Have you noticed how often your cat intentionally rubs up against you, the dog or a fellow feline housemate? She is not necessarily asking for food or attention, although probably wouldn’t turn it down if offered, but is marking and claiming the object with her personal scent. As each family member in turn touches the same object, their scents are blended together creating a group profile. An animal or person that purposely marks each family member, one after the other, is called a “social facilitator” by cat behaviorists.

Cats have a keen sense of smell. Marking objects (bulletin boards) with their scent communicates state of health, sexual status, and a myriad of other important information for those who come after to sniff (read) and add their own marks (answer). This is especially important in the wild as feral cats, single toms or whole colonies, claim territories and advertise for mates.

Inside the house, this group profile helps maintain a status quo and feeling of security. A cat’s territory is everything within eyesight, including what is viewed through a window. If a strange cat wanders into the yard and spray marks, it will cause disruption within the resident clowder because the scent drifting in will not be familiar. Sometimes this agitation will be played out as aggression between normal nap buddies, stepped-up marking or worse, possible spraying inside your home as your pets struggle to reclaim their territory.

This insecurity can also come about when carpet or furniture is changed out for something new. Just imagine the overpowering new smell and disturbing loss of the familiar group scent. The cats’ whole world seems to have changed and the only way to fix it is to mark the way nature intended by scratching and/or spraying, much to our dismay.

Unlike urine spraying, the best part of rub marking for us is that humans cannot smell it. We do, however, have to continually clean the telltale marks off of doorjambs and other corners. Be sure to use a non-toxic cleaner so the next cat that remarks the object and then grooms himself doesn’t ingest something dangerous.

Watch your cats and see if you can find a pattern in their markings. Does the alpha cat remark over another’s to maintain her social position? Does that same cat claim your lap and sleep closest to you with the lesser felines vacating the desired spot if the “boss” wants it?

Remember as you pet your cats to be a social facilitator and give them all equal time. I’ll bet they mark you back claiming you as their special person.