So when cats engage in solitary face rubbing, they may be self-soothing or regulating their own emotional state. They seem to enjoy headbutting and rubbing their face on things and the scent of their pheromones immensely. When cats rub their face on something, they are usually purring, happy, and relaxed, without anyone else having to be involved. And though you cannot detect it, the fact that you smell like your cat is very reassuring to them. Thanks to their very keen sense of smell, much of cats’ communication is through scents in their environment. When a cat headbutts and marks you, it means you’ve been accepted into a very special club: a cat’s inner circle.īy marking you, a cat is connecting to you through scent and bonding with you. Marking Their People or BondingĬats mark familiar people just like they mark things around the house. This unique scent is then distributed to all of the cats in the colony as the colony scent. When cats within a colony headbutt each other, they are mixing their scents to create a single scent. Headbutting is a way for cats to communicate their connection with each other and establish social bonds. Creating a Colony ScentĪlthough cats have been traditionally thought of as solitary creatures, they can actually be quite social. Think of it as your cat personalizing their surroundings and creating a safe space, as opposed to making a territorial challenge to other cats like they would by urine marking or spraying. This type of marking behavior claims a territory as familiar and in a positive way. When cats do this, they are marking the objects using the glands in their cheek. Marking Familiar SurroundingsĬats may headbutt and rub their face on familiar objects like your furniture or their cat tree. Here are some of the more common reasons a cat will headbutt you. Both before and during headbutting, a cat may flop over playfully, purr, have partially closed eyes, or exhibit other relaxed behaviors.Īlternatively, a cat you don’t know well or at all may headbutt to sniff you or just feel you out. Why Do Cats Headbutt?Ĭat facial pheromones have a calming and reassuring effect, so headbutting is a sign your cat is very content. In this case, your cat should be immediately examined by a veterinarian. If your cat is head pressing or shows any other signs, it could be an indication of a serious neurologic condition. Head pressing can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as pacing, vision changes, or self-injury caused by excessively pressing the head. With head pressing, a cat will compulsively push their head into the wall or corner and will typically not appear relaxed. It’s important to note that headbutting in cats is not the same as a similar behavior called head pressing. However, either method will leave you marked with their facial pheromone. In other cats, the headbutt is a much lighter encounter. Sometimes a cat will clunk you skull to skull, which can be a jarring experience. ![]() The type of headbutt varies from cat to cat. ![]() These pheromones signal to other cats that a cat has been there. Humans can’t detect these pheromones, but to a cat, you can consider yourself marked. The pheromone deposited during headbutting comes from glands located just in front of a cat’s ears. When a cat headbutts you, they are rubbing pheromones on you. A pheromone is a substance produced by animals as a type of scent communication. ![]() So what does it mean when cats headbutt you? Is it really a sign of affection or something else? What Are Cat Headbutts?Ĭats have glands on their cheeks, forehead, and chin that contain pheromones. Many people consider a headbutt endearing, and in fact, a study showed that shelter cats that headbutted potential adopters were more likely to be adopted. If you are a cat parent, you’re probably familiar with the cat headbutt, or as it’s more properly called, a head bunt.
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