what is cheating?

My answer to your question is YES! That is cheating. Physical contact is not necessary to commit adultery or cheating. Why would a person be intimate with someone else besides his/her spouse if they have no special feelings for that someone. I know someone who has fallen for a married man. I don't like the married man because he had several marriages already. All of them were a mistake he said! Now he is wooing this new girl and he got her to feel the same way for him. They have not had any physical contact (I assume) but I told her that by saying ILU to the guy already seals the illicit relationship even if there is no physical contact. I also told her that by not doing anything to correct the situation makes her guilty of conspiring with the dishonesty that is going on towards the wife thus committing a grave sin. I am sad for her. She used to have a very strong convictions about these things and this guy "challenged" it.

ok! Well to me all the questions you asked expet for he one about kissing that would not be cheating. I beleve that you can talk to other men about problems and stuff. Just don't get in the heat of passion or kiss the other man and then theyll be fine

Cheating is creating an intimate relationship with someone other than your significant other. It can be emotionally intimate or physically intimate but, either way, you are taking something that is supposed to be special and spreading it around. As far as thinking of someone else...no, that's fantasizing and that isn't cheating. Everyone has fantasies and there's no reason to give them up if you need to or want to from time to time. If you find that you have to/want to think about someone else each time you're with your partner, there may be something more going on with your relationship than you're willing to admit.