Why Do Cats Knead On Soft Blankets

Why cats knead blankets and other soft objects cats start to knead as kittens while nursing from their mother.

Why do cats knead on soft blankets. Cats have scent glands on their paws which they use to mark people or places as their own while kneading. Cats knead a soft cuddly blanket as a habit from when they were kittens. This means that they can claim the blanket as their territory by kneading it. When kittens suckle they knead and bite on their mother s nipple to produce milk.

Cats have many quirky habits but among the most notable is kneading and sucking on blankets. Mother cats may knead on blankets to form them into a nest for their kittens. But why do they continue to knead past nursing age. A nursing kitten instinctually kneads to help stimulate the mother s milk production.

Felines have scent glands in their paws. Cats almost always knead on a soft pliable surface like a pillow a comforter another cat or kitten or even your lap. Mother cats might also knead on blankets to form them into a nest for their kittens. Often cat kneading is accompanied by contented purring and sometimes even by drooling as the cat relaxes his jaw.

It is only natural that when a cat finds an equally warm and soft surface like a cozy blanket they will be tempted to knead and bite at the blanket to feed. Cat kneading and biting blanket is an instinct most notable in kittens. While kittens knead to make nursing from their mother greater efficient adult cats achieve this for a selection of reasons on smooth surfaces. Wild felines knead on soft grasses and leaves outside to mold them into a comfortable sleeping surface.

The pressure from the pressing motion stimulates the flow of mom s milk through her nipples. A kitten will knead her paws against her mother s stomach when she is nursing.