“When cats head bunt, they’re creating a communal scent in a free-roaming universe. Cats recognize each other by scent first and foremost,” said Pam Johnson-Bennett, a cat behavior expert and author of seven books on cat behavior.⁠ ⁠ Head bunting, which most of us have been mistakenly referring to as head butting, is a way for cats to exchange scents so that everyone in their environment—their colony—smells the same. It’s similar to a jowl or cheek rub, which is also done to leave their scent on the things and people they have claimed, but it is not the same.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ Ingrid Johnson, a certified cat behavior consultant who has been featured on Animal Planet, says bunting is a form of bonding.⁠ “They’re saying ‘I love you. You’re so wonderful, but you’re also a little stinky. Let’s get you smelling like us,” Johnson said.⁠ ⁠ Cats do that by activating the scent glands, which excrete pheromones on the area of their head just above the eye, but below the ear. Johnson affectionately ref...