Why Do Kittens Knead You

This can involve claws.

Why do kittens knead you. Unspayed female cats often knead just before going into heat as a sign of their eagerness to mate. You might find your cat kneading blankets stuffed animals or other soft objects around the house. Cats begin kneading instinctually as kittens when they are nursing to help stimulate their mothers milk. One of the most widely held beliefs is that domesticated cats retain their kitten instincts.

Cats start to knead as kittens while nursing from their mother. They do it with your jeans. Kittens knead their mothers to stimulate milk production for nursing and as petmd explains even though kneading a soft surface doesn t yield milk adult cats forever associate the motion of kneading with the rewarding comfort of nursing. Sometimes it hurts.

If his kneading behavior is uncomfortable for you be sure to keep your cat s nails clipped short and maybe keep an extra towel around to pad the area he is kneading. Cats likely knead on blankets because. Though your cat may be long past nursing age they might still enjoy the comforting sensation of being close to a protective figure they associate with kneading. It s an ingrained habit from their childhood they would knead on a blanket in the same way a human child would suck on his or her thumb.

But why do they continue to knead past nursing age. Because the pads of your cat s paws contain scent glands her kneading emits her own distinctive scent discernable by other cats or pets but not by the human nose. The most oft repeated explanation states that kneading is a leftover behavior from kittenhood. Kneading can also signal a form of territorial marking.

A nursing kitten instinctually kneads to help stimulate the mother s milk production. Their ancestors did this with tall grass or leaves. Other theories on why cats knead similar to the theory about how dogs dig in their beds as a natural denning instinct it s believed that cats also might have used kneading in the wild to help soften dirt or pat down leaves for comfy sleeping quarters. Kneading on a blanket is comforting and anxiety reducing for a kitty again same as a human child sucking on his or her thumb.