Why does my cat rub it’s face on everything?
You don’t have to be a cat enthusiast to know that they love rubbing their faces on pretty much anything that is nearby. You can even catch big cats like Tigers rubbing on rocks and each other sometimes.
But why does a cat rub their face on everything? Does it just feel good to them or does it have a deep meaning? We decided to find the answers. What we do know is that the meaning of it can change depending on what they are rubbing and why.
They are leaving scent marks
The actual term for this behavior is called “bunting.” And since cats have multiple scent glands on their face and head, they often use this to leave their own scent mark on objects. Glands around their mouth, chin, face, neck and ears leave their scent behind as they bunt. It is somewhat like marking territory, cats will over bunt on top of marks left by other felines. Also, it can be a nervous behavior. They cope by making themselves comfortable through spreading their scent around.
They use it as a timestamp
Cats both let other felines know that they are there and also can be aware of other felines in the vicinity. Depending on the strength of the scent they can tell how long it has been marked by themselves or another cat. They will know to be on guard or stand down alert by determining how long a previous scent was left.
They are showing affection
If you’ve seen any internet memes with cats, then you’ve heard of “head boops.” That’s when a cat reaches up and bunts their favorite people on the head. This is also technically called “allorubbing.”They also do this to your legs, hands and pretty much any part of your body they see fit. It’s because they showing love and affection. If you have more than one cat you can even catch them doing this to each other or even the family dog in sweet moments. When cats put their faces up close to yours it’s a great bonding experience. It shows trust and friendship, something cats don’t always give up freely.
They are asking for attention
They also do this in attention-seeking behavior. Depending on your cat’s natural personality they can range from a little needy to a lot of needy. That’s why they often use bunting as a way to ask for pets, scratches, or even food. When they rub against you often enough and you respond by petting them or asking them what they need, they associate it with getting what they want and continue doing it.
In Conclusion
Whether you call it bunting, boops, or head butts, it’s certainly adorable to watch your cat rub their faces happily. And it’s also oh-so-comforting to be on the receiving end of those sweet rubs. From marking their scent and tracking the time to showing affection or needing attention, it’s no secret that cats love to bunt. And we love that about them! What’s the funniest thing that your cat has rubbed on? We’d love to hear stories about your cat, so leave a comment below about this curious and cute feline behavior!
My male kitten ALWAYS hops up to rub on only one of my dogs. He goes under her chin and puts his tail in her face. He even lays in her bed sometimes. We have 3 cats and 2 dogs. This is the only cat that does this to one of the dogs. Seems like he has a crush on her
My kitty rubs her head on my pink house slippers!!
My cats rub against things so much they have rubbed the fur off their faces. What can I do to keep them from losing their fur?
I wonder if they are stressed. My cat was losing fur once and he was really stressed. Turns out instead of bunting though, he was over grooming himself. Is your cat very sketchy? My cat was afraid of everything and everyone. He was a very high-maintenance cat but I didn’t mind. I had to put him on kitty prozac for awhile. Maybe next time you take them to the vet, I would ask.
I have two dogs and one cat. My dog likes to bother my cat and then my cat starts throwing paws and claws at him and then he runs away like a little baby.
My cat came in today with very dirty cheeks, I know she was out in the backyard rubbing on this mushroom thing growing on a dead tree because one time when i was out with her, I noticed she LOVED that thing… I tried cleaning her off to no avail but after a while she came downstairs from her latest nap and VOILA she’s clean…. she does the bunting thing ALL THE TIME on anything… and i work from home and she has me wrapped around her finger so she gets lots of attention. Perhaps she wants more… she is a nervous cat, scared to death of any other human, so perhaps it’s a nervous thing with her. (Shimmer)
My feral cat obsessively rubs her face against everything in sight while she solicits petting from me. Lately as she feels more comfortable with me, she will put her face up to mine and rub her face against mine. This isn’t head bunting, this is part of her marking repertoire. I’ve long been puzzled by this behavior.
This was a very wild feral who raised a litter of three kittens on her own until we finally caught them at 4.5 months of age. After her kittens were gone I continued to feed her and began talking to her. Months went by and she became semi comfortable with me feeding her and one day she came close and circled my feet and brushed against my leg. I was frozen with shock and pleasure! And determined to touch her back. It took months and months of tiny bits of progress before I could touch her, then let her. Once she experienced the pleasures of being petted things finally went quicker. That’s when the obsessive marking behavior started. She would rush from one thing to another, rubbing/marking everything in reach and thr. Stopping by to get more petting.
My Siamese boy, he’ll rub his cheeks on nearly anything you hold up to his face. Only things he won’t scent mark as his are strongly-scented or perfumed things that overwhelm his kitty senses. Everything else pretty much becomes his personal property, lol.
my cat leaves black on all the corners the house, how can I get him to stop…
You can put a corner scratcher where he does it and he’ll love you for it, and then you just have to wash that off every so often.
My cat bunts constantly! She’s really sweet to me but she can be a little aggressive toward our other cats. Just territorial. She doesn’t want to share me.