🐱 Cat behavior · common
Head Bunt
Your cat rubs the side of its head firmly against your leg. What's happening?
Short answer
Marking you with their scent — claiming you as safe
Collectible · common
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What it actually means
Cats have scent glands on their cheeks, chin, and forehead. "Bunting" deposits their scent on you, mixing your smell with theirs. It's not ownership — it's group-identity creation.
What to do
If your cat bunts you, it's saying you're part of its colony. Don't push it away during a bunt; that breaks the trust ritual.
📚 Source: Bradshaw & Cameron-Beaumont, 2000 — analyzed allorubbing as a primary affiliative behavior in cohabiting cats.
Test your knowledge
Your cat rubs the side of its head firmly against your leg. What's happening?
- Scratching an itch
- Marking you with their scent — claiming you as safe✓ correct
- Showing dominance over you
- Begging for food