It’s (yet another) adorable behaviour your cat does, but could it indicate something more serious?

a picture of a white fluffy cat rubbing their head against a human leg — Tyler Nottley / Shutterstock

Does your cat headbutt your legs or hand as they pass you or jump up on your lap so they can press their cheek against yours? Maybe they bop their head against another cat or a dog in the household. Or, perhaps you’ve noticed them purposefully bonking their forehead against the corner of a wall, door or piece of furniture? Are they in headers training for football next season? Not quite.

This multifunctional behaviour is known as bunting. Understanding why your cat bunts will give you a deeper insight into their social life, help you to ensure their welfare needs are met and strengthen their bond with you. Plus, ‘bunts’ is just a fun word to say, isn’t it?

What is bunting?

Also referred to as head-bumping or headbutting, bunting occurs when a cat briefly presses or rubs their head against a human, another animal or an object, often closing or half-closing their eyes. Though headbutting is often associated with aggression in other species of mammals, feline head-bunting is a form of social behaviour generally indicative of familiarity, trust and affection.

Do all cats bunt?

Head bunting is a common behaviour, but not all cats bunt. Breed, individual personality, socialisation and past experiences can all influence bunting behaviour. Anecdotal evidence suggests that breeds known for their social nature, such as Siamese and Maine Coons may bunt more frequently. More independent or reserved cats often choose to express trust in subtler ways, such as curling up next to you or another cat, purring, allogrooming (grooming another cat) or slow blinking.

The science behind bunting

Head-bunting behaviour is rooted in cats’ use of pheromones to facilitate social communication and create a sense of control and security in their immediate environment. Pheromones are a type of ‘semiochemical’ (a substance that when produced, elicits a response from another being) which have evolved for communication within a species.

Perioral glands found around a cat’s mouth, chin and cheeks, temporal glands on the sides of the forehead and pina glands at the base of the ears secrete feline facial pheromones, which are composed of five different types of ‘fractions’, referred to as F1–F5. While scientists have identified the chemical components of the F1 and F5 fractions, their function remains a mystery.

The F2–F4 fractions are used to mark territory. However, they also have individual functions. F2 is associated with sexual marking behaviour, with intact males depositing their scent on objects near a potential mate. Cats use F3 to orient themselves spatially, marking familiar objects and the frequently used ‘safe’ zones in their home. F4 is deposited in social situations during allorubbing, where a cat bunts a familiar cat, human or other animal to establish an affiliative relationship and promote bonding.

Other cats detect these pheromones through a behaviour known as the Flehmen response, where they open their mouth slightly, push their tongue to the front of their palate, retract their upper lip, and inhale, appearing to grimace or make a ‘stink face’. This action allows them to analyse the scent using a specialised organ in the roof of the mouth known as the ‘vomeronasal’ or Jacobson’s organ.

What your cat is trying to communicate

Bunting behaviour serves several purposes:

Scent marking and territorial behaviour

Scent is crucial for cats, as they use it to recognise other cats, humans, other species of animals and their surroundings. Depositing feline facial pheromones in their core territory helps cats maintain a familiar-smelling environment, giving them a sense of comfort, safety and security. If you have a multi-cat house, you may notice that some or all of your cats gravitate to bunt the same piece of furniture, door or spot on a wall. This mingling of pheromones helps create a group scent, reassuring them that they belong and strengthening their relationships. Since scent marks fade over time, cats must constantly top them up to reinforce their presence and help maintain social stability.

Communication and bonding with other cats

Cat-to-cat bunting is a form of allorubbing, a social greeting and bonding behaviour involving reciprocal contact. Bringing their head so close to another cat’s teeth and claws makes a bunter extremely vulnerable, cats will typically only engage in this behaviour when they feel safe and trust the recipient. Researchers studying feral cat colonies determined that mutual head bunting occurs primarily between closely bonded individuals, such as littermates or mothers and their offspring. In multi-cat households, it’s an affiliative behaviour used to signal acceptance and reinforce bonds between related cats or non-related individuals who view each other as part of the same social group, which reduces conflict and encourages group cohesion.

Bonding with humans

Human-directed bunting is usually interpreted as an expression of love and trust – the feline equivalent of a kiss on the cheek. Though the scent of facial pheromones is undetectable to humans, bunting is a way for your cat to mark you and express that you belong to them, you’re their person and part of their social group. A study conducted in 2021 found that allorubbing is a significant reunion behaviour, with 83 percent of cats bunting or rubbing against their human companions after a separation.

