“Why does my cat sniff my eye?” I bet you’ve asked yourself this question at least once. I know that I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.
So, is there any particular reason your pet’s so interested in your eyes? Could it be that she just enjoys the intense eye contact or perhaps your eye color?
This is very unusual and weird behavior. But after all, cats are some odd creatures, aren’t they? I mean, what other animal goes around sniffing your eye or nose for instance?
There are a lot of questions, but I’m positive we’re going to find an answer to all of them. Maybe it’s going to blow our minds!
On the other hand, it might be something very logical but you just never gave it a second guess. It’s no secret that these mischievous little creatures are known to be quite inquisitive.
But is this really what’s the sniffing about, the curiosity? I’d say that there definitely has to be more to it.
Felines value their free time (which they have plenty of). Therefore, I don’t think an animal that busy will sniff my eye just out of pure curiosity or boredom.
After all, we all know about felines’ strong senses. They likely play an important role in this weird behavior.
Well, you must think that this is nothing new since we all rely on our senses. However, the difference is that we humans mostly use our vision as our strongest sense, whereas cats heavily rely on smell.
It’s a means of communication in the animal world that has great importance. With the help of this strong sense, they differentiate between what’s edible and what’s not.
Also, they use it as a tool for identification which is very important. This way they figure out who’s their friend and who’s the enemy.
The list really goes on and on. However, you must wonder where eye sniffing fits. Can we just rule out the curiosity?
Why does my cat sniff my eye: 5 actual reasons
Believe it or not, there are many reasons hidden under this seemingly unusual behavior. Sure, it doesn’t really mean a lot to us, but to cats, it all makes sense.
This is what might be confusing to humans. With feline domestication, people forgot that their furry little friends still belong in the animal world.
Therefore, they have certain behaviors that we might find hard to grasp. That’s why pet owners always have to have an open mind when it comes to their furbabies.
Before you think your cat’s an oddball for sniffing your eye, let’s think about all the possible causes of that behavior.
1. Sniffing as a means of identification
Identification is a huge deal among cats. In fact, this is an important thing in the whole animal world. Animals sniff each other in order to bond and remember their smell.
Have you ever heard of stories where a mom cat refuses to care for her kittens if somebody touched them? Unfortunately, these are true stories.
This happens when the mom’s scent wears off of her babies’ bodies. Therefore, they’re immediately unrecognizable to her and she doesn’t believe they’re her babies.
That’s the level of importance of smell in the feline world. Therefore, we can safely say that it can mean life or death.
In the wild, your pet would sniff various scents in order to determine whether it’s safe territory and whether it’s free or claimed by some other cat.
Moreover, let’s not forget a very crucial fact. With the help of their strong smell, felines can easily decide whether something’s safe for them to eat or not.
But where does eye sniffing come into the story? Your pet is sniffing you in order to confirm that you’re her owner and she just happens to choose to sniff your eye.
This behavior might especially be enhanced if you’re often away from home. So when you finally come home, you might expect your furkid jumping on your lap and taking a whiff of your eye.
2. Did you have a good cry?
“Why does my cat sniff my eye? Could it be because I cried?” Sure, this might also be an option.
You might’ve had a hard day and you just let it all out. Here comes your beloved pet trying to console you and she’s sniffing your watery eyes.
Your heart feels a bit lighter with every sniff she takes because you believe that’s her way of comforting you and showing you she knows you’re hurting. Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you.
It’s more probable that she’s just drawn to the saltiness of your tears. It might sound harsh, but let’s not forget who we’re talking about.
I’m not saying cats are heartless animals or that they don’t care about their owners. It’s just that if she were to give you a shoulder to cry on, she’d more likely cuddle against you or purr.
Purring is known to be very curing for some people, so it’s one of the health benefits of having a cat. However sniffing, not so much.
On the other hand, her sniffing might do a lot with helping you calm down. I know when my pet first started doing it, I used to be dumbstruck and wonder “why is my cat sniffing my eye?”.
Over time, I realized that it helped me relax. Even though she might not do it for the purpose of helping me, she unconsciously does.
3. A type of affection
We know cats aren’t the most affectionate pets out there. Or is it just the fact that they express their love in a different way?
If you were a dog owner, you’d be overwhelmed with the constant love and affection they’re offering you. It’s a 24/7 duty really.
On the other hand, we have animals such as felines that are greatly independent and don’t really require as much attention as their canine friends do.
However, your pet might be prancing around asking for some love and pets from time to time. She might be showing you love in different ways and you’re unaware of it.
For instance, when you wonder “why does my cat sniff my eye”, you’d never think it’s a type of affection. Actually, that may as well be the case.
Our furry companions can sometimes be weird (or all the time). However, in their world, it’s quite normal and something they deem fit.
Therefore, when your pet sniffs your eye without any obvious reason, she’s probably saying I love you.
Now, this doesn’t mean you have to sniff out your cat as well, don’t worry. A few pats on the head and some scratching of the back will be just fine.
4. Possible health issues
We’ve already established that felines’ senses are strong and immaculate. They rely heavily upon them in order to survive.
Have you ever heard of a mama cat abandoning her baby all of a sudden? It’s quite unfortunate, but it happens.
This often happens because a mama cat can sense something’s wrong with her kitten. She usually abandons the sick baby in order to save energy for caring for her other babies.
This isn’t something that we’re glad to hear, but it’s how nature works. Still, the point of this little story is the power of felines’ senses.
Therefore, it implies how cats can sense when someone’s sick. My pet will often notice my muscles aching.
For instance, she’ll curl up at the bottom of my feet and lay there purring away. It’s usually after a hard day when my feet are so sore.
Perhaps there’s something wrong with your eyes and sniffing is one way to tell you that. Cats don’t really know how to tell you when they sense a problem.
This weird and unusual behavior might just save you from having further issues. So, if you notice that she’s really been persistent with sniffing your eye lately, particularly one of them, you might want to go see a doctor.
5. Is she grooming me?
Once again, I’ll use the mother cat and her babies in order to explain this to you in the best way possible. We all know that it’s one of the purest bonds and forms of love in the whole world.
While people often cradle their babies and hold them in their arms and kiss them, cats can’t really do that. On the other hand, one of the most obvious and frequent signs of affection is licking.
A mother cat will lick her kittens in order to strengthen the bond between them, spend some quality time with them, and of course, clean them.
Cleaning small kittens is essential because they oftentimes have problems with cleaning themselves. This is especially important when it comes to their eye health.
Small furbabies will mostly have trouble with their eyes because they’re really prone to infections. Therefore, their mother cleans them regularly with her tongue in order to prevent any problems.
If your pet’s been sniffing and licking your eyes, she might be grooming you. Perhaps she believes that you need a bit of a touch-up from the professional!
You might notice this behavior mostly if your cat’s a female. Male felines don’t really have motherly instincts to be fair.
If your pet’s grooming you, it also means that she loves you. In the wild, animals will groom those who they consider to be their family members.
It’s true that these fascinating creatures never cease to amaze us. There’s just always more to their unusual behaviors and you can learn something new every day.
You might think of them as very simple creatures, or even boring to some extent due to their twenty-hour sleep. However, they are anything but that.
These are really complex animals that require thorough research. Even nowadays, when technology and research have been improved, we’re sometimes stuck and can’t find explanations for some of their behaviors.
Hopefully, this article has been helpful and has allowed you to realize all the reasons behind your cat’s behavior. I must admit, our feline friends can get weird but we still love them for all their quirks.
Related post: Why Does My Cat Stare At The Ceiling? What Does She See?
