social
Rubbing Their Whole Body Along You (Allorubbing)
A friendly, bonding rub of the flank, side and tail along you or another cat — sharing scent to build a familiar 'group smell'
It is not just the head: a happy cat will often press its whole side against your legs and drag its body and curling tail along you as it passes. This full-body rub, called allorubbing, is one of the warmest social gestures a cat makes.
More than a head-bump
Cheek and head rubbing (bunting) gets a lot of attention, but cats also perform a longer, whole-body version: they lean their flank in, run their side along your leg or another cat, and finish by trailing the tail around you. Behaviourists call this allorubbing — mutual rubbing between members of a social group — and it is something cats reserve for individuals they trust and count as family.
Building a shared scent
Cats carry scent glands along the body and at the base of the tail, not just on the face. By rubbing along you, your cat both deposits its own scent and picks up yours, blending the two into a communal 'colony smell'. A group of cats that get on will rub over one another this way so everyone shares a single, reassuring family odour. When your cat does it to you, it is quite literally folding you into its group.
A greeting and a bond
Allorubbing spikes at reunions — you come home, and the cat winds figure-of-eights around your ankles, side and tail brushing as it goes. It is greeting, affection and scent-sharing rolled into one, and it is a strong sign of a secure, trusting relationship. Cats that dislike or fear each other do not allorub; the gesture is offered, never forced.
🐾 Most common in
Confident, well-bonded cats greeting a favourite person or a companion cat they get along with, especially at reunions and feeding times. Sociable cats and closely-bonded pairs do it most.