diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js
index 9c4d8a15f34..8d2d19b9fe5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ Discourse.HTML = {
        ) return "";
 
     var name = Em.get(category, 'name'),
-        description = Em.get(category, 'description'),
+        description = Em.get(category, 'description_text'),
         restricted = Em.get(category, 'read_restricted'),
         url = Discourse.getURL("/c/") + Discourse.Category.slugFor(category),
         elem = (opts.link === false ? 'span' : 'a'),
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ Discourse.HTML = {
     name = Handlebars.Utils.escapeExpression(name);
 
     // Add description if we have it, without tags. Server has sanitized the description value.
-    if (description) html += "title=\"" + $("<div/>").html(description).text() + "\" ";
+    if (description) html += "title=\"" + Handlebars.Utils.escapeExpression(description) + "\" ";
 
     if (!opts.onlyStripe) {
       categoryStyle = Discourse.HTML.categoryStyle(category);
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/category.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/category.js
index ca1bc73bcde..3f0732328fe 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/category.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/category.js
@@ -99,12 +99,6 @@ Discourse.Category = Discourse.Model.extend({
     this.get("availableGroups").addObject(permission.group_name);
   },
 
-  // note, this is used in a data attribute, data attributes get downcased
-  //  to avoid confusion later on using this naming here.
-  description_text: function(){
-    return $("<div>" + this.get("description") + "</div>").text();
-  }.property("description"),
-
   permissions: function(){
     return Em.A([
       {group_name: "everyone", permission: Discourse.PermissionType.create({id: 1})},
diff --git a/app/models/category.rb b/app/models/category.rb
index 0e2a55b26f9..a47ef4a68cd 100644
--- a/app/models/category.rb
+++ b/app/models/category.rb
@@ -181,6 +181,16 @@ SQL
     topic_only_relative_url.try(:relative_url)
   end
 
+  def description_text
+    return nil unless description
+
+    @@cache ||= LruRedux::ThreadSafeCache.new(100)
+    @@cache.getset(self.description) do
+      Nokogiri::HTML(self.description).text
+    end
+
+  end
+
   def ensure_slug
     if name.present?
       self.name.strip!
diff --git a/app/serializers/basic_category_serializer.rb b/app/serializers/basic_category_serializer.rb
index e80ce8dc60a..75ef6488a46 100644
--- a/app/serializers/basic_category_serializer.rb
+++ b/app/serializers/basic_category_serializer.rb
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ class BasicCategorySerializer < ApplicationSerializer
              :topic_count,
              :post_count,
              :description,
+             :description_text,
              :topic_url,
              :read_restricted,
              :permission,
diff --git a/spec/models/category_spec.rb b/spec/models/category_spec.rb
index 39fa1f9ca5c..192f498906c 100644
--- a/spec/models/category_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/category_spec.rb
@@ -19,14 +19,6 @@ describe Category do
     c.errors[:name].should be_present
   end
 
-  it { should belong_to :topic }
-  it { should belong_to :user }
-
-  it { should have_many :topics }
-  it { should have_many :category_featured_topics }
-  it { should have_many :featured_topics }
-  it { should belong_to :parent_category}
-
   describe "last_updated_at" do
     it "returns a number value of when the category was last updated" do
       last = Category.last_updated_at
@@ -49,7 +41,7 @@ describe Category do
 
       # NOTE we also have the uncategorized category ... hence the increased count
 
-      default_category = Fabricate(:category)
+      _default_category = Fabricate(:category)
       full_category = Fabricate(:category)
       can_post_category = Fabricate(:category)
       can_read_category = Fabricate(:category)
@@ -194,6 +186,15 @@ describe Category do
     end
   end
 
+  describe 'description_text' do
+    it 'correctly generates text description as needed' do
+      c = Category.new
+      c.description_text.should == nil
+      c.description = "&lt;hello <a>test</a>."
+      c.description_text.should == "<hello test."
+    end
+  end
+
   describe 'after create' do
     before do
       @category = Fabricate(:category, name: 'Amazing Category')