i can’t really picture what you’re describing… so i’ll leave this for someone else to answer.  i did want to say, as always, i love the pic of your little guy!  you always post such precious photos of him!

Have you ever seen a cat rub his cheeks on something, like a person’s legs, to scent it? Is that what he’s doing?

yeah… it seems to me as well that you might be describing ‘chinning’ .  your bun may not want to eat hay out of your hand but when you present it to him he rubs his chin on the piece of hay.  is this what he’s doing instead of eating it?  my bun rubs her chin on everything.  its very cute.  it’s like she’s saying “my night stand”, “my mop handle”, “my chair leg”.  lol.

I’m not sure what it’s called but we call it chinning at my house. I have a little (uneutered) male and he rubs his chin on just about everything. But particullary the things he considers his, the door to his pen, his willow tunnel, his litterbox, sometimes my shoes or ankles. I always imagine him hopping around the room saying “This is mine and this is mine and oh! what’s this it’s mine too”

My bun also cuts individual stalks of hay at my fingers. It is instinctive for them to remove anything like that in order to keep his fleeing space free. Hence why wires get the business. Think of it as the bun saying “Hey! You could put out a bunny’s eye with that!”

ahha!  i think i know what you’re talking about now ralph & markus.  everytime i hold up a piece of paper ot cardboard or hay (‘cept sometimes she just eats the hay because she’s a hay monster) pinky grabs onto it and rips it out of my hand and drops it down.  lol.  very cute.