Laughter at Cat's Impressive Prerequisite for Allowing Owner to Pet Him

An adorable cat has a high level of hygiene he likes to uphold—and makes sure his owner passes a "cleanliness inspection" before allowing him to pet him.

Matt Marshall (@_mattmarshall), who took in his cat Tulip as a stray, shared that his feline friend has a rather strange habit.

The large tabby clutches his owner's hand and licks it before he can stroke his coat.

This cat's cute habit has amassed 328,900 views on TikTok as viewers speculated on why the pet performs this gesture.

Marshall said on TikTok: "My cat's beige flag is that he makes me pass a hand cleanliness inspection before I'm allowed to pet him. I pretend they are kisses of love."

A beige flag is a term which has been popularized by TikTok and is usually used to describe traits of someone you are dating.

Rather than a red flag, which refers to obvious concerning flags a partner displays, beige flags are not all bad or all good but might just be a little odd and make you pause for thought, according to Later, a social media scheduling app.

Commenters found the footage adorable and offered suggestions as to why Tulip displays this behavior, which experts deem is not down to hygiene.

One user, Jessica, suggested: "Your cat has to groom you back first or more because she feels like she's dominant and you're the kitten."

According to the rescue charity Cats Protection, cats lick their owners not to clean them, but to form a close bond and show affection and share their scent, in a bid to mark you as one of the family.

Sometimes, excessive licking can be a sign of stress and anxiety, so if a cat is overlicking, owners are advised to visit the vet, the cat charity explained.

The cat food brand Sheba explained that licking can be an attempt to display dominance, to show they are in charge.

Other users shared their cats funny habits, one said: "My cats fervently clean themselves after I pet them."

Marie added: "My cat uses me to help groom her head. She licks my finger, then I pet her head."

Newsweek reached out to Matt Marshall for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.

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