Yep, and all I can say is, even so, a cat's mouth is still not as dirty as a
human's* so think about that the next time you kiss someone.

*When Bandit bit me not long my doctor said that the only bite more likely
to get infected is a human bite.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Why gross? I kiss my cats all the time!

So?  There are plenty of human tongues that have been in
unsavory places, too - and you're less likely to catch some
gross disease fro a cat's tongue!

When we had my beloved DurDur (RB '97) during 80's,
those little electronic tune-playing keychain things, as well as the holiday
lights w/auto electronic music were quite popular, and whenever I'd turn one
on DurDur would come over and stand on his back legs to put his paw on my
knee in protest (he hated the high-pitched music sounds!) and if I ignored
his protest, he'd then jump up beside me and gently bite my hand. I don't
think cats like
piercing, high tones.

[[No (I haven't whistled for ages), but this reminds me of when I was
practising a talk I was going to give at a conference. Usually, I speak
Swedish to my cats, but this paper I was giving was in English, and when
I started reading it aloud, Nikki got very concerned. She cautiously
approached me and veeeery carefully stretched out her neck to sniff my
mouth. I was reading it to time it, but had to interrupt several times,
since I was laughing so hard at Nikki. In the end I just had to trust
that it would last the allotted time, and hope I wouldn't start laughing
 at the memory of Nikki's reaction in the middle of my talk.]]

LOL!!!!! When I was studying Italian in high school, I got a similar
reaction out of Misty (RB). We were supposed to read a passage aloud in
class the next day, so I sat and practiced mine. In fact, I decided that
the kitty curled up on the bed would make an ideal audience of one, so I
sat next to her and started reading. Misty's eyes got very wide, and she
started to sniff my face. Then she let out a quizzical, "Meow?"

I guess that's one way to determine how well a cat understands the
language you normally use to speak to the kitty -- address said feline in
a totally unfamiliar language and watch for a reaction. If the cat's Not
Happy about not recognizing ANY of the words you're using, then you know
s/he's paying attention. ;o)

Speaking of languages, Misty took interest in my practice sessions when I
was studying American Sign Language. I used to sit next to her on the bed
and practice my vocabulary. She wasn't sure WHAT, exactly, I was doing.
But she was sure it was something interesting, because I was so intently
focused on it. So she'd come over and sniff my fingers and hands, and try
to figure out what I was up to. :o)

Donna, Captain, and Stanley

They always look so concerned when there is some weird sound coming
out of your mouth.  When Stinky was a hoolikitten, he would sit on the
corner of the sink, and watch me go through my morning or evening
routine (he sometimes still does), and the funniest thing was his
reaction to gargling.  The first time, he immediately puffed up all
over. ;)  He eventually nerved himself to sit back on his hind legs,
put a paw on my chin, and examined and sniffed my mouth, much as Nikki
did with you. ;)  It was very hard not to spray mouthwash all over the
bathroom.

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com