Face Pressing: What It Means, And How To Recognize It
Posted on: 3 February 2016
Share
You might be surprised to know that a cat pressing their face against objects or walls is a warning sign of a serious health condition. After all, cats rub their faces against their people, fellow cats, and objects in order to mark them with their scent. While these actions are friendly in nature and completely normal, face pressing is a different behavior that can mean there's a problem. This guide will help you to learn the difference between friendly face-rubbing and face pressing and what to do if your cat is face pressing.
The Difference
Generally speaking, when cats bump their heads against you, other cats, or objects in your home, they're trying to mark their target with their scent. You may have noticed that even though your cat initially bumps their forehead into their target, they then rub their cheek against it. This is because cats have a large amount of scent glands in their cheeks that they use to leave their personal scent behind on whatever they rub against.
Face pressing, however, doesn't involve cheek rubbing, and it's not a friendly thing. Face pressing can be identified by a cat pushing their forehead against something, like a wall or a flat surface, and then simply standing there continuing to push. Your cat may also repeatedly bump the wall in the same place, or they may run into the wall and then shortly after walk into another wall face first.
The Prognosis
No one knows exactly why cats press their face into walls or objects when they have an illness, but it's one of the first warning signs of more serious problems. Face pressing can be a warning sign that something is wrong with your cat's nervous system. Narrowing it down further than that is up to a vet, but some possibilities include damage to portions of the brain, a brain tumor, a severe infection or exposure to toxic elements, or even a metabolic disorder.
Help
If you suspect that your cat is performing face pressing, get them to a veterinarian immediately. Your vet will perform a physical exam and if they feel that your cat might have a nerve or neurological disorder, they may perform an MRI to examine the brain.
Treatment depends upon what exactly is wrong with your cat. For example, tumors can be surgically removed or destroyed with radiation, and metabolic disorders can be treated with medications. In any case, there are no minor conditions that cause face pressing, so without help, your cat will probably only get worse.
Face pressing might look cute, but the underlying causes of this behavior are anything but. If your cat is face pressing, don't delay getting to a veterinarian immediately.
For a local vet clinic, contact an office such as North Lexington Veterinary Clinic.