Every sign of affectionate behavior except for "nuzzling"?

[alainasmom]

This is kind of a silly question, and just for fun. 

My 3 year old Balinese cat Alaina is very affectionate - a huge bundle of purr, lap cat, follows me everywhere I go (it's just the two of us in our house). She'll slowly blink at me right before she falls asleep. But I've heard that a very common "affection" behavior in cats is nuzzling their human or rubbing against their legs. Alaina's never done this - the closest is a subtle brush of the tail on my legs. Do different cats have different ways of exhibiting affection or trust?

She also loves to chase insects and eat them - especially mosquitoes recently. I created another thread in Cat Health about the possibility that her frequently gobbling up mosquitoes (and other large insects) could have caused her to vomit up undigested dry kibble the other day. Does anyone know if this  behavior (eating insects, and then throwing up) is normal? She's quite active and does love to chase my dogs around.

Thank you. 

 

[happybird]

Hi! Different cats definitely have different ways of showing their affection and trust. The slow blink you described is considered a very strong sign of affection. It sounds like Alaina loves you very much. :nod:

Out of my 5 cats, only two give me the slow blink, Pooper and Bob. Bob also head butts and nuzzles (she is actually pretty obnoxious about it), as does my only boy, Sammy. Sammy also does this funny little face scrunch, where he squeezes his eyes shut tight and wrinkles his face. If you say 'Awww, scrunchy scrunch,' he'll do it. Sometimes, I will look across the room at him and he is scrunching at me. It is so adorable.:heart3: Pooper will head butt, but only if you get down on the floor with her. She's our little weirdo. My other two kitties do neither, but I still know they love me. When they want love, they come sit in my lap to be pet. And not a single one of my cats is a leg-rubber.

My guys eat bugs all the time. I think most cats do The only bug that has ever caused a problem around here is moths. Apparently, they taste really, really bad. Also, they can cause diarrhea or vomiting if the cat actually swallows the moth. It isn't a serious issue, just an upset stomach. My guys have finally learned to not eat the dang stinkbugs. I think they must taste really bad, too.

The main worry about mosquito contact would be heartworm. If your cat is around mosquitoes a lot, a heartworm preventative would be a great idea.

Throwing up undigested food sounds like it could be a hairball issue. Although, it is not out of the realm of possibility that too much mosquito munching caused an upset stomach.

 

[alainasmom]

@happybird  Thank you for the response! 

Your cats sound so adorable (Sammy and his "face scrunch", especially! 

). I was just wonderng because she will rub against everything else (I'm guessing to mark her scent?) but me. I guess all cats have different characteristics that make them unique, including the ways that they display affection for their slaves. 

Last year, a whole host of moths came into the house and Alaina caught each and every one of them with ferocity. She didn't have any upset stomach issues though. Alaina's not around mosquitoes a lot per se, but they've recently been coming into my house (I think she's caught all of them). The good news is that she hasn't vomited since two nights ago and she's acting perfectly normal.(she's active, pooped last night, cuddles, isn't extremely lethargic, etc.) 

 I still don't know what really caused it - maybe it was a hairball that she never got out (or possibly pooped out)? I've never had experience with them since she's never had one. I do groom her 20 minutes a day to remove any excess fur in her thick undercoat. Does that help?

 

[jesterkin]

Scrunchy scrunch is so funny!  Yes my kids eat bugs.  I had my Talbert, he was declawed and he would climb a tree just to get a cicada, I don't think he ate them, but he loved to catch them.  Little Girl will eat anything though, she's a regular garbage kitty, my other three won't touch people food so everything has to be put away.