# Is it weird that my cat doesn't EVER rub her face on things?



## bunnygrrrl3000 (Oct 30, 2014)

Hello all!

Me and my Mabel have been together for about 3 weeks now. In that time I have not seen her rub her face on a single thing.

From what I understand, this is a way that cats get their scent on what they deem to be their territory/property. Cats rubs their faces on couches to say the couch is their, cats rubs their face on you to tell other cats that you are theirs, cats rub their faces on any darn thing to let everyone know that everything is theirs.

Every cat I have met does this, except Mabel. She seems confident enough, but is she not confident enough to get her scent on everything yet?

Just curious to see what everyone thinks about this absence of normal cat behavior.


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## Marmoset (Feb 18, 2014)

I think she's still settling in. I don't remember how long it took my cats to start rubbing their faces on things but it was pretty quick- within a couple of weeks. I'm willing to bet she'll start rubbing soon.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I agree with _Marmoset_....she hasn't really settled yet, and established that it's now her territory. Some cats do this more than others.....my girl Alkee likes to rub on things, especially visitors' purses and shoes; my boy Zuba isn't interested in scent marking as much.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I have 6 cats and only one is an active overt "marker", meaning if they are doing it I never see them. Coco has every vertical edge in the house marked with brown/black gooey rubs. I make the rounds and constantly spray to clean them off only to have her do it all over again. I don't really mind though. Everytime she gets frisky and starts playing "tag" with the other cats she immediately rubs and rubs and rubs anything near her - chairs, doorways, furniture legs, etc. She is very territorial I think.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

I just thought about it, but see if she's affected by some good quality, loose catnip! That should get her face rubbing started! :grin:


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## isaytoodlepip (Jul 28, 2014)

My Rigby only just started rubbing his face on me (nothing else though) and he's almost 8 months old. Of course, he lost his mom and litter when he was just a couple of weeks old. I'm not sure how much of this behavior is instinctive and how much is learned.


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## bunnygrrrl3000 (Oct 30, 2014)

TabbCatt said:


> I just thought about it, but see if she's affected by some good quality, loose catnip! That should get her face rubbing started! :grin:


omg, I laid a bowl of loose catnip in front of her and she dunked her entire face, chin, and chest in it 8O. Then she flipped over on her back and rolled in it. So.. much... catnip. I'm going to be brushing it out of her mane for days! haha


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Lol, that sounds soooo hilarious! :thumb I wish I was there to see it! But yeah, it sure is funny to see our kitties get that similar reaction everytime! :lol:

Btw, I only use a few pinches here and there on my carpet floor, then save the rest for another day (locked away safely, of course). I usually let them have their "frenzy" once a week. Any more, they won't be as affected. It's great to use when you just need the cats to be temporarily distracted/occupied and you can do something else in that short 5-10 minutes, lol.


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