Do people in other countries... sniff...? their cats?

Ok so Im a "foreigner" living in Japan for 13 years now, and here there is a phrase "猫を吸う" (neko wo suu) which literally translates to "to sniff your cat". By sniffing your cat, I dont mean to just smell it Im talking like you pick it up (or you huddle down) and you take a BIG whiff of your cat as if its a drug and its making you high.

Now I know that people who love cats regardless of countries, often can get well kind of crazy about cats, but since here there is the added culture where sniffing your cat is the norm, if you meet a cat lover/owner and ask them if they sniff it, theyll go "OF COURSE I SNIFF MY CAT, WHAT YOU THINK I DONT LOVE MY CAT?? I SNIFF IT DAILY ALL THE TIME" this is not an exaggeration by the way I have had this exact conversation with 3 different people all recently.

Me being a European maybe Im wrong here but I dont think thats a thing where I come from. I myself will be a cat owner a month from now, and non stop Im thinking about it and super excited, but Im dont have any particular interest in sniffing it. I do have planned out all the play time Im so looking forward to though. Sniffing it is not exactly a part of those plans lol.

My question is, do cat lovers in other countries partake in the act of sniffing your cat? Maybe a little in secret? Maybe a lot? Maybe Im being super weird for even asking this question I swear over here this is such a normal topic that I feel maybe Im losing my grip on whats weird and whats normal. What is even reality anymore.

Oh and dont even get me started on the "肉球" (nikukyuu) the soft pink part of the paws. I think I might now be part of a religion without realizing it yet.

{edit} what have i done