Have you ever been sitting on your couch, or walking through your kitchen, when suddenly your cat flies through the air and slams you with their body?
Have you been the victim of this adorable behavior and found yourself asking, “Why does my cat body slam me?”
Believe it or not, this is actually a common and normal thing that cats do, although this isn’t well known.
There is no need to be alarmed!
Keep reading to find out why cats engage in this unusual behavior.
Cat body slamming is a common behavior and usually, there is no need for alarm. Cats do this to rub their scent on you because they like you and want to mark you as their own. Other reasons why your cat is body slamming you are your cat wanting to play, your cat trying to grab your attention, your cat wanting to bond with you, your cat asking for something, or your cat expressing emotions of happiness or excitement. To identify if this is aggressive behavior on the part of your cat, look for other body language clues like ears back, big pupils, and hissing. More often than not, this is an innocent behavior on the part of your furry friend, usually wanting to show you love or engage you in play.
If you understand the science behind your cat’s body slamming you, this issue will become more clear and you will grow closer to your cat.
There is a technical name for this behavior- it is called bunting.
Bunting includes all forms of rubbing: face, cheeks, foreheads, and full body,
But why do cats do this?
Cats have glands all over their body that produce and release pheromones. After rubbing their bodies on an object, their smell is transferred from their glands to the object that they are rubbing against.
They do this, of course, to mark their territory
If your cat does this to you, they are marking you as their territory. You can take this as a compliment since your cat clearly wants to belong to you!
It is safe to say that cats can do this as a sign of affection to their owners.
Body slamming is easy to identify.
I’m sure that you have experienced it before since most cats do this.
Although, as always, cats are unpredictable and no two cats are the same. So, if your cat doesn’t do this, that is totally fine. If not, that is okay, too.
If your cat comes up to you and rubs their face or any other part of their body against you, then this is the body slam. Some cats may do this more aggressively than others. For example, some cats will launch their bodies at you unexpectedly!
My cat is fairly gentle when he does this, as he is usually wanting some attention or some food.
For example, when I come home from work he may run over to me and rub his cheeks, or even bop the very top of his head against my leg. This is no coincidence since I usually feed him as soon as I get home! However, he has been known to do this if he wants to play or if he wants more attention.
—>>If your cat is body slamming your door at night, see our article on cats body slamming doors!<—
Cats are playful by nature, and one way that they try to engage their humans in play is by throwing their bodies up against you.
It can take some time to adjust your mindset so that you automatically realize what your cat is doing, but it will definitely come with time if you make the conscious effort to make the connection. They may do this especially if you have been caught up in something for a while and they are trying to grab your attention.
In other words, they are asking for some play time!
For more or engaging your cat in play, see our article here.
Sometimes you may not realize it, but you may have been caught up in a task for a long time and have been ignoring your cat!
Your cat slamming his body, his head, or rubbing his face up against you is their way of asking you to pay attention to them.
We are programmed to understand that dogs need attention, but cats actually need a lot of attention and quality time from their owners as well.
I realized this one day for myself when I was on my phone. My cat started to rub his face up against it, asking for my attention, and I don’t even typically spend a lot of time on my phone.
For more on cats rubbing up against phones, see our full article here.
Your cat may want to bond with you!
Slamming their body against you is non-verbal communication.
Your cat is using his body to tell you that you are all right with him or her and that they want to spend time with you!
In particular, they are showing that they trust you enough and are comfortable enough with you to do this.
For more on bonding with your cat, see our article on what cats love here.
For bonding with your cat through petting their ears, check out our article here.
My cat is on a diet. He definitely loves his food and wants more than I’m giving him.
One of the ways that he tells me he is hungry is by rubbing his face or body up against my leg. Sometimes, I will also get a head butt.
This reminds me that it is dinner time for my cat, close to dinner time, or that he wants dinnertime
Cats use the body slam as a form of communication. They can use it to ask for anything, not just food.
Of course, since non-verbal communication is big for cats, cats will body-slam you as a way of expressing emotions.
Usually, these emotions are positive and can often simply be happiness or excitement.
As I mentioned before, my cat will do this to me if he is excited to see me when I come home, if he is happily playing with me, or if he is excitedly anticipating lunch and asking for food.
For more on the basics behind interpreting cat behavior, see this article by Animal Friends.
This behavior is usually not aggressive on the part of your cat. More often than not, the body slam can be misinterpretated as aggressive when your cat is simply expressing happiness or excitement; wanting to play; asking for something; wanting your attention; or wanting to bond with you.
Body slamming is actually a super common behavior and there is no need for alarm.
However, it’s important to understand your individual cat. Your cat may not fit the normal mold, and may actually be expressing aggressive behavior. If so, there will be other very obvious signs that your cat is upset like hissing, ears back, big pupils, scratches, bites, and bristly fur.
For more or identifying cat aggression, see this article by the Cornell Feline Health Centre.
Cats often engage in behaviors that bewilder us.
Body slamming is no exception.
Through observation and by getting to know your cat, you can determine, “Why does my cat body slam me?” with ease.
Does your cat engage in this behavior? Fill us in in the comments below.
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