# Why is my cat rubbing her face on a bowl of lemons? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 11, 2023, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481 "2023-04-11T01:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/1 "2023-04-11T01:40:29Z")
I like to keep a bowl of lemons on my dining table. It’s a big, shallow bowl and right now it has about a dozen lemons in it. One day a couple of months ago, one of my cats jumped up and started rubbing her face ecstatically on the lemons-- the way cats do on catnip. She doesn’t do it every day, but when she does it goes on for about five minutes. No licking or biting, just face/head rubbing. Google tells me that cats must not ingest any part of a lemon, but I can’t find anything about rubbing the outside of a lemon. Of course they rub their faces on lots of things. This cat loves for me to rub her face and head. I’ve had some cats that wouldn’t let you touch their faces. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/2 "2023-04-11T01:46:16Z")
That’s definitely weird! Every cat I’ve ever known has absolutely hated citrus in all its forms and will act offended if you get it near them. Maybe your cat is trying to make the lemons smell better? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/3 "2023-04-11T01:58:30Z")
Maybe they’re treated with something she likes. Do you wash them? ETa .I’m thinking a waxy substance to keep them shiny ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/4 "2023-04-11T02:01:43Z")
Lemon skins are kinda rough, but not too much. Maybe it just feels good, the same way some of us enjoy a real claw-like backscratcher. If you think about the normal habitat in a human home, there’s not a lot of other surface textures like that available. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/5 "2023-04-11T02:04:05Z")
I had a cat that was mad for Rid-X. Couldn’t let him in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/6 "2023-04-11T02:13:01Z")
These aren’t washed. I usually only wash them if I’m going to zest them. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/7 "2023-04-11T02:35:00Z")
My cat has a brick he likes to lick. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/8 "2023-04-11T04:38:48Z")
I have a cat that’s wild for licking plastic and cardboard. He’s a weirdo. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/9 "2023-04-11T04:49:12Z")
Both of my cats groom my head and face - by licking - for as long as I will let them. They are also giant weirdos. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/10 "2023-04-11T06:25:38Z")
My cat licks trash bags. Not food stuck to them - just the clean, untouched plastic. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/11 "2023-04-11T12:51:30Z")
They are quirky little units, aren’t they… Just to clarify-- she doesn’t lick the lemons, just rubs her face on them. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/12 "2023-04-11T16:34:31Z")
Maybe they just smell nice. Maybe it’s a pheromone. Maybe just a zest for life? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/13 "2023-04-11T16:41:10Z")
Cat on the dining room table? That’s a squirtin’. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/14 "2023-04-11T16:56:42Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > That’s definitely weird! Which of course makes it absolutely normal cat behavior. I’ve never met a cat that wasn’t definitely weird. Seriously though cats rub their cheeks against things to [spread their scent](https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/why-do-cats-rub-against-you), so it probably something to do with that. Maybe she’s made sure that every other part of the house smells like her, but the lemons pungent smell has made it the last bit of unclaimed territory. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/15 "2023-04-11T17:00:05Z")
Your cat is looking for the salt and tequila. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/16 "2023-04-11T17:16:21Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Maybe just a zest for life? Cute. > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Cat on the dining room table? > That’s a squirtin’. I think not. Do both of us a favor and don’t come to my house. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/17 "2023-04-11T19:03:25Z")
Now now now, I doubt that jnglmassiv was actually issuing any warning of intent to discipline your cat for behavior that they apparently discourage in their own cat(s). Personally, as a non-cat-owner and frequent visitor to cat-inhabited residences,\* I am likewise secretly a tiny bit squicked at feline occupancy of food-service surfaces, but I have to admit that cats on tables are often extremely cute, and your lemon nuzzler sounds adorable. \* I originally phrased that as “cat-house visitor”, but decided that was a bad choice. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/18 "2023-04-11T21:27:00Z")
My sister’s late cat loved orange juice and once stole orange segments from me and had a snack. Lucky for him I was laughing too hard to grab them back. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/19 "2023-04-11T21:39:20Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Personally, as a non-cat-owner and frequent visitor to cat-inhabited residences,\* I am likewise secretly a tiny bit squicked at feline occupancy of food-service surfaces Me, too. My sister is even worse. She doesn’t like to eat at people’s houses if cats are allowed on kitchen counters. Makes her want to barf. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481/20 "2023-04-11T22:24:29Z")
As a cat owner, I do my damnedest to keep the critters off counters and tables. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-cat-rubbing-her-face-on-a-bowl-of-lemons/982481.md?page=2)