Abby loves to be rubbed under her chin and then up and over her ears then down the other side of her face and up and over her ears. This is repeated over and over and over again. She will then arch her back and she wants to be rubbed down her side and a tiny little scritch over her tail(less) area. She is so cute when she is 'dancing' on the counter, she reminds me of a tiny ballerina.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your cat has special scent glands located in various parts of his body, including the area underneath the skin on his chin, and the area around his eyes. When your cat rubs up against you with his head, he is actually “marking” you with his own scent, as a signal to other cats that he is claiming you as “his”! You will probably notice that when your cat is doing this behavior, he is in a loving, peaceful and contented mood. The scent glands around his face release what are known as “facial pheromones”, sometimes dubbed “happy hormones”! You should feel honored when your cat does this behavior to you as it is demonstrating his deep affection for you. Rubbing his head against your shoes is also a marking behavior - perhaps your cat is trying to cover up the scents from where you have been during the course of the day (which of course will be on your shoes) with his own scent, signifying again his “claim” on you.
