Source checked 12 November 2026. PawLine editorial team. Not professionally reviewed.
Educational information, not veterinary or individual behavior advice. Do not force or recreate contact. Ask your vet about new or concerning rubbing. Suspected head pressing can be an emergency: seek immediate veterinary assessment, not a worksheet or app reply.
Facial rubbing and bunting
Everyday terms for rubbing or bumping with the face or head. Cats Protection explains greeting and scent-transfer contexts. The term describes a behavior category, not a precise emotional translation, a health clearance or a universal request for touch.
Pheromone
A chemical communication signal discussed in the Cats Protection source. Facial pheromones can be left by rubbing. This guide does not detect them, measure an individual deposit or claim that all scent communication has the same purpose.
Context and interpretation
Context includes the place, contact point, people and sequence as far as you know. Interpretation supplies a possible meaning. Record these separately so that a plausible friendly explanation is not confused with something directly observed or clinically established.
Head pressing
A concerning behavior discussed by the linked veterinary article, not another name for an ordinary social greeting. Suspected head pressing warrants immediate veterinary assessment. No numeric duration, force score or online worksheet here can rule it out.
Sources and limits
Cats Protection: Why does my cat rub against me?