First published December 18, 2016.
If your dog or cat stands with its forehead pushed against a wall, a door or the corner of a room for no obvious reason, treat it as a reason to call your vet the same day. This behaviour, known as head pressing, is not a sign of guilt, boredom or stubbornness. Veterinarians regard it as a symptom that something may be affecting the brain or nervous system, and PetMD’s veterinary authors describe it as a medical emergency.
Head pressing is not a disease in itself. It is a clue. The causes range from poisoning and liver problems to infections, tumours and head injuries, and only an examination can tell them apart. The good news is that some of those causes are treatable, especially when they are caught early.
What head pressing looks like
A head-pressing animal pushes its head firmly into a surface and stays there, sometimes for minutes at a time. It may seem dazed or “stuck” and may not respond normally when you call it. It is seen in dogs and cats and also in horses, cattle and goats.
A Siamese cat sits with its face pressed to the wall above a radiator, and a dog stands with its head buried in the corner of a yard wall. Both are typical postures: the body is still, and the head is held against the surface rather than rubbed along it.
That is the key difference from normal affectionate behaviour. Cats often bunt, bumping or rubbing their heads against people and furniture to mark them with scent, and dogs nudge or lean into their owners. Those actions are brief, social and come with relaxed body language. Head pressing is persistent, aimless and often directed at an object rather than a person.
Other signs to watch for
Head pressing often appears alongside other changes, which can help your vet narrow down the cause. According to PetMD, these include:
- Pacing or walking in circles, sometimes always in the same direction
- Seeming confused, disoriented or not recognising familiar people
- Changes in behaviour or personality
- Problems with vision, such as bumping into things
- Stumbling, poor coordination or slow reflexes
- Seizures
Animals that press or pace for long periods can also injure their face, head or paws, so a sore muzzle or worn pads may be part of the picture.
In the first photo, one dog lies calmly while a second sits hunched with its head pushed into a corner, a contrast that shows how different the posture is from rest. In the second, a dog stands with its head lowered and pressed against a white wall.
What can cause it
Most causes involve the forebrain, the part of the brain known to vets as the prosencephalon, or something elsewhere in the body that disturbs how the brain works. Possibilities include:
- Toxins. Lead and some other poisons can affect the nervous system.
- Liver disease. A portosystemic shunt, an abnormal blood vessel that lets blood bypass the liver, allows toxins to build up and reach the brain. This is called hepatic encephalopathy and is a classic cause of head pressing in young dogs and cats.
- Infections and inflammation. Encephalitis and infections of the nervous system, whether viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic, including rabies.
- Tumours in the brain or elsewhere in the body.
- Head trauma, for example after being hit by a car.
- Metabolic problems, such as abnormal blood sodium levels or poorly controlled diabetes.
- High blood pressure and stroke.
Older viral posts said head pressing always means nervous system “damage”. It is fairer to say that it points to something affecting the nervous system, sometimes temporarily, and that only tests can say what.
A long-haired cat presses its face into the edge of a door frame, and a grey tabby crouches with its head against the wall beneath a window. In cats, signs like these are easy to mistake for sleeping or sulking.
What to do if you see it
- Call your vet or an emergency clinic straight away and describe exactly what you saw. If the behaviour is happening now, say so.
- Film it if you safely can. A short video is extremely useful, since animals often stop by the time they reach the clinic.
- Note the details: when it started, how long each episode lasts, and any pacing, circling, falls, vomiting or changes in appetite.
- Think about possible exposures, such as old paint, chemicals, medications or anything unusual your pet might have eaten.
- Keep your pet safe and quiet. Move sharp or hard objects away, keep it from stairs, and handle it gently, since confused animals can bite or scratch.
Do not try to treat it at home, and do not wait to see whether it happens often enough to worry about. How frequently an animal head presses does not tell you how serious the cause is.
How vets find the cause
Your vet will start with a full physical and neurological examination and a detailed history from you. Common next steps include blood and urine tests to look for liver problems, metabolic disorders and toxins, a blood pressure measurement, and an eye examination, because the back of the eye can show signs of raised pressure or disease. If those do not explain the problem, a CT or MRI scan of the brain may be recommended.
Treatment depends entirely on what is found. A liver shunt may be managed with diet and medication or corrected with surgery. Infections may need specific drugs, and poisoning needs urgent supportive care. Some animals need a stay in hospital while they are stabilised. The outlook varies just as widely, from full recovery to long-term management.
A white dog with a black patch stands with its head pressed against a wall in a hallway. Seen once, it can look comical, which is exactly why this sign is so often missed.
The takeaway for pet owners
Pets cannot tell us when something feels wrong, so they show us through changes in how they move and behave. Head pressing is one of the clearer signals they give. If you see it, do not laugh it off or wait it out: get your pet examined promptly, bring whatever notes and video you have, and let your vet decide how serious it is. Sharing what this behaviour means with other pet owners may help another animal get care in time.
Sources: PetMD: Head pressing in cats, by Jennifer Grota, DVM, reviewed by Barri J. Morrison, DVM; Wikipedia: Head pressing. Originally shared via Heroviral and Nature Knows.
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