Demonstrating affection

• When a cat rubs his face on his owner, this is a form of marking his territory. But most of all, it is signaling to the owner that a cat is happy with the owner. Usually when a cat is rubbing his face on his owner, he is happy, purring, and seems content. An owner should feel honored when this happens, as the cat is showing affection for all that the owner does for him.
  
  

Communication

• Communication is one reason cats rub their faces on things. Cats have glands in their front paws and in their rears, lips, and foreheads, and these glands secrete pheromones. These pheromones act as chemical communication for cats, sending out different signals.
  
  The pheromones give potential mates information about the cat's reproductive abilities.
  
  When cats rub their faces on things for this reason, they are signaling comfort and familiarity through the releasing of their pheromones.
  
  

Marking Territory

• Rubbing their faces on everything leaves their scent on these objects. Leaving their scent on things is reassuring to a cat, and it is harmless to humans. A cat who comes into contact with an object that another cat has rubbed her face on will stop and sniff, and might even leave her own scent by rubbing her face on the object. The pheromones left after a cat has rubbed her face on something leaves information to other cats about which direction the other cat was going, what kind of mood she was in, and even her identity.
  
  

Urgency

• Cats can communicate urgency by rubbing their faces on things. Cats rub their faces on objects or their owners/caretakers as a reminder of feeding time. They also might do this to signal that their litter box needs changing, or that they want a treat.
  
  

Security

• Rubbing their faces on objects, or even on other cats with whom they share the home, creates a sense of security and comfort for them. Only cats who are completely comfortable with one another will rub their heads together. Sometimes, rubbing their faces together is also a sign of their social rank--if one cat is notably older than the other, for instance.