Cats, in their complex and often mysterious ways, engage in fascinating social behaviors. Among these are allogrooming and allorubbing, actions where cats groom or rub against each other, other animals, objects, or their human companions. While these behaviors might seem simple acts of affection or hygiene, they play a crucial role in feline communication and social bonding. For any cat parent, understanding the “why” behind these actions is key to strengthening the relationship with their feline friends. Let’s delve into these captivating behaviors.
Allogrooming in Cats: More Than Just Cleanliness
Allogrooming, the act of one animal grooming another, is most familiarly seen when a mother cat meticulously cleans her kittens. However, this behavior extends beyond maternal care and takes on more intricate social dimensions in adult cats. While grooming’s primary function is cleanliness, observations show that cats who allogroom aren’t necessarily cleaner than solitary cats, suggesting a deeper social purpose.
The groomer typically approaches the other cat with an upright tail, a common sign of positive social interaction. Most allogrooming occurs around the head and neck area, particularly in colonies of familiar cats. This behavior is a significant way for cats to spread their scent within the group, reinforcing their collective identity.
Redirected Aggression and Dominance Dynamics
Beyond hygiene and scent marking, scientists theorize that allogrooming serves as a mechanism for redirecting aggression or displaying dominance. Studies indicate that a large majority of allogrooming interactions are initiated when one cat approaches or invites the other, rather than when they are already in close proximity.
Research suggests a pattern where more dominant cats tend to groom lower-ranking cats more frequently. Interestingly, in some instances, the groomer might exhibit aggression toward the groomed cat shortly after the grooming session. This can be linked to redirected aggression, where a cat, unable to act on frustration towards an inaccessible target, redirects its aggression onto another available individual. From an evolutionary perspective, maintaining harmony within a cat colony is vital for survival. Frequent fights risk injury and can attract predators. Allogrooming may, therefore, be a social lubricant that promotes peace, reduces conflict, and maintains the colony’s balance.
Observations in multi-cat households also reveal that cats in smaller living spaces exhibit higher rates of allogrooming and less aggressive behavior towards each other. Furthermore, studies indicate that male cats engage in allogrooming more frequently than females, often initiating the behavior. This aligns with the hypothesis that allogrooming can be tied to dominance, as male cats, particularly in outdoor colonies, tend to display more aggressive tendencies.
Personal Observations on Allogrooming:
While scientific data provides valuable insights, personal experience offers additional perspectives. A cat that purrs and tilts its head for grooming likely enjoys the social bonding and reassurance it provides. Even if a dominant cat initiates grooming, it doesn’t always signify redirected aggression, especially if the cats share a peaceful coexistence. It’s also noteworthy that cats will groom unfamiliar cats, as seen when introducing new foster cats to resident felines. A touching observation is when cats groom sick companions, sometimes even those they don’t typically interact with closely. This act can serve as an indicator of a feline’s declining health, as seen when a cat groomed another the day before it was to be euthanized.
Allorubbing in Cats: Scent Marking and Communication
Allorubbing involves cats rubbing their heads, necks, or flanks against each other, as well as against humans and objects. This behavior is driven by scent glands located on various parts of their bodies, which release pheromones. These pheromones act as chemical signals, allowing cats to mark their territory, communicate their presence, and convey a sense of safety and familiarity. While it’s believed that rubbing against each other helps create a unified group scent, more research is needed in this area.
Pheromones can be thought of as “sticky notes” that convey messages like “This is safe,” “Mark this spot,” or “This belongs to me.” Cats detect these pheromones using the vomeronasal organ, located in the roof of their mouths. When a cat exhibits a slight mouth opening after smelling something, known as the flehmen response, it’s a sign they are actively processing pheromonal information. Cats tend to focus on scent glands around the head and genital areas, as these likely provide the most crucial information. Studies suggest that allorubbing occurs more frequently between females or between males and females compared to interactions solely between males. Often, cats will lift their tails as a precursor to rubbing.
Understanding Facial Pheromones
“Bunting” is the specific term for cats rubbing their heads against surfaces. The cat’s head is rich in scent glands, including those near the ears, above the eyes, on the cheeks, at the corners of the mouth, and on the chin. While the exact function of each gland’s secretion isn’t fully understood, facial pheromones alone are composed of numerous distinct chemicals.
Scientists have identified five types of facial pheromones, with two having been synthesized for use in commercial diffusers and sprays. F3, for instance, is a comforting pheromone released on objects, potentially indicating territory or safety, thereby reducing anxiety. Brands like Feliway offer synthetic versions of these calming pheromones. F4 is released when cats rub against each other or humans, signifying familiarity and potentially reducing aggression.
Mother-Kitten Pheromones and Scratching Signals
Mothers release the cat appeasing pheromone (CAP) from their mammary glands, which helps kittens feel secure. Synthetic versions of this pheromone are also available for calming purposes. Additionally, cats possess interdigital glands in their toe pads that release a pheromone when they scratch. This feline interdigital semiochemical encourages further scratching of that object, explaining why one cat’s scratching often prompts others to join in.
Personal Observations on Allorubbing:
Allorubbing is frequently associated with greetings, such as when cats greet their owners upon return or acknowledge each other. Unlike allogrooming, allorubbing rarely leads to aggression, suggesting a different primary purpose. When introducing new items into a home, cats often smell and then rub against them, signaling both safety and ownership. The concept of a “group scent” created by allorubbing is a topic of debate, but anecdotal evidence, such as “pod aggression” where cats fail to recognize a returning companion after a vet visit, suggests its importance. It’s hypothesized that external scents can mask this group scent, hindering recognition. The intricate world of pheromones likely holds further secrets, potentially revealing how cats communicate health and emotional states to one another, influencing social dynamics and relationships.
Sources
Bradshaw, J. W. S., Casey, R. A., & Brown, S. L. (2012). The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat (2nd ed.). CABI.
Turner, D. C., & Bateson, P. (2019). The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Van den Bos, R. (n.d.). The Function of Allogrooming in Domestic Cats; a Study in a Group of Cats Living in Confinement. ocrmypdf-LINK-325-44.pdf
Curtis, T. M., Knowles, R. J., & Crowell-Davis, S. L. (2006). Influence of familiarity and relatedness on proximity and allogrooming in domestic cats. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 1(1), 13-21.
Bradshaw, J. W. S. (2015). Sociality in Cats: A Comprehensive Review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 167, 1-9.
Feliway. (n.d.). What Are Pheromones. Retrieved from https://us.feliway.com/pages/what-are-cat-pheromones
