When a cat feels safe in its environment it rubs its head against the furniture the corners of walls or the bottom of the curtains leaving substances called facial pheromones these pheromones convey a message of well being calm and absence of stress when there are changes in the cats environment such as visits to the vets return from hospitals moving house new arrivals rearrangement of furniture or if the cat is scared a state of disquiet or stress may develop this state can be