Smelling butt is a very natural, instinctive and basic way of communicating between cats. First of all, because cats have the most developed sense of smell; secondly, they have the most information about the anal glands (gender, estrus or not, health and diet, fear and emotions, territory marks).
The main functions of this behavior are:
Say hello and collect information on the other party
For cats who meet for the first time and have a contaminated smell (such as going to a hospital), sniffing their butts can also get a lot of useful information more accurately:
Quickly determine whether I and I have met before? Is
TA nervous or strong desire to attack, is it a friend or an enemy? Is
TA's body healthy, is it easy to deal with?
...
Strong cats establish dominance, determine that superiors and subordinates
Dominated cats usually take the initiative to attack and sniff out other cats' butts. When it is smelled, they will make a hissing warning to avoid being smelled;
Wife cats will sit down, use their tails to resist the anus, restrict themselves from smelling, disguise themselves as air, and avoid being targeted by the strong brother.
Send mating information
If the unspasted cats smell each other's butts when they meet...the most important thing is to confirm the other's gender, whether it is in the estrus period, and send mating information to the other party.
A certain degree of condolence effect
When there are environmental changes or other environmental stimulation, the sniffing (peripheral anus and facial) between the members of the multi-cat family can help cats relieve tension and stress to a certain extent.
If the cat lets me smell her butt...
If the cat exposes her butt to you, it means that she has no disguise in front of you, does not need to hide her own smell, and is even willing to share with you his diet, health, emotions... all kinds of trivial matters.
For cats who are sensitive and suspicious by nature, this action fully expresses your trust and recognition of you!
What should I do if the cat lets me smell it?
Behaviorists do not recommend interrupting this behavior (let you smell/cats smell each other). This is equivalent to stopping you from shaking hands with friends for no reason - it will upset (the cat).