Does this cat enjoy his owner's 'toddler cuddle' or is he complaining?

You tell me. In the video below we see a woman "strongly cuddling" as I would describe it her cat and she kisses him on top of the head. She thinks that her cat did not enjoy it. It is possible that he did, however. Is the sound that he makes one of complaint or enjoyment? 

Complaining cat. She is handling him like a toddler. Image: Screenshot.

Or perhaps it is somewhere in between the two. I do think, however, that she is cuddling him too strongly. I don't think he enjoys being confined and 'compressed' slightly in this way. 

Most cats enjoy being kissed on the top of the head. If they don't, they get used to it and then they enjoy it!

My gut feeling is that this cat is complaining not because of the kiss but by the way that he is being held which is slightly too forceful for him. 

And the reason why she is cuddling him like this is because she loves him. But she is cuddling him as if she would cuddle a toddler; a human being. Entirely understandable. 

Not a particularly bad thing in many ways because it means that she is likely to be bestowing upon her cat human rights. However, under these circumstances the owner has to be careful because they can end up having misplaced expectations about their domestic cat companion. Cats are not humans. The wildcat is just below the surface.

And they can end up interacting with their cat in a way that humans enjoy but cats don't. The mantra is 'respect the cat'. And don't treat them as dogs or little humans except to give them equal rights to humans.

P.S. I think this cat has been handled like this before and has become used to it. He knows what is coming. He partly accepts it as a consequence but still complains.

Bad idea: DELIFUR Christmas costumes - Funny Pet Cowboy Outfit Clothing for Dog Cat

I feel that I need to address this recurring problem which is to put domestic cats into outfits so that they look like little humans. You can buy them on Amazon. The picture below shows you an example. The title describes it.

I don't want to be a killjoy because I understand that it can be fun to put domestic cats into mini-human outfits. However, I don't think that it is a good idea because, ultimately, it disrespects the domestic cat. And I think it probably undermines the human-to-cat relationship which should be one of human recognising the fact that they live with a domesticated wildcat at heart.

It's all very well to treat a domestic cat as a human in terms of animal rights. This elevates their rights to that of a human which helps to protect them and which helps to foster respect for them. But to treat them as little humans including babies leads humans down the path of interacting with their cat in a less than optimal way.

It can alter the caregiver's expectations. Treat a domestic cat as a little human and you want them to behave like little humans, perhaps like a toddler. So, you start cuddling your cat a little bit to aggressively because you love them. Your cat might not like it. They might bite you or scratch. They might wriggle free which might hurt your feelings.

If you expect your cat to be a cat and if you understand domestic cat behaviour which is always based upon their wildcat ancestor's behaviour then there is much less chance of being scratched. In fact, the possibility of being scratched can be eliminated almost entirely. There will be a better relationship. One of mutual respect.

Putting your cat in a cowboy outfit to amuse yourself would irritate PETA, the animal rights charity. And I'm with them on this. Their mantra is not to abuse or exploit. I think putting your cat in these clothes is a form of exploitation. Exploitation to amuse yourself. These clothes are all about human activity and enjoyment at the expense of the cat.

Some cats might not mind it too much but most cats will find it a little distressing at least and perhaps completely unacceptable at worst. Without wishing to preach, I think we should be doing things for our cat to make them happy rather than imposing things upon our cat to make us happy. One is giving and the other is taking.