Head Bunting: What Your Cat Writes on You With Its Cheeks

Scent glands line the cheeks, chin, and temples, and the rub called bunting deposits the cat's own scent onto people, legs, and objects.

In cat groups, mutual rubbing builds a shared group scent, so being bunted effectively registers you as one of us, serving social and soothing functions.

Cats also rub doorframes and furniture to map safe territory, and more marking after household changes is normal rebuilding, so do not rush to wipe it away.

One distinction is critical: pressing the head hard against a wall and holding still is head pressing, an emergency neurological or metabolic sign needing immediate care.