Have you ever seen two cats rubbing their noses? You may be wondering what it means when they touch noses.
Well, cats are master communicators who do everything deliberately. Some of their actions are pretty fascinating to watch.
Most of your kitty’s actions act as methods of purposeful communication. Many people only think of “meow” when it comes to cat communication.
But that’s not just it. Cats have various ways of communicating, and most of them are non-verbal, like touching the nose.
Cats carry out non-verbal communication because they belong to the family of solitary predators. That is, to stay, they need to lie low; otherwise, their cover will be blown, and they will end up missing their target.
They try to be as sneaky and quiet as possible, so they successfully ambush their prey.
Cats touch noses when they are expressing some sort of information. What is the reason behind that? Let’s find out.
The Role of Pheromones
Cats communicate non-verbally through scent. Through pheromones, they express their mating preference, territorial aggression, age, sex, and social hierarchy.
Pheromones are chemical signals that cats send to each other. These signals are released from pheromone glands in different body parts such as in the cheeks, forehead, chin, lower ear, tail, paw pads, and rear back.
Cats use pheromone signals to claim their domain by rubbing their cheeks on the items they want to protect.
As the face area releases pheromones, it is easier for the cat to claim its ownership of anything by rubbing its face on it. This is the reason cats touch noses to smell each other.
Top 3 Reasons why Cats Touch Noses
Cats are interesting creatures. And cat lovers often question their behaviour, such as why their kitties touch noses.
Here are the top 3 reasons behind of cat’s nose touching.
A Sign of Greeting
The most common reason that cats touch noses is because they are greeting each other. Nose touching is like their handshaking.
Cats can smell each other’s pheromones when they greet like this. It adds to their familiarity. If there is no sign of aggressiveness, then cats are greeting, so don’t disturb them and let the greeting happen.
Cats learn this behaviour from the time they are little kittens. Mother cats touch their nose with their blind and deaf kittens for recognition.
So they grow up doing the same when they greet. But this is only limited to familiar faces.
They Are Giving A Warning
If the cat is touching noses with any outsider cat, it is because of violent behaviour in response to the territorial aggression.
Pheromones are also a way to communicate dominance and establish a social hierarchy. Cats do this when any of them invades others’ territory.
Cats have a strong urge to display territorial behaviour and are likely to do anything to keep invading cats out of their territory. They touch noses to warn the other cats to maintain the peace.
They Want To Know Others’ Whereabouts
Cats sometimes touch noses not to greet but to know where the other cat is coming from. The cat will do this to the other cats that are familiar to them.
When a cat is out and about, it rubs its pheromones on different things and these items also leave a scent on the kitty.
Other cats can smell this scent and know where it has been. Cats touch the noses because they are curious what the other cat has been up to.
I often see this behaviour with my cats if one of them returns from a trip to the vets, or if one of them has gone adventuring outside, and the others haven’t.
What Does It Mean When Cats Touch Noses With You?
It’s not only other cats that your cat will touch noses with, you kitty may also boop you on the snoot.
Want to know what it means when a cat touches noses with you?
Well, cats like to rub their faces and butt their heads against you. You might think of it as a normal, mischievous behaviour displayed by your furry friend to get your attention, but it is more than that.
Your cat is touching its nose to express its love for you. A touching nose is like a conduit of fondness for cats.
Therefore, when your cat touches noses with you, it’s simply saying hello and showing you how much it loves you. Because, yes, contrary to popular belief, cats can and do love us.
What Does It Mean When A Cat Touches Its Nose On My Hand?
Some cats try to rub their nose on your hand instead of your face and nose. This is because they are scared to make a direct interaction.
They want to keep it slow and check you out by touching your hands first. They think of your hand as a substitute for the nose and try to understand your scent this way.
Once the cat is comfortable, it will soon be touching your nose and cheeks instead of your hands.
They love to greet and mix their scents with you by touching noses. This is also a way to get familiar with a new cat.
Hold your finger a few inches away from the cat. If it comes to sniffing your finger, the cat is trying to be comfortable with you.
What Do Cats Think of Us?
In the world of cats, big creatures similar to our size can be a sign of danger. But cats aren’t afraid of you. They know you won’t hurt them because of their experience with you.
However, since the friendliness doesn’t match with the size criteria a cat has generally set, it makes them think about how to deal with you.
And they will use various behavioural methods to figure you out and communicate with you.
According to experts, the interesting fact about cats is that their brains visualize humans in proportion to cats. Yes! Your cat is perceiving you as a fellow cat and thus reacting according to that.
Your cat treats you the same way as it would to other family members. That is by touching noses and butting heads against each other to smell pheromones.
Cats might perceive you as a weird being, but they love you. You are the oddest cat they have ever come across, but you are loveable and you feed them!
Conclusion
Cats touch their noses only with those who they trust. It can be other felines, humans, or even other pets in the home.
Cats release pheromones when they rub their face against anything. This is to claim their ownership and keep the other cats away.
They also touch their noses to greet other cats and know where they have been. It is a natural behaviour that cats learn soon after birth.
