" I practice in my daily life. Please feel free to laugh at me with a cool gaze, thinking, "This person is such a pervert cat fanatic..."

Affection Method ① Head Bumps for Wordless Communication

For cats, rubbing and head-butting are signs of their affection. I want to convey my immense cat love to my beloved cats who express their feelings so adorably! One day, I had a truly cat-crazy epiphany.

That's it. If I imitate a cat's emotional expressions and rub against them or head-butt them in the same way, I might be able to convey, "I love you too."

So, whenever my cats rubbed against me or head-butted me, I started returning the same actions. And then, perhaps because they were happy, my beloved cats would rub against me or head-butt me again, sometimes even entering "lovey-dovey mode"!

"Lovey-dovey mode" is like when the affection from someone you were aiming for in an otome game reaches its maximum. It's a rewarding time for cuddling, in short.

Leon, my ginger tabby cat, was especially pleased with my reciprocal affection. If I was too busy to return his affection, he would come to my face with an expression like, "What? No affection today?" and rub against me repeatedly.

I started this casually, but perhaps affection from a cat's perspective really resonates with them.

Affection Method ② Nude Hugs During Bath Time

It's common to be watched by your cat while bathing, isn't it? In my house, Leon (every day) and Jiji the calico cat (sometimes) come to the bathroom door asking to be let in during my bath.

お風呂場で「こんなところに入るなんて…」と驚かれてる。 pic.twitter.com/hhHZU4l3lu

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) September 3, 2022

For me, this moment is a great opportunity for physical affection. Because, as humans, we generally wear clothes, so there's always a barrier of fabric, no matter how close we get to our cats. But the bath is different. It's the only chance to get close to my beloved cats without being hindered by that fabric barrier!!

I love the time I spend hugging my beloved cats, who are relaxing on the bathtub lid, completely naked after I've soaked in the tub. (Just a pervert, I know.) When my cats' loose fur sticks to my body, I feel a strange joy, as if I've become a cat-human.

However, Leon and Jiji just deal with my naked hugs with a cold stare.

Affection Method ③ Kissing Their Cheeks

The feeling I have for my cats is somewhat similar to being in love. When I first started living with cats, I suddenly saw them relaxing and thought, "They're beings I want to protect. So precious! So cute I could eat them!" At that moment, I felt like I finally understood the feelings of a lover for their beloved.

I wanted to somehow convey this intense, heavy love to my cat, so one day, I gently kissed the cheek of my tabby cat, Kotaro. And Kotaro gave me a sophisticated response! As if to say, "Here's one back for ya," he pulled my face closer with his paw and licked my nose and cheek.

I was surprised and excited by his boyfriend-like behavior, and before I knew it, I was on my knees, thanking him, saying, "Thank you so much!!" (I even offered him treats, of course).

私が首に手を回す時だけ、ほっぺをクイッとする、うちのネッコ賢すぎるし、彼氏感ハンパない。
(※すっぴんごめんね🙏) pic.twitter.com/Y5YJJwfar9

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) January 19, 2024

Since that day, Kotaro and I have been exchanging kisses on the cheek. Sometimes he bites my cheek when he's in a bad mood, but in those moments, I just accept it, thinking, "Today, I am Anpanman. I'll share my face with Kotaro."

By the way, Leon also reacts the same way as Kotaro when I kiss his cheek, but Jiji is different. When Jiji gets a kiss on the cheek, he gets wide-eyed and runs around the room. Why, I wonder...

He's not annoyed, Jiji is just shy... I tell myself that, but I'd really like to ask Jiji how he feels about my repeated attempts to kiss him again later.

Affection Method ④ Burying My Face in Their Bellies

Doesn't the fluffy fur of a cat just make you want to bury your face in it? As an extension of cat-sniffing, I often bury my face in the belly of my lying cat to enjoy being "covered in cat."

For a cat, their belly is their greatest vulnerability. However, my cats are all okay with having their bellies touched. Kotaro is the only one who goes into a defensive stance, but once he sniffs my hand and realizes it's me touching him, he grants permission, as if to say, "Oh, it's you. Then, you can, but only this once!"

For me, who has always loved burying my face in fluffy things, a cat's belly is the ultimate comfort. The more tired I am, the more I want to bury my face in it.

A woman in her thirties burying her face in her cat's belly, praising them loudly with cries like, "Why do you smell so good!" and "You're so fluffy today!" would look like pure madness from an objective standpoint. That's probably why my cats look at my face with an exasperated expression.

Affection Method ⑤ Talking to Cat Poop

Am I the only one who develops affection for things that come out of my beloved cat's body when my love for them grows too strong? For example, even healthy poop properly deposited in the litter box is endearing.

When I clean the litter box in the morning, I can't help but sing "Healthy milk chocolate ♪" or talk to it, saying, "You seem energetic today! And such a nice firmness!" (My apologies to anyone who is eating.)

I've been doing this embarrassing behavior since my twenties. The trigger was the death of a ginger tabby kitten I adopted from a rescue organization.

ライターになろうと思わせてくれた初代レオが亡くなって、今年で4年目。命日。
あの頃はペットサイトにも信用出来る情報が少なかったけど、今は少しずつ変わってきてるよ。
2ヶ月の命だったけど、永遠に大好き。永遠に家族。
生まれてきて、出逢ってくれてありがとう。

もっと頑張るから、見ててね。 pic.twitter.com/ySKChJUKr

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) October 4, 2018

One day, that ginger tabby kitten suddenly had white poop. We rushed to the vet, but couldn't save his life.

At the time, I didn't have much knowledge about cats, so as I stroked his cold body, I cried and vowed, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'll become a better owner."

ライターになろうと思わせてくれた初代レオが亡くなって、今年で4年目。命日。
あの頃はペットサイトにも信用出来る情報が少なかったけど、今は少しずつ変わってきてるよ。
2ヶ月の命だったけど、永遠に大好き。永遠に家族。
生まれてきて、出逢ってくれてありがとう。

もっと頑張るから、見ててね。 pic.twitter.com/ySKChJUKr

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) October 4, 2018

Because of that experience, I get incredibly happy when I see cat poop that's a healthy milk chocolate color and a good consistency, as it's a sign of good health. Ah, they're alive and well today. I think to myself that their health was good yesterday too.

However, my beloved cats seem to think I'm just a "poop maniac." Whenever they see me talking to their poop in the litter box, they always go to the toilet one by one, as if to say, "If you like it so much, would you like to see more?" and defecate.

While I think to myself, "That's not what I meant...", I chuckle at my cats' subtle thoughtfulness and wish them a long life.

Every household has its own original methods of physical affection that owners discover and develop, realizing, "This is how my cat likes to be loved." Please tell me how you show affection to your cats. Perverted affection methods are very welcome!

Owners create unique and intimate ways of showing affection to their cats by observing their reactions, thereby strengthening their bond. I, too, have developed many original "intimate affection methods."

This time, I'll introduce all the "cat-crazed methods of physical affection" I practice in my daily life. Please laugh at my peculiar methods of affection, such as "kissing their cheeks" and "hugging them naked."