Do You Know Why Your Cat Rubs Its Head Against You?

Cats are one of the most widespread animals in the world, and most of this success is due to the fact that humans love the company of these mysterious, restless and playful felines. They have behaviors that are sometimes strange to us, we will tell you why your cat rubs its head against you:

Cats are not affectionate

You may have heard this countless times, however let me tell you that it is nothing more than a myth. In fact, it depends on the breed and especially the breeding, a cat can be an extremely affectionate animal.

What happens is that people are more used to the way dogs express affection, for whom their owner is basically their universe. Cats are absolutely independent and self-sufficient animals , in fact a cat will not hesitate to abandon you if it needs food or shelter, in addition to this, dogs are much more effusive in showing affection.

However, this does not mean that they are hostile or lenient, cats have many ways in which they show us that they like our company. One of the ways they have to show this kind of empathy with their owners or to claim attention is by rubbing their head and body against their “master.”

When a cat gets close enough to us to rub itself, or allows you to pet it, it means that it trusts you and knows that you will not harm it, otherwise it will run away in your presence. The purr is also a sign that the cat is calm and that in general it does not bother your company, but do not trust yourself, they purr even when they are under a lot of stress, so better analyze their body language.

Keep in mind that within the social scheme of the cat he occupies the hierarchical role, and you are just another animal with whom he shares space and has a symbiotic relationship , you provide him with food and he lets you live in his territory. Understanding the dominant role of the cat will be essential for a healthy coexistence with him, just keep in mind that he will indicate when he wants you to pet him, when he wants to play, eat or, in general, when he is in the mood to deal with you.

Territoriality

As we said in the previous paragraph, cats are very territorial animals. For them everything that is within their “territory” (your house and neighboring patios in case you let it out) belongs to them. Therefore it will do the marking process just as it would in nature.

However, one thing you may not know is that cats use more than their anal glands to mark territory. That is, a cat does not have to spray an object to be identified as theirs, in general to delimit their territory they usually rub their body against the things that they think belong to them, impregnating their scent, and that includes you.

In general, cats like to delimit their territory very well, so they will also use visual elements to make this evident, and I think that all of us who have had a cat can tell how effective they are when looking at our furniture or cushions. For cats, nails marked on surfaces identify them as their property. However, it must be taken into account that this marking is not only visual, cats have glands on their pads that secrete an odor that is impregnated in their possessions.

Therefore, sometimes when a cat massages us with its paws, giving us light and comforting scratches, do not feel so flattered, the cat is simply marking its property. Also their fur, close to the hair follicle, secretes an oily liquid that is used for marking, so you will see that they rub their body on things, especially if another person outside the home or an animal has been in contact.

The same happens with its face, if you see that it rubs its head against you, in addition to an affectionate greeting the cat is impregnated with its scent through the glands on both sides of its face.

So now you know, the cat’s displays of affection are closely related to what they consider theirs. But this has its advantages, sometimes you will receive some nocturnal snacks that will depend on how good a hunter your cat is and the local fauna, which will range from cockroaches and crickets to gutted birds or half-eaten rodents.