Why do cats nudge you with their head

If you are a cat parent, you’re probably familiar with the cat headbutt, or as it’s more properly called, a head bunt. 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.

So what does it mean when cats headbutt you? Is it really a sign of affection or something else?

What Are Cat Headbutts?

Cats have glands on their cheeks, forehead, and chin that contain pheromones. A pheromone is a substance produced by animals as a type of scent communication. When a cat headbutts you, they are rubbing pheromones on you. The pheromone deposited during headbutting comes from glands located just in front of a cat’s ears.

Humans can’t detect these pheromones, but to a cat, you can consider yourself marked. These pheromones signal to other cats that a cat has been there.

The type of headbutt varies from cat to cat. Sometimes a cat will clunk you skull to skull, which can be a jarring experience. In other cats, the headbutt is a much lighter encounter. However, either method will leave you marked with their facial pheromone.

Cat Headbutting vs. Head Pressing

It’s important to note that headbutting in cats is not the same as a similar behavior called head pressing. With head pressing, a cat will compulsively push their head into the wall or corner and will typically not appear relaxed.

Head pressing can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as pacing, vision changes, or self-injury caused by excessively pressing the head. If your cat is head pressing or shows any other signs, it could be an indication of a serious neurologic condition. In this case, your cat should be immediately examined by a veterinarian.

Why Do Cats Headbutt?

Cat facial pheromones have a calming and reassuring effect, so headbutting is a sign your cat is very content. Both before and during headbutting, a cat may flop over playfully, purr, have partially closed eyes, or exhibit other relaxed behaviors.

Alternatively, a cat you don’t know well or at all may headbutt to sniff you or just feel you out.

Here are some of the more common reasons a cat will headbutt you.

Marking Familiar Surroundings

Cats may headbutt and rub their face on familiar objects like your furniture or their cat tree. When cats do this, they are marking the objects using the glands in their cheek.

This type of marking behavior claims a territory as familiar and in a positive way. 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.

Creating a Colony Scent

Although cats have been traditionally thought of as solitary creatures, they can actually be quite social.

Headbutting is a way for cats to communicate their connection with each other and establish social bonds. When cats within a colony headbutt each other, they are mixing their scents to create a single scent. This unique scent is then distributed to all of the cats in the colony as the colony scent.

Marking Their People or Bonding

Cats mark familiar people just like they mark things around the house. When a cat headbutts and marks you, it means you’ve been accepted into a very special club: a cat’s inner circle.

By marking you, a cat is connecting to you through scent and bonding with you. Thanks to their very keen sense of smell, much of cats’ communication is through scents in their environment. And though you cannot detect it, the fact that you smell like your cat is very reassuring to them.

Self-Soothing

When cats rub their face on something, they are usually purring, happy, and relaxed, without anyone else having to be involved. They seem to enjoy headbutting and rubbing their face on things and the scent of their pheromones immensely.

So when cats engage in solitary face rubbing, they may be self-soothing or regulating their own emotional state. Cats do this in other ways as well, like kneading with their paws, otherwise known as “making biscuits.”

Seeking Attention

Headbutting is a way for cats to mark you with pheromones and bond with you. However, sometimes headbutting can be a way for cats to seek attention. As a general rule, cats like to be scratched under the chin and on the head, so a cat may just be presenting their head to you for some attention and good scratches.

If a cat is consistently rewarded with attention after headbutting, then this may encourage more headbutting. In addition, the more you bond to your cat through headbutting, the more headbutting your cat will do for attention and bonding, in a sort of a feel-good cycle.

Checking Out a New Person

If an unfamiliar or newly adopted cat is headbutting you, they may just be checking you out. Move slowly and feel the cat out before reacting. You could offer the cat your head for a sniff and watch for the cat’s reaction. If they show interest in another headbutt, you could try a light one back. If the cat isn’t on board, they may prefer some head scratches instead, after an initial hand sniff, of course.

Are Cat Headbutts a Sign of Affection?

Cats headbutt to connect to familiar people, making headbutting a cat’s way of choosing you. So, to a cat, headbutting makes you special. Therefore, if a cat decides you are worthy of headbutting, consider it the highest of compliments and absolutely a sign of affection.

Returning your cat’s headbutt is great, if that’s what your cat likes. If you know they really like a good headbutt or chin scratch, then go for it.

Cats also will headbutt other pets in the household as a token of affection. Other cats will understand the message of goodwill, though they may not necessarily appreciate it, while a dog or rabbit might be a little confused.

Do All Cats Headbutt?

