Why Do Cats Knead Your Body

A nursing kitten instinctually kneads to help stimulate the mother s milk production.

Why do cats knead your body. Cat kneading is one of the most common and perhaps one of the most misunderstood of these distinct behavioral traits no one can say exactly why cats knead their human family members but there are some compelling theories out there. Kneading is a natural part of cat behavior. But why do they continue to knead past nursing age. First of all what is cat kneading.

By pushing their paws in and out they activate these scent glands so they could be doing this on your lap to mark you as their own and warning other cats to back off. But its origin is not something invented by us. 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. 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.

In a subtle manner she s signaling that this is her own spot and that other cats can just go knead somewhere else. You might find your cat kneading blankets stuffed animals or other soft objects around the house. Cats almost always knead on a soft pliable surface like a pillow a comforter another cat or kitten or even your lap. This way of pushing the legs against the body against another animal or against any surface is called kneading because humans tend to put names to things.

Kneading can also signal a form of territorial marking. Cats begin kneading instinctually as kittens when they are nursing to help stimulate their mothers milk. It could be a blanket a pillow or a part of your own body. A possible answer to why do cats knead is that they re trying to mark their territory because there are scent glands that release pheromones in their paws.

Often cat kneading is accompanied by contented purring and sometimes even. The reason it s called kneading is that the motion is somewhat similar to the process of kneading dough. In adulthood a cat supposedly will knead when it s feeling happy or content because it associates. Cats start to knead as kittens while nursing from their mother.