I have always been a cat lover. I have not centered my blog around cats because I have been the cat mom of very few cats. I therefore lack the experience and expertise to offer much valuable advice to fellow cat moms out there. I decided to write about a peculiar cat behavior that has intrigued many cat owners, but that, as my internet research has indicated, very few extensive posts have discussed. Why do cats hop greet?
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I first noticed this cat behavior during my numerous interactions with a male cat called Lester while living in a Cambridge neighborhood in year 2005, well before I had ever owned a cat before. That happened well before I became Jade’s cat mom. Lester was a very friendly cat, which I mistook as a stray in the beginning. Having noticed him a few times near where I lived, I went out to look for him and feed him every day. He ran to me every time he spotted me from afar. When I extended my hand to pet his little head, he stood on his hind legs and lifted his front legs in the air for a few seconds, while pressing his head against my hand. In other words, he did a quick hop-like motion as he headbutted me.
I stopped feeding Lester upon finding out that he had a loving family: I caught him returning to a house down the same street where I lived. I even talked to his mom (an immigrant from the West Indies) who told me how “sly” he was. Still, he continued to follow me and even lingered around my house for a while. After I moved out of that neighborhood, I still missed him dearly, including his hop-greetings. He was not an especially handsome cat: just a regular brown tabby, with snowy white chest fur that looked like a triangular-shaped white napkin, especially while he munched on the food I prepared for him (dry food, kitty snacks, even milk!) I did not grow up with cats and so did not have much experience with cats then: I tended to anthropomorphise him and imagine him as a naughty, spoilt little prince, one impatiently rummaging my bag with both of his hands (front paws) while I was busy taking out the cat food to serve him.
I would have almost forgotten the hop-greet movement if I had not subscribed to a cat channel on YouTube by “Meow Meow,” which showcased a lovely couple feeding street cats in Istanbul/Turkey. It was not unusual for the cats to hop-greet this highly popular couple in the cat community. “Meow Meow” definitely noticed the lovely gesture too (as indicated by their frequent comments), but did not analyze the meaning(s) behind it.
Re: hop-greets, one blogger said the hop-greeting is something that kittens do to their biological mothers and so when adult cats do that to humans they are treating them as their moms. Some forum participants said cats hop-greet while they are in an especially loving mode and desiring a pet from their favorite humans. Specialist websites agree that cats do headbutts to spread their scents and mark the humans as theirs.
However, there is no consensus on hop-greeting–not that there are numerous posts about this seemingly special behavior to begin with. Trust me, I have dug into it.
My other cats have not hop-greeted me. Jade, for instance, never hop-greeted me during the four whole years she was with me. She was a sweet cat that headbutted a lot, especially after long separations. She would jump onto my bed or desk and press her head against my hand. I still miss the cute hop-and-greets by Lester.
(I regret not having taken any picture of Lester: this is my beloved Jade, who was not too impressed by her lookalike: “this is not me!”)
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I obtained my insight into hop-greeting very recently–during my rather brief and random interaction with a very tall German man at a prize ceremony. The man was definitely over 6’3–probably around 6’5. I hate to say it, although the man was very pleasant, the experience was painful, even though I am not short myself. I’ve never had a partner or friend this tall. If I had had a partner this tall, I might as well stand on my toes in my desperate attempt to peck on his cheek.
How did this brief human-human encounter inspire me? Bingo! ~ the hop-greet from a cat is nothing more than a regular headbutt. A cat needs to do a hop-like motion to reach and headbutt us when we stand tall. This explains why my other cats such as Jade never needed to hop-greet me: they could jump onto any random furniture to be on the same level as I am and headbutt me comfortably.
A cat hop-greeting is fun to watch. Yet it would be slightly discomforting for the cat, if it has to happen frequently. If your cat has never hop-greeted you, you may want to bar him from jumping onto furniture. Then, watch your cat’s reactions. Observe how your cat desperately tries to headbutt you. If you cat does not hop-greet to headbutt, it may be sulking. I know Jade would have meowed (cried) anyhow. What if you fail to get your cat to hop-greet? Well, at least you know you’ve tried. You may try it with a street cat (and feed it afterwards, of course!) or watch some YouTube videos.
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Cat lovers like to read so much into their cats’ hops and purrs and discover meanings that may not in fact be there. That accounts for the burgeoning market of books about cats’ behaviors. As a cat lover I certainly do not care whether the gesture is anything more than a regular headbutt, or has a special meaning on top of what a headbutt signifies. I only care that it is cute. I look forward to being hop-greeted again. 🙂