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What is Your Cat Saying When They Rub Their Head Against You?
You may have noticed that on occasion your cat will rub or butt their head against you, or against other humans, or against other cats, or against just about anything in the house. This instinctive activity is called bunting [1], and it is common amongst all cats, including the big cats.
If you wonder what your kitty is trying to say to you when they rub their head on you, read on to discover possible reasons for this behavior.
5 Reasons Your Cat May Rub You With Their Head
1. To “mark” you
“Marking” [2] is an activity a cat engages in to leave a scent that may include pheromones.
Pheromones are chemical messages [3] that that are emitted from scent glands that are located on the cat’s face, and on other places on the cat as well [4].
These pheromones can be detected by other cats. They may also be detected by the marking cat as a way to recognize the area the cat calls home. So if the kitty goes around marking furniture and various household objects, they may said to be “marking their territory” [5].
When they “mark” us, they may just be rubbing us with a scent they will recognize later, and therefore be able to tell with complete certainty it is us.
We cannot know for sure if your cat is intentionally marking you, or just acting out an ancient instinct.
“Marking” is an instinctive activity common throughout the feline species. For more information about cat instincts, why don’t you visit my blog post What Are Cat Natural Instincts?
Since cats do a fair amount of marking, they also do a fair amount of sniffing to pick up on markings left by themselves and perhaps other cats.
Another one of my blog posts, Why Does My Cat Sniff Everything? will give you insight about how your cat uses their nose to sniff you out and sniff out just about everything else around as well.
2. To show affection for you
I once lived with a cat that would often jump up on the kitchen counter when he saw me heading in that direction, and when I walked by he would lean his head towards me and I would lean my head towards him and we would touch foreheads for a few seconds.
If I picked him up, he would reach out and rub his cheek against mine.
I cannot imagine that he did these things for any reason other than to say: “hey Joe, you are my pal”.
My experience living with cats has led me to be convinced that they are fully capable of feeling and exhibiting affection for their human caretakers. In fact, I believe they see themselves as our caretakers.
3. To offer a friendly greeting
If your cat rubs against you when you arrive home, I would think that is a real indication your cat is greeting you and is happy to see you.
If you want to know if your kitty misses you while you are away, your question might be answered by your cat rubbing your leg or your face.
What a nice thing it is to come home to someone who is glad to see you.
4. To ask for something
I have experienced frequent interactions with our cats when I was in the kitchen. It seemed I would never be lonely as long as I could go into the kitchen.
When a cat rubbed against my leg while we were in the kitchen, I figured that food was on their mind. In fact, if I did not respond quickly, the rubbing often escalated into grabbing my leg with their paws as if to say, “hey Joe, I’m down here, so please pay attention to what I want, which happens to be supper”.
However, it doesn’t always have to be about supper. They might want some attention such as petting. Or they might want you to clean their litter box. Acknowledge them and let them lead you.
5. To relax themselves
If a cat is feeling anxious, they might go around rubbing you and other people and things in order to spread a familiar scent that may give them comfort. [6]
In particular you might see this behavior in a situation where a kitty is in a new environment and wants to make the surroundings more familiar to themselves.
You can help your cat be calm with the tips you will find in my blog post How to Relax Your Cat.
What Should I Do When My Cat Rubs Against Me?
If what your cat is doing seems to be a greeting or a gesture of affection, please pet your kitty and offer some nice words to acknowledge their show of friendship.
If you think your cat is asking for a meal or for treats, it will be up to you to decide if feeding them is appropriate at that particular time.
Should you have reason to believe your cat is upset about something, petting and comforting words would probably be appreciated. Then investigate the cause of the upset and think about what you need to do about it.
What Other Cat Habits Would You Like to Know About?
My blog post Living With Your Cat has a lot of great information I bet you would really find to be interesting and fun,
References
[1] Merriam-Webster dictionary
[2] Cambridge University Press, Scent marking and territorial behavior, 12/03/2009
[4] Merck Veterinary Manual, Structure of the Skin in Cats, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, October 2022, Karen A. Moriello DVM DACVD
[5] The Veterinary Clinics , Current research in canine and feline pheromones, Patrick Pageat DVM PhD, Emmanuel Gaultier DVM MA
[6] Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, published in their Catnip newsletter, Stephanie Borns-Weil DVM. 06/15/2018