My cat licks my hand (three licks) then stops, then does it again is she trying to say, "i love you"?

Question

(because of 3 licks before she stops i think she's trying to say those very words) can i be right? when she does that i say, "i love you too!" and she purrs

Answer 1

she might be saying... i'm hungry (3 licks 3 syllables)

Answer 2

yeah definetly

Answer 3

your skin has the perfect amount of salt to hold her over until her next fix, ur cat is a salthead and needs some help to break her addicition, i bet she started with the NIP the gateway drug.

Answer 4

cats routinely groom any other cats in their families -- this represents comfort with and acceptance of the individual being groomed.

i assume your kitty is communicating that she is comfortable with and accepting of you, and reaffirming that she chooses you as part of her feline family.  that's as close to "i love you" as i imagine a cat can get, so if you had to translate her feline thoughts/feelings into a human analog, love seems to be an appropriate choice.

as far as why your cat is obsessed with the number 3 -- or how she even knows how to count in the first place -- who knows?  maybe she is just a really smart kitty.

Answer 5

Could be, although cats don't know 'love' like we do.

I have a cat the 'mutual grooms' us - we stroke her, then she licks our hand back, so it could be something like that, but definitely a sign of happiness and contentment!

Answer 6

Your cat thinks that your hand needs some attention and started on exfoliating, and I envy you for that.