my cat spits when he is happy

Question
My cat Simba will walk aggressively around my feet purring when I walk around the house. If I scoot him away, he will spit and continue purring. Also when he is on the back on my recliner and I walk over to him, he will grab at my head with both paws and start licking and chewing my hair. Why is he doing this?

Answer
Hello Mark and Simba!

Could it be that he's drooling in happiness, and that the drool is given a bit of velocity and appears to be him spitting when you push him away?  I've had a couple of cats that drool when they're happy and purring (and in fact, have one now), so that could very likely be the case.  Don't worry, it's perfectly natural.  Not a usual response, yes, but nothing to worry about, either.

About the grabbing-your-head-and-licking activity...I have a boy named Hobbes that is just SMITTEN with doing the same thing.  Thankfully we don't have a recliner right now where he can manage it quite in that fashion, but sometimes when I bend over to sniff noses with him (which kitties really love...it's a very personal hello that really aids bonding with kitties), he'll mistake that for me asking him for a bath, and will try to do the same thing.  I find it adorable, because it's him trying to return the love that I give him, but there are times where it can be annoying (say, when you've gotten your hair JUST RIGHT...hehe).  I would recommend either trying to keep your distance while he's in that particular spot on the recliner, or keeping a good 1 1/2' distance between your head and his paws when you come over to him to say hello when he's there.  That way, you're not discouraging his love and desire to return affection, so you're not hurting his feelings, but you're not suffering stinky cat hairdo, either.  Hehe!!

Let me know how it goes, and if you have any other questions, ok?  :o)

Hugs to you both!

Rosie*