Any cat owner will be familiar with their cat running herself on objects and people. I wonder, though, how many understand what their cat is actually doing…

By rubbing her head and mouth against objects, a cat is marking her territory using scent glands to deposit facial pheromones. Unlike spraying, which is considered a response to a perceived threat, marking by rubbing is thought to be a positive and social expression, as well as something that makes a cat feel more comfortable in her territory. To this extent, cats who share a household will often actually rub against each other, even when simply passing one another by in the corridor!

Slightly different from this is a behaviour most cat owners will be familiar with, if not by name. ‘Bunting’ is the action of your cat rubbing her head against your face and is considered a very friendly and lovely gesture. Spraying is also normal cat behaviour but, rather than being a friendly and social gesture, it acts as more of a method of reducing confrontation by quickly communicating information about a cat’s age, health and rank. Although perfectly normal, spraying can be something of a problem for cat owners – check the rest of the blog for help and information regarding spraying.