- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
When it comes to kitty communication, their eyes, ears, and tails aren’t the only way they can tell us how they’re feeling—their butts can too! Cat “elevator butt,” where your cat lowers their chest and arches their rear end up, can sometimes be hard to interpret.
“Elevator butt is also known as lordosis, and it’s an instinctive behavior many cats exhibit when petted or stroked,” explains Dr. Joanna Woodnutt, MRCVS, founder of Petlearnia. “The behavior tends to be more common in females, especially if they had one or more seasons before they were spayed.”
Here’s why cats stick their butt in your face—and what they’re trying to communicate.
Reasons for Cat “Elevator Butt”
What’s motivating your kitty’s enthusiastic butt-in-your-face action? More than you might think!
1. They want affection or pets, especially butt scratches
The area at the base of your cat’s tail has clusters of nerve endings. For some cats, they love how it feels to be pet in that area. It’s similar to cats who like rubbing their cheeks and chin onto their favorite humans—being touched in that area can trigger kitty bliss.
So why stick their butt up in the air? “It’s likely there’s some accidental reinforcement going on,” Dr. Woodnutt explains. “They stick their butts up, we stroke them a bit harder—ta dah! They’re more likely to respond this way next time.”
But not every cat is keen on an above-the-booty scratch. For some, the sensation can be annoying and trigger aggression. It can also cause pain in cats with the skin sensitivity condition feline hyperesthesia. So if your kitty pulls away when you offer a butt scratch, it’s best to let them be.
2. They want your attention on them (not your phone)
If they’re not getting their physical or mental needs met, some cats communicate that through attention-seeking behaviors like jumping onto keyboards, knocking things over, and shoving their butts in your face.
Cats are quick learners. If what they do is rewarded with a reaction from you—even if you’re trying to tell them to stop—they’ll probably keep doing it.
“Some cats might also enjoy the negative reaction they get when they leap up and shove their butts in human faces. We tend to squeal, a noise which many cats find interesting,” Dr. Woodnutt says. “They’ll repeat the behavior again to see if it has the same effect.”
Anna Gorbacheva via iStock
3. They’re in heat
If you have an unspayed female cat, you can expect to witness more enthusiastic displays of elevator butt.
Cats are polyestrous, so they go into heat multiple times a year. While most cats have a heat cycle that lasts seven days, they can last for as long as twenty days. This hormone-fueled butt-raising behavior is one of the hallmark signs of a female cat showing she’s ready to mate.
“When cats mate, the male scratches and bites at the female’s neck, and in return the female raises her butt, presenting it for mating,” Dr. Woodnutt says.
On top of shoving her butt into your face and up at the air, if your unspayed kitty is also erratically rolling around, yowling, and spraying, she’s likely in heat.
4. They trust you & feel safe
“Rear-raising behavior in cats is a good sign that a cat trusts you,” according to Dr. Amanda Chambers, DVM, Veterinary Consultant for Embrace Pet Insurance. “Cats who do not trust you are going to keep their eyes on you and face you, not present their rear.”
Cats who were well-socialized with humans when they were young are more likely to put their butt in your face as a way to show they trust and love you.
This sign of affection and trust isn’t unique to the way cats interact with their humans either. In healthy and stable multi-cat homes, Dr. Chambers says you might see your cats putting their butts in each other’s faces as a display of their mutual trust and bond.
5. They’re spreading scents
Cats are very territorial animals, and one of the ways they engage with their environment and communicate with other cats around them is through the pheromones released from the scent glands on their body. Feline scent glands and pheromones can also enhance bonding between cats by creating a community scent.
While your cat’s cheeks and chin are two of the most pheromone-heavy areas on your cat’s body, they’re not the only place they have scent glands. “Cats have lots of scent glands around their bottom, so presenting it is a way for them to recognize and speak to one another,” Dr. Woodnutt says.
So if you sometimes see cats putting their butts in each other’s faces, look out for other positive social and body language behaviors like bunting their heads and slow blinking at each other.
w-ings via iStock
Friendly Versus Wary Butt Raising Behavior
While cat elevator butt is usually a positive behavior, it can occasionally be a territorial behavior, Dr. Chambers says. It can be a red flag that the cat is going to start spraying, or urine marking furniture, doorways, or walls around them.
If they start urine marking human family members, Dr. Chambers says that can actually be a symptom of a UTI or urinary crystals, which is cause for a vet visit.
Other signs that a medical issue, especially a urinary tract one, is causing your cat to stick their butt in your face are changes in litter box habits and energy levels. Look out for yowling, peeing outside of the litter box, straining in the litter box, fixation on licking at their genitals, and lethargy.
Can You Stop Elevator Butt Behavior?
Although lordosis is generally a positive sign and it’s okay to give a cat who sticks their butt up a good scratch above their tail, if you’re not a fan of it, you have a few options.
“If it’s bothering you, the best thing you can do is remain neutral or teach a preferred behavior. Squeals or moving your cat can still reinforce the behavior, even if we don’t intend to!” Dr. Woodnutt says.
Another way to stop elevator butt behavior is to find out what exactly is motivating it.
If your cat is unspayed and keeps sticking her butt in your face, your best bet is to keep her inside and get her spayed as soon as possible. This will improve her physical health, like reducing her risks of developing certain types of reproductive system cancers, and have a huge impact on not contributing to the cat overpopulation crisis.
Suspect the elevator butt behavior is attention-seeking? Try adding more essential resources and enrichment to your cat’s environment and working with a feline behaviorist.
Are you noticing other red flags that a medical problem might be at play? A visit to your vet and helpful diagnostic testing can determine if your kitty has an illness that needs treatment.
If all else fails, there’s one final option. “If health issues are ruled out and environmental enrichment and training are not successful, medication can be prescribed to help manage this behavior,” Dr. Chambers says.
