Why Does My Cat Sniff My Face?
Cat owners learn pretty quickly that furbabies come with their own special quirks. But you might not realize that some of their strange behavior is actually pretty common with other felines, too. For example, have you ever cuddled up with your cutie and found yourself wondering, “Why does my cat sniff my face?”
You’re not the only one! It turns out, there are a couple reasons for them to suddenly be so interested in the way your face smells — and they’re pretty darn adorable. Those who own more than one cat may already notice that they frequently greet each other with a quick sniff of each other’s faces. It’s basically their way of saying, “Oh yeah, that’s you! Hello!”
Animal Path explains this is because cats have an amazing sense of smell which allows them to instantly identify the aromas they trust and feel safe around. If you often find your kitty curling up near your face and giving you a quick sniff before settling down, they’re just reminding themselves that you are indeed part of their comfort zone. It’s similar to them headbutting against your noggin. They both are sweet signs of affection!
Is your cat sniffing your face more often while your asleep rather than awake? As annoying as it might be to be abruptly woken up from the gentle whiff, it could still be for an endearing reason: They want to make sure you’re doing OK after not moving for a few hours. This can be especially true if they tend to spend their nights wandering around (and getting into trouble) only to return and find you still conked out. That, or they’ve picked up on the fact that it’s a great way to quickly get you out of bed while you’re still a half asleep — but awake enough to pour them some food or treats in the early hours of the morning.
Whatever the reason, there’s no denying it’s super cute when you feel those tiny noses sniffing your skin… even if you were in dreamland a few moments beforehand. Just add it to the never-ending list of adorably odd cat behaviors, like licking your face or following you into the bathroom. But they’re all exactly why we love these little weirdos!
