I recently got a new kitten. He's 6 months old now and previously was a stray. For some reason, he does not give kisses. My past cat was very affectionate and always gave kisses (licks). My girl cat, who I got from a co-worker at 5 years old (who was a stray three years prior) gives kisses occassionally when she's getting pet or brushed. The kitten gives bites all of the time, which I think may be his way of showing affection, but I really do not want him doing this any more as my arms look like they have the chicken pox. I would much rather get a lick then a nip. I am trying to train him, using treats, to give kisses, which he now does for me with treats but he will only lick my fingers when we're doing the training. My question is... is kissing (or licking) a learned behaivor or is it instinct for them to lick people or animals they are showing affection to? Is it because he was a stray and maybe abandoned by his mom too soon to know how to show that type of grooming affection? Everytime I walk in the door he paws at the carpet in excitement and rubs my legs with his head, so I know he's happy to see me but still no kisses. Or is he just too young to do this yet? It's been 10 years since I had a kitten so I really don't remember if Pokey gave kisses right away or not.