Kneading, or breadmaking as we call it

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3men and a baby

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Why do cats do this? As soon as I walk into the room my cat starts kneading the carpet. She then will roll over and knead whatever her little feet can reach (usually a piece of furniture). She kneads and rolls constantly. The only issue is on the furniture but I am really curious as to why she does it so much.
 
meowers

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I have heard it is partly because they have scent glands on their paws, and kneeding release a calming marking scent.

It probably just feels good too, and its so cute!
 
mrblanche

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It originates in kittens, who do it while nursing, supposedly to stimulate milk production and release in their mother.

It means they're happy, contented, want attention, whatever.
 
addiebee

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Kneading is a good thing. Happy cats knead. My shelter kitties do it when they're getting loved on and are enjoying it just tremendously. Usually joined by a puurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

And yes, they have marking glands in their paws which release a good scent for them... like Mike said --- harking them back to kittenhood when they were with Mama. It's also why they rub their heads and lips on things... marking with a "good" scent. When they do it to us, it means, hey, we belong together.... you're mine! And of course -- I love you!!


EDIT: oh, if you're worried about furniture, keep kitty's claws well trimmed or use soft paw caps.
 
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phillygal

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Originally Posted by AddieBee

Kneading is a good thing. Happy cats knead. My shelter kitties do it when they're getting loved on and are enjoying it just tremendously. Usually joined by a puurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

And yes, they have marking glands in their paws which release a good scent for them... like Mike said --- harking them back to kittenhood when they were with Mama. It's also why they rub their heads and lips on things... marking with a "good" scent. When they do it to us, it means, hey, we belong together.... you're mine! And of course -- I love you!!


EDIT: oh, if you're worried about furniture, keep kitty's claws well trimmed or use soft paw caps.
Click to expand...
My sweet Casey went to the Bridge recently and I am looking for another cat to adopt. I have visited with 3, all of them very sweet - and it is very tough to make a choice!

But the one who keeps going forward in my heart is the one who was kneading while I petted her.....so sweet and it really touched my heart! It is as if she was telling me - "I'm your girl!".
 
howtoholdacat

howtoholdacat

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I'm sorry about the cat you lost. Sounds like you've found your new one already! I love a good kneader. It's like having a free masseuse!
 
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pui hang

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Cindy howls at me to follow her into the kitchen where she then leads me to her Felix cushion. She then insists that I stroke her head whilst she kneads her cushion.

Bella jumps onto the bed every morning, climbs onto my chest (whilst I am under the duvet) and kneads with her eyes closed and purring very fast. She is happy to knead for ages!
 
wyatturpsmom

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It sounds like she's very happy to see you. Chandler Ray and Lilly-Rose kitty biscuit on me, Tweety (the feral) doesn't do it often, but I've recently caught him doing it on the afghan on the couch, Cally will do it while I brush her on the bed and the baby, Toby, will do it on me while he's under the covers. Wyatt
used to drool while he did his kneading on me and I read that was supposed to mean he really, really, liked me.
 
althekitty

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Al kneads when we are all tucked up in bed and he comes up to us and kneads the duvet on top of us and purrrs his little heart out! I love it
, it is so cute. He is adorable
 
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violetdivasf

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Why do adult cats do it? My cat only does it to our chenile bedspread. She's so focused that she doesn't pay attention to anything else that's going on in the room. She just kneads and kneads.
 
beturtlement

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Every morning, the moment I wake up (I dunno how he senses it), Niko comes running in- talking up a storm and HAS to jump up on the bed and knead my stomach and chest for at least 10 minutes. If I don't let him get it over with, he'll follow me around the house with this pitiful meowing. He won't even eat breakfast until we've had our "lovies".


I just love how he seems to get into this trance while he's doing it. He looks straight ahead, kinda spacey-like, all while purring up a storm.. and nothing can interrupt him. We call it "making biscuits", and sometimes, depending on how he's sitting, he looks like he's playing the piano.
 
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