Why Does My Cat Rub Her Face on Me? Know the Real Reasons

We love it when cats rub their heads on us as long as they are not damaging anything around. The feeling that comes with that is just unexplainable. Something makes you want to take your cat at that moment and hug them so tightly. Cats rubbing their head on you is also called bunting or head butting. These moments are rare; you might walk in from work, and your cat walks up too you and starts bunting, or you might be settled and busy doing something and there she/he is head butting. This raises this question; why does your cat rub her face on you?

Here are some reasons why your cat bunts on you-

To Communicate With You

You probably think that’s crazy. But it`s not. Cats bunt to communicate with you. To let you know that you are hers now. You belong to her family now. This tells you that they trust you. This is an act to show their trust in you. To also bond with one of their family members. What are families for if they don’t bond and show each other that they belong to that family?

2. For Comfort

Yes, they do this for comfort. Bunting comforts cats especially if they are doing it on a person who they trust and consider family. Humans get hugs from people to feel a bit comforted, and cats bunt. It’s a social activity for them.

3. Bonding

One of the main reasons cats have human contact is for bonding. They do it at their own time and way. It’s a tender moment for both you and the cat. Cats head butting on you is a form of creating a unique, long-lasting bond. The more they bunt, the more the bond gets stronger between you.

4. To Leave and To Pick Scents

One of the most reliable ways of communication to cats is using scent. Cats are susceptible to scent in the sense that they pick scents very fast. It’s a long-lasting way of communication to them. They have glands on their faces, ears, sides and in their necks too. When bunting these glands are activated. They release a unique scent that only belongs to the cat. They also pick yours. Releasing this scent also marks you. One of the characteristics of a cat family member is they mark you with their scent and pick yours too. This shows they consider you family.

5. Express Disappointment

When cats rub on you aggressively, they are expressing how disappointed they are. They might have meowed long enough for that treat they are used to at that particular time but failed to get your attention to it hence didn’t get the treat. Used that adorable look but unfortunately didn’t work this time. They use aggressive bunting to express disappointment since they take their treats very seriously.

To Seek Attention

They also use this method as a way to get your attention. If they fail to understand it by making noise they bunt to get y our attention. At these times they mean business. It’s the give me attention now kind of move.

Positive bunting is essential because of its massive reasons explained above. Reinforcing this behavior is necessary. When your cat rubs its face on you, reinforce this habit by rubbing their back or head gently. This helps grow the bond stronger but also send a message to your cat that you are responding positively. Always remember the more banting, the stronger the bond. Isn’t that what we all want with our pets?