There is great variation among individual cats. Confident cats tend to headbutt more frequently and with more force than shy cats. Not only is the most self-assured cat more likely to headbutt, but they are also likely to be the dominant cat in a multiple-cat household. It’s the dominant cat’s role to deliver the colony scent to every cat in the colony.

Therefore, if your cat does not headbutt, there’s no need to be alarmed. Headbutting is only one way that cats show affection. Cats can also purr, flop, knead, slow-blink, or sleep next to you.

If your cat used to be into headbutting but doesn’t seem to be anymore, this change in behavior could mean that your cat isn’t feeling well, especially if you see other symptoms like lethargy or grumpiness. If this happens, consult with your veterinarian to see what might be going on.

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References

Cats are known to be fickle creatures that don’t immediately grant their trust in people. It can sometimes require months to years of relationship building between kitty and pet parent to form a mutually faithful bond.

Once this bond is established, you’ll still need to understand cat body language to know what your cat is telling you. Cats often interact using covert signals, including eye blinking, tail movements, and rubbing against other animals or humans for social interaction.

Here’s what this interesting cat behavior really means.

What Does It Mean When a Cat Rubs Against You?

Cats have scent glands around their cheeks, chin, top of their head, and base of their tail. These scent glands contain pheromones. When cats rub their face or tail against humans, other animals, or household items, they are leaving behind this pheromone that they can identify.

Rubbing behavior is learned and passed down from mother to kitten. Rubbing and headbutting in the cat community are usually signs of marking territory, acceptance into the group, and/or greetings and adoration. Rubbing against something can also be used to gain information, as cats rely heavily on their sense of smell.

If your cat decides that they want to leave their pheromone on you, it should be considered a badge of honor, as it is one step closer to being accepted into their feline world.

However, it is necessary to make sure that the rubbing does not become compulsive and is not linked with abnormal behavior, as this can sometimes be related to medical issues.

Greetings

Most of the time, a cat rubbing their head or body against your leg is a very good sign. This is often a sign of greetings, meaning your cat is happy to see you. You may notice this more when you've been gone for a longer time.

Claiming You Through Scent

Not only is rubbing against you a sign of a happy “hello” or “welcome home,” but cats also want to make sure that they have marked you with their scent. Cats are territorial creatures and will claim their pet parents as part of their territory.

When a cat rubs against something, they are forming an affiliation with that person, animal, or item. In other words, they are accepting it into their environment and claiming it as their own.

Cats mark their territory intermittently, especially on objects in their environment, as these scents do not last forever and need to be “reapplied” for a cat to feel calm in their surroundings.

Once you come home from being out in the world, your cat’s personal scent has left you. So they want to mark you again with their scent by rubbing, headbutting, licking, or even gently biting you. This allows your cat to reclaim their territory, and it’s thought to increase endorphins, which gives them a sense of calm, happiness, and safety.

Gathering Information

Sometimes cats will also rub their head against new humans in their environment and/or other animals when they are trying to “size them up” or collect information about this new interloper.

In this case, it doesn’t mean that the cat wants the human or other animal to touch or pet them, so it’s important to not mistake this cue as an invitation to start petting a cat you just met.

Creating a Group Scent

In cat colonies and/or with feral cats, they often rub against each other to leave their pheromones on the group. This creates a communal scent, which helps identify intruders and promotes peace within the group.

Cats can associate other cat pheromone smells with mating, aggression, and health status, which helps them navigate the hierarchy of their colony.

Telling You They Need Something

We often wish our cats could talk to us to tell us what they need. Cats do communicate in their own way; they will often use rubbing, headbutting, and sometimes gentle biting as a sign of need.

If your cat is rubbing against the cabinet that contains their food/treats, it is likely that they are alerting you that they are hungry. Sometimes cats will aggressively rub against us to signal that something is wrong. This could be illness, or perhaps it’s a gentle reminder to clean out their litter box or that they need fresh water.

That’s why it is important to monitor and learn your cat’s behavioral prompts so you can understand when they need something from you.

Should I Worry If My Cat Is Rubbing Against Things All the Time?

If your cat suddenly begins aggressively rubbing against rugs, other objects, or even you, along with any other changes to their attitude or behavior, it’s a good idea to talk to your vet.

Be on the lookout for these sudden signs of illness:

Medical issues that can cause excessive rubbing (though your cat will almost always have other clinical signs, too) include:

1. Allergies

2. Fleas

3. Ear infections

4. Intracranial disease (tumors, infectious, or inflammatory causes)

5. Feline hypersensitivity disorder

If you notice that your cat is rubbing excessively, or you have any concerns about their behavior, schedule a visit with your veterinarian for evaluation and possible testing.

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