Why do cats rub against you

If these behaviors become frequent, you may want to consider spaying or neutering your cat, which could help reduce his or her marking tendencies. Keeping multiple cats separate from one another can also help, as it eliminates the need to compete for ownership. Jill E. Cats are very olfactory creatures that rely heavily on their sense of smell to give them information about their environment, says Dr.

When a cat rubs or pushes its head against you, also known as head butting or bunting, the cat is also marking you with his scent in a show of affiliation, Borns-Weil says. Affiliative behaviors serve to maintain a connection within a group of individuals. When meeting someone for the first time, a friendly cat may rub up against the visitor in greeting and as a way to get information about the new person, like where they come from and if they have animals of their own, says Borns-Weil.

Whether or not this type of behavior serves as an invitation for affection varies from cat to cat, however. Cats also greet other cats they know with a head rub or bunt. Cats tend to rub against each other or against other members of the pet family as well.

This is purely an indication that they recognize them as a part of the pack and that they have some kind of relationship. As mentioned above, our furry felines use pheromones for communication , but what they intend to communicate might not always be love and positivity.

Keeping the family unified is a job that our cats take very personally. The scent exchange is a way to indicate that your cat is marking an object or a person as part of the unit. When a cat rubs on us, our first reaction is to pet the furry friend back.

They think that we are marking them back and telling them that we are appreciating our position within the family bond that they have created — which is true. You may have seen your cat rubbing itself on a new pair of shoes or a new house plant before. They will do this to mark that object as a recognized part of their territory.

Putting their unique pheromonal scent on strange objects is their way of including said object into their space of the household. It also warns other cats that this space is taken and protected. Teaching your cat not to scratch or bite is an important chapter of the cat parenting manual they all so thoughtfully come with — ha ha.

But, this might be stripping away their ability to communicate frustration or aggression. Luckily, cats have learned how to show those feelings in the best and most sensitive way available to them. If your feline friend is erratically rubbing up against you and seems to be more forceful than normal, they might be actually yelling at you.

Cats tend to use this manner of communication to indicate to their cat parents that they are feeling angry, misunderstood, or even sad. Next time when your cat is rubbing up against you, pay close attention to their body language. You might be surprised. Domesticated felines come from a long lineage of feral cats.

As mentioned before, a lot of cats immediately rub against you when you come home. This is their way of covering any unfamiliar scents and re-claiming you. A cat may rub against you to let you know that they want something. If they are hungry, they might rub against you to remind you that it is dinner time. They may also just do this when they want some sort of attention, whether they want to play or just want you to rub them back.

We may not always pay attention to our cat when they are meowing , but it is hard to ignore them when they continuously rub on your legs. This is another word for head butting and is a sign of affection, despite what head butting means for people. Cats will commonly do this with other cats that they have a positive relationship with, but they will also rub their face against yours too.