You may have wondered about this at some point, so this time at Ownat we’ve reflected on it! It’s pure instinct and is called communication through chemical marking – we explain everything!
In general, when cats display this type of behavior, they are trying to tell us they have a need: they might be hungry, need company, want affection, or are simply greeting you in a very positive way. And surely at this point, if you have a feline at home, you can start imagining many situations in which your best friend behaves like this, right?
But why do cats rub their face against a particular object or a human? Very simple: they are exploring and marking it as a familiar and safe object (and maybe something they love too!). In fact, something very curious they do is that once they’ve marked you or an object, they smell it again to make sure they marked it correctly, and this gives them a very pleasant and positive stimulus – did you know that? Moreover, this type of behavior carries a very friendly secondary message: when they do this to you, they are expressing that they feel very comfortable by your side. It’s as if they are shouting to the world: “I like you and I love having you around.”
Now, let’s go a bit more into detail. What exactly is your feline trying to tell you when they rub against your legs? In general, it’s purely a marking reason, as we mentioned earlier; however, we can identify three main functions:
Spatial Location Function
They rub to define their territory and mark objects within their line of sight, thus creating a “super map” of scents within their territory (the house).
Emotional Stabilization Function
When entering a new place, it’s likely they will start marking the territory with their face. Why? So that all the novelty begins to be tinged with their presence, making the space feel comfortable and familiar.
Communication Function
In homes with more than one cat, this is very common and is done to create a unifying effect, like a bonded litter.
In the end, it’s all about pheromones. Cats have a series of glands (on their forehead, lips, front paws, and rear flanks) that release these chemicals, which act as a form of chemical communication. Through this marking, they signal calm and familiarity by marking objects and territory.
