Cat sniffing others rear

bugmankeith

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I have 3 neutered male cats, and my newest and youngest obsessively sniffs one of my other cats butts constantly! He literally follows the cat everywhere, watches him sleep, won’t leave his side but this following and sniffing is starting to annoy my other cat now. Why would a cat do this sniffing constantly but only to one cat?
 

susanm9006

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Perhaps that cat isn’t as good at cleaning its own butt as it should be or perhaps has an anal gland issue that makes him extra stinky. In any case, if the cat being sniffed gets annoyed enough he will let the younger one know and put a stop to it with a strong slap or hiss. I would let them work it out but also have the older cats butt checked next time they are at the vet.
 

She's a witch

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Is the sniffed cat healthy or does he have any weird symptoms? I would check him out, I’m a firm believer in cats sense of smell. They can feel an infection or hormone change etc. was he neutered long ago?

or maybe it’s simpler, if eg the sniffed cat doesn’t do a good job of keeping his back clean
 

Kieka

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Sniffing butts is one of those cat things to scent the other cat to get information about them. My guess would be your newest cat is trying to establish dominance by initiating the sniffing in some way. As usually the dominant cat is the one doing a majority of the smelling (which may seem backwards but it's putting the smeller in a position of power knowing more about the other cat). Or he's just curious....

I know in my household Rocket smells Furys butt and Fury is nearly obsessive about smelling Links (but only if Link is eating). As long as no one is getting too annoyed I wouldn't worry about it. We usually stop Fury because poor Link ends up doing a circle around his food dish trying to keep Fury from smelling him.
 

Mamanyt1953

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It could be that he is picking up on some physical issue. ONE of the reasons that they sniff is to gather information about health, mating status, and even mood. Keep an eye on the "sniffee." The "sniffer" may be alerting you to an issue that is just starting.
 
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bugmankeith

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Thank you all for the feedback.
I never knew cat sniffing could be a sign of dominance, that could explain why he leaves my larger cat alone. It’s also possible his rear smells as he isn’t the best cleaner either. He was neutered years ago, but the sniffing is constant day after day on him whenever my new cat can smell him he will, plus the behavior of following him everywhere.
 
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