Cats have scent glands at various spots on their bodies, including their feet, flanks, and faces, through which they can release pheromones. Pheromones are chemical messages that affect cat behaviour.
By engaging in different types of rubbing, cats mark their territory and establish group scents, which are an important factor in maintaining group identity in multi-cat households. When cats rub up against one another, the activity is called allorubbing.
Full-Body Contact
A cat will often rub its entire body along its favourite humans to mark them as part of his group. Scent can also be transferred when an owner strokes a cat. Many cats will hiss at a well-known human who has recently stroked a cat that is not part of the home group because they feel threatened by the other cat’s scent.
Chinning
Cats often rub the sides of their faces on things, an activity called “chinning.” They do this because they have scent glands on their chins and lips, and they use these to override the scents left by other animals. Often, when a cat encounters a residual scent left by another animal, he will engage in a prolonged episode of chinning until he is sure that he has claimed the spot for himself.
Head-Butting
Head-butting, or “bunting,” is an affectionate gesture. Cats will head-butt only those for whom they feel great trust and affection. Head butting often precedes full body rubbing, and cats will usually only do this when they are in a good mood.
Scratching
When cats scratch things, they leave a faint scent mark. Although the scent comes from the paws rubbing against the surface, leaving a scratch mark alerts other animals to a subtle scent message that they might otherwise overlook. Although cats may scratch things when they are alone, they are more likely to engage in this behaviour in the presence of other cats or humans, which suggests that it is a way of marking territory.
While scratching is a natural behaviour, many owners understandably wish to discourage it. For information on training cats to use a scratch post and deterring them from destroying the furniture, see Cats and Furniture Scratching.
Other Scent Marking Behaviours
Unneutered male cats may engage in spraying as a way to mark their territory. To combat this problem, there is a commercially available product called Feliway that contains cat pheromones. Spraying Feliway reduces the likelihood that a cat will spray in a particular area.
Further Reading
Cats also communicate through body language and various types of vocalization. See What Your Cat Is Trying to Tell You for more information on cat communication.
References:
- Nash, Holly, DVM, MS. (2008). “Why Do Cats Rub Against Legs and Furniture?” PetEducation.com.
- Tabor, Roger. (1997). Understanding Cat Behaviour. Cincinnati, OH: F&W Publications, Inc.
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