Why cats touch noses, and how to say hello with a fingertip

When two friendly cats meet, they often touch noses before anything else. It is the feline version of a handshake.

Reading each other by scent

A cat's sense of smell is far keener than ours, and scent tells it a lot: who the other cat is, where it has been and whether it belongs to the group. A quick nose touch lets two cats check each other's smell up close. Friendly cats may follow it with head rubs that mix their scents together.

The fingertip greeting

You can borrow this greeting. Hold out a relaxed finger or the back of your hand at the cat's nose height, a little way off, and wait. A cat that wants to say hello will come forward and sniff, and may then rub its cheek against your hand. That is a good moment for a gentle chin scratch.

If the cat walks away

Some cats sniff and then leave, and that is a perfectly polite answer. Pushing a hand toward a cat's face, especially from above, can feel threatening, so let the cat close the distance.

The head rub that follows

If a cat bumps its forehead or rubs its cheek against you after the sniff, it is marking you with its scent. It is one of the clearest signs that the cat counts you as part of its group.