Trying to understand any aspect of your cat’s behavior can be frustrating, to say the least, and as all cat owners know, cats certainly have a wide array of strange behaviors! One of these is rubbing up against your legs. Usually, a cat rubbing up against your legs is a good sign, whether it’s from a stray, a friend’s cat, or your own furry friend, and there is no reason to worry. In fact, out of all the strange behaviors that cats are capable of, this one is the easiest to decipher and it’s usually good news!

In this article, we’ll look at the three common reasons that cats rub up against your legs. Let’s dive in!

The Reasons Cats Rub Up Againist You

1. Scent

Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell to interpret the world around them. When they push their head against you or rub their bodies on your legs, they are picking up various scents that tell them where you’ve been and what animals you’ve been in contact with. It is simply how they gain information in their own unique way. This is also an affectionate gesture, and they’re just letting you know that they are happy that you’re around, regardless of the other cats that you may have been petting!

2. Territory

Cats have several different scent glands on different parts of their bodies that secrete specific pheromones, including on their tails, cheeks, foreheads, paws, and anus. When they rub their body up against you, it’s their way of marking their territory and depositing their unique scent onto your clothes. This is their way of telling other cats that you belong to them!

Researchers have documented feral cats rubbing their heads on each other to signal that they’re part of the same pack or tribe. This is a form of communication, recognition, and tribal acceptance, and when cats do this to their owners, they are mixing their scent with yours and marking you as a part of their tribe.

Cats that do not like somebody will typically not do this, a strong indicator that the person is not accepted as a part of their tribe!

3. Affection

Seeing you as a part of their tribe and family, cats will rub against you and butt their heads into yours as signs of affection and acceptance. While cats are unlikely to rub up against an individual they don’t like, they may rub up against a stranger to gain new scents and information. This may be a sign of affection in some cats, but in others, it is simply a way to gain information and not necessarily an invitation for attention and petting.

What about rubbing against furniture?

Cats will rub against furniture for the same reason as your legs: to deposit their scent and stake their territory. This is usually accompanied by scratching and clawing furniture too, a typically unwanted behavior for cat owners!

Final thoughts

While there are territorial reasons for cats rubbing against your legs and they are often attempting to get information, it is predominately a sign of affection and acceptance. When your cat rubs up against you, they are marking you as a part of their tribe, and you can feel proud to be a member!

See also:

• Why Do Cats Rub Their Face on Things? 6 Reasons for This Behavior
• Why Are Cats So Curious? 7 Reasons For This Behavior

Featured Image: Evan Abram McGinnis, Shutterstock