Cat nibble.

Question
I've had a very affectionate cat for 9yrs and this started happening within a month's time recently. My cat will jump on my lap and greet me with a head butt as usual but then will nibble a knuckle on my hand with one very soft slow bite then move to my other hand and nibble a knuckle before laying down in my lap. My hands are rested on my chest when this happens. Is this out of desire to get more petting from me since my hands are not stroking him at the time or is this just intended as a rare affectionate greeting? I have no food or chemicals on my hands to make it want to do that and it's not in a annoyed state either it's in a relaxed state. So I'm curious of what it's communicating to me.

Answer
Did something change during the past month? It could be that your cat could be saying something is weird and I need more attention from you. In my experience, cats nibble purely at additional affectional, sort of like a claim on you. It's possible that if typically pet him when he comes to you and without realizing it, you're not, and he's letting you know that "hey, you're not petting me like you used to." I hope this helps.