Cats have scent glands in various spots on their bodies including on the forehead, lips, front paws, and on their flanks and rears. Through these spots they release chemical messages called pheromones.
Pheromones are unique to each cat in a similar way to a human fingerprint. Cats produce several different pheromones that send various signals which in turn affect a number of different behaviours including its reproductive status, marking of territory and to signal comfort and familiarity.
Through rubbing, cats mark their territory, claim ownership and establish group scents whilst also overriding scents left by other animals. Often when a cat finds an area scented by another cat it will rub its face against it in a process known as “chinning” until it is satisfied that its own scent is stronger and it has therefore claimed ownership of the area.
Pheromones convey information to other cats, such as the identity of the cat, when it was there, which direction it was travelling, and even what kind of mood it was in.
When you stroke a cat you pick up pheromones. Combined with this a cat will often rub his entire body along his favourite humans to mark them as part of his group. Does your cat sometimes act differently around you? Many cats will change their behaviour towards a well-known human who has recently stroked a cat that is not part of the home group because they feel threatened by the other cat’s scent.
Pheromones secreted by glands on the face seem to have a calming effect on cats. If you have more than one cat, you may notice them rubbing their faces against each other. The physical contact of head rubbing help them to feel more comfortable with each other and more secure in their home territory.
Scratching is another way that cats claim ownership. The combination of visible claw marks coupled with the scent left behind from scent glands in your cat’s paws marks the territory as their own.
Read more about cats scratching and also how to stop your cat from scratching your furniture in this blog post http://www.secureakat.com.au/1/category/scratching/1.html
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