This is why your cat rubs against your legs

There is usually a good reason why your cat rubs against your legs. Its behavior can have positive meanings.

What does your cat want to say when it rubs against your legs? While this behavior can have multiple meanings, it is generally a sign of your pet’s love and devotion towards you. However, there may be some other reasons if your kitty consistently does this.

It may serve as marking if the cat rubs against your legs

Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell to gather information about the world around them. They have glands on their chins, faces, foreheads, and even their paws that secrete pheromones. These compounds are odorless to humans but easily detectable by other cats.

Pheromones reveal a lot about the cat that left them behind.

This includes the cat’s gender as well as its current mood. One possible explanation for your pet rubbing against you is to mark you as its own and safe, and to communicate this information to other cats. This is a form of territorial behavior that indicates a bonded relationship. Similar territorial marking is seen with urine marking.

It can also be a call for attention

When you come home after a long workday and your cat rubs against your legs, it is most likely seeking your attention. It might be because it is hungry, or it might want to play or get some affection. This is especially common when it rubs its face against you — whether targeting your legs or your hands.

However, some cats do not tolerate petting as well and can become overstimulated. You know your own kitty.

It is worth waiting for your pet to approach you, and when it does, pet and scratch it under its chin rather than on its back, as dogs tend to appreciate.

It can also express affection

The cat’s behavior can also mean that it feels safe in your company. If it rubs against an object instead of you, it might be signaling that it is happy and content in its environment. This behavior can also be observed with new objects. After becoming familiar with and deeming them safe, it rubs against them to retain this information for the future.

Confident, happy cats have relaxed faces, with no signs of tension around their eyes, ears, and whiskers. A similar mental state is indicated by slow blinking or if the animal comfortably lies on its side or back.