Ack anal glands

So Shami has this habit of sitting on my lap and once in a while he'll expel the contents of his anal glands on my pants. Not a nice thing especially before bed after a long day on my silk PJ's. Granted it's only once in a while (maybe once a month?), but I thought cats expressed their anal glands only when they were frightened or surprised. Shami is usually just chilling on my lap and then >sniff sniff< UGH! Now I usually just make sure his tail is tucked under his butt if he's going to sit on me, but he doesn't like that sometimes.

What's going on here? Diet? Not enough exercise? Strange cat who likes to stink on his owner?

Well, it could be a couple of things. It could be non-intentional. Do you feed your cat mostly wet food? Because a hard poop is actually required for the kitty to express anal glands when going to the bathroom.

It is used as a territory marker, so it's not only just when alarmed. Maybe it's because he's got soft stools, and he's marking you as "his?"

Perhaps keep a couple of small throw blankets handy, and when Shami wants on your lap, put a towel down first?

Laurie