Attention-seeking or solicitation behaviour

Some cats use bunting as an attention-seeking or solicitation behaviour, quickly learning that this endearing gesture is an effective way to get their pet parents to give in to their demands for food, petting or playtime. This is learned behaviour – if your cat bunts you and then immediately receives something desirable, like a tasty treat or your undivided attention, it reinforces the bunting, making it more likely to recur.

When should you be concerned?

While bunting is normally a behaviour displayed by happy, healthy cats, excessive bunting can indicate that an individual is feeling anxious or stressed, perhaps because of the presence of an intruder cat in the garden or a change in the scent profile of the house due to the arrival of a new kitten or cat, a dog, a baby or even new furniture, which can have a strong smell of fire-retardant chemicals, adhesives, varnishes or in the case of second-hand items, unfamiliar people or animals.

Aggressive bunting, where a cat forcefully headbutts a human or another cat, can be caused by territoriality, overstimulation or frustration, for example, if you have a lie-in and are late serving their breakfast.

If your cat bunts your dog, they won’t necessarily understand that this feline-specific behaviour is a sign of affection, and there’s a risk that they could respond aggressively, so it’s a good idea to monitor interactions and be ready to intervene if necessary to keep everyone safe.

It’s also important to be aware that a cat may rub their head against an object to try and relieve the discomfort caused by dental issues or an ear infection, which could be mistaken for bunting. If you witness your cat repeatedly pressing their head firmly against a wall, the floor or another solid surface, particularly for extended periods, seek immediate veterinary attention, as this could indicate a neurological disorder such as a brain tumour, trauma, inflammation, exposure to toxins or high blood pressure.

How to respond to bunting

Observe your cat’s body language – bunting is usually an intimate gesture of familiarity, love and trust, so if they are calm and relaxed, reciprocate by offering them a stroke or gentle scratch. The ‘CAT’ guidelines developed by feline behavioural researchers advise cat parents to focus their touch on facial regions unless their cat shows clear signs that they enjoy being touched in other areas of their body.

Cats generally prefer brief, low-intensity but frequent interactions – if you watch cats bunting each other, you’ll notice it’s usually quite a brief encounter. Cats tend to prefer to be the ones to initiate contact with their humans, so let your kitty approach you on their own terms and offer them your hand. If they want to interact, they will bunt against you, but if they don’t make contact, avoid stroking them and allow them to move away. If they do indicate that they want to be stroked, check in with them every 3–5 seconds, pausing to see if they bunt you again to ask for more attention. If they don’t want to engage in petting, it could be that they’re hungry or feeling playful, so offer a favourite snack or get out a wand toy and indulge them with 5–10 minutes of one-to-one interactive play.

You can encourage feel-good bunting behaviour by providing appropriate tactile surfaces around the house. Self-groomers or feline massagers positioned at cat head height on prominent corners of walls or furniture are a popular target. If you clicker train your cat, the opportunity to bunt against a rubber grooming mitt or silicone massage brush can also be an effective non-food reinforcer (reward).

If you notice greasy brown marks where your cat has bunted against doors, doorways, or the corners of walls or furniture, try to resist the temptation to clean them. Constantly removing their scent marks can cause disorientation or anxiety, so, leave them undisturbed to help your kitty feel more relaxed at home. Introducing diffusers or sprays containing synthetic F3 facial pheromone can help your cat cope with stressful situations, such as moving house or the arrival of a new pet, by topping up the reassuring smell.

References

Behnke, Alexandra C., et al. “The Effect of Owner Presence and Scent on Stress Resilience in Cats.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 243, Oct. 2021, p. 105444.

Crowell-Davis, Sharon L., et al. “Social Organization in the Cat: A Modern Understanding.” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, vol. 6, no. 1, Feb. 2004, pp. 19–28.

Haywood, Camilla, et al. “Providing Humans with Practical, Best Practice Handling Guidelines during Human-Cat Interactions Increases Cats’ Affiliative Behaviour and Reduces Aggression and Signs of Conflict.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, vol. 8, July 2021.

Vitale, Kristyn R. “Tools for Managing Feline Problem Behaviors: Pheromone Therapy.” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, vol. 20, no. 11, Oct. 2018, pp. 1024–32.

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Headbutts & Boops: Why Your Cat Is Bunting You