Cat Being Taught How to Kiss Owners Warms Hearts: 'How Lucky Are You'

A cat named Bruce has melted hearts online after a video of him "learning how to kiss" his owners went viral on social media.

In the video, shared on TikTok earlier this month by the cat's owner, under the username Patsysdad, the ginger cat can be seen tilting his head towards both of his owners, one at a time, to receive kisses on the head, that he welcomed with "sleepy eyes," a sign he was comfortable.

According to Vet West cats contain certain bacteria in their mouths that cause gum disease, and as predators, they also eat animals and insects that may harbor diseases.

Among the most common zoonotic diseases that can be passed from animals to humans are bacteria, such as Pasteurella, Staphylococcus, E-coli and Salmonella, all of which are highly contagious.

Ringworm is also a common fungal infection that is highly contagious and can easily spread from cats to humans, as well as cat scratch fever or Bartonella. Parasites, such as Toxoplasmosis, can sometimes be transmitted to humans through unsafe handling of kitty litter.

So to be safe, Vet West suggests avoiding kissing your cat on the lips, although they say a peck on the head is just as affectionate and carries far less chance of catching a disease.

There are a number of people for whom contact with animals can pose a great risk, including very young children, pregnant women, immunocompromised people and those with lowered immune systems.

The viral post quickly attracted animal lovers from across the platform, receiving over 5 million views and 1.4 million likes so far.

One user, snuff, commented: "My boy does this too, but now he will walk up and SLAM his head into our faces/mouths." And Rachael added: "I unintentionally taught my cat this and now she expects me to give her kisses every time I get home from work."

Kiralynn wrote: "My baby used to just full-on ram his head onto my mouth for a kiss. He did it with a force that hurt but he was my special baby." And Serenarivera said: "my cat gives me [an] actual kiss [with] his [little] nose."

Another user, Smalltownalberta commented: "I would literally be doing this all day." And yaw said: "that cat is so loved and it knows that." fiona fanpage added: "the way he waits for the next person to ask." Faysa wrote: "You don't understand how lucky you are."

Simm said: "My Garfield does this if you make two kiss sounds he puts his face to your lips and I love him." And Baelisirishcream wrote: "We trained ours too. now he demands the kisses every morning."

Newsweek reached out to Patsysdad for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.