I doubt it, but is there any way to stop my kitty from kneading?

Bowser has a bad habit.. But at the same time, I can't get mad at him for it because I think he does it to me because he's my buddy

EVERYTIME he lays with me when I'm in bed (like every night just about) he will curl up right at like chest level, and then start kneading (my girlfriend calls it "marching"! haha) on my exposed skin - armpits, chest, neck, whatever. At first, I just figured I'd bear with him because he'd be done in a couple mins and go to sleep.. NOPE, he keeps going. So then I started holding his paws together. That would stop him while I was holding him, but as soon as I fall asleep he'd start marching again. Then I pick him up and flip him over, he's cool for like 1 minute, then he rolls over and starts the marching again. This usually goes on through the night, and into the morning. I don't want to yell at him or shove him off the bed, because he's such a nice guy, and I love him sleeping with me.

That sounded weird.

Anyways, any ideas?! Knit him little kitty boots maybe?

Aaaaw! Your kitty loooves you! Kneading is what cat's do when they are content. One of my cats goes into a wild kneading and licking frenzy every night. Since her kneading on my bare skin hurts like heck, I bring an old towel to bed and tuck it around my arm where she likes to knead. This way she can knead to her heart's content and it doesn't bother me one bit. Perhaps this will help with your loveable little guy!

That is soooo sweet Dori does that, but unlike Bowser if I lay still and let her knead for a few minutes she will settle down to sleep. Have you tried gently moving Bowser over just a little and petting him for a few minutes? Would he maybe fall asleep in the new location while your petting?

I have the same problem with one of my cats, only she gives hugs and kneads on my neck, and drools.
She's 11 now, nothing I've done stops her, I simply try not to let her do it on my bare skin.
One of my boys, all 10.5 pounds of him also kneads, all over my body, he's declawed though, but instead of simple kneading, or even marching, he stomps, hard.
Thankfully with him, all I have to do is knock him over onto his side and scratch his ears.

My Ellie, a year old now, drools, sucks and kneads without stopping. I have tried pushing her away, turning her over, turning me over, hissing at her, blowing at her, tiring her out, and nothing seems to work. Sometimes if Persil wants to play, they distract each other enough to fall asleep together, but often Persil is so tired that she falls asleep first, leaving Ellie to curl up against me and do her thing. It is hard but if you need your sleep enough you may have to shut her out somewhere where she will be comfortable.

I don't know how I'd wake up every morning WITHOUT being 'marched' on!

I think it's called 'milk treading'... something like that. When my lil Dusty does it, she gets SO into it, she drools & purrs with a chunky sounding purr... she's so serious, we ask her if she's "making biscuits".

Originally Posted by darkeyedgirl

she's so serious, we ask her if she's "making biscuits".

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Making Biscuits... Hahahaha... nice..

Yeah, I love the little guy so I don't want to lock him out because he's telling me he loves me in his own little way.. I am going to try the towel thing though. That's a good idea.
Thanks!

Found this on another web site:

Kneading is a cute behavior to watch, cats flex and extend their paws against a bedspread, the carpet, or a person, usually while stretching and purring. It's a very common behavior for cats, but no one has determined exactly why they do it. All sorts of theories exist. Some say that "kneading" cats were weaned from their mothers too early; some say they were weaned too late. Most likely it's just a habit some cats develop, like people that bite their nails or crack their knuckles. What theorists do know is that it's a sign that cats are comfortable, happy, and relaxed. So you can take it as a complement: it's your cat's way of saying that he's happy you're around!

That's very sweet

Awwww. My 4 month old persian does that too me EVERY morning about 4:00 to 5:00am! Never does it any other time. I say enjoy it while you can :-)

Two of my cats like to lay against my shoulder and knead my neck and hair. Fortunately I keep their nails short enough that it doesn't bother me. The only time it does is right after their Saturday manicure when the nails are a little rough. I figure it is a "I'll show you" time. They do have their moods.

I love it when they knit...it's soooooo cute!

Sadly my kitty never has done this! I miss it!

I always heard "making bread" was a mimic of how they would knead mum's tummy when they were nursing...and since they us as their surrogate mummies...they are repeating behavior with mum.

Maggie May kneads me almost every night, I love it!!! Jazz a boo only kneads the couch or bed! I love this, bacause it means she loves me! Enjoy it while you've got it!

haha Sounds like your kitty is in love!! hahaha. Hopfully he will grow out of it as he gets older, I say just go with it for now

Dexter & Sadie enjoy a kneading session every evening. I lay a small towel on my lap, Dexter kneads first...Sadie second. Sometimes they regress into kittenhood ... their eyes glaze over, they get a little drop of saliva on their chins & they purrrrrrrrrrr. It's very relaxing for all of us.

Actually there ~is~ a valid reason for this behavior ... cats have scent glands in their paw pads, so when they knead this way, they are also depositing their scent on whatever they are kneading. Kittens do it to mark "their" nipple - kittens will go back to that same nipple every time - and adults do it to mark "their" territory, which in this case, is YOU.

~gf~

hahaa.. cool.. lots of reasons.. I guess it's mostly because he's my boy and he looovvvesss his dadday!

He also LOVES when I massage his toes and paws... He loves touching everything. He rocks.

Bowser loves his daddy.

Originally Posted by CousinLarry

hahaa.. cool.. lots of reasons.. I guess it's mostly because he's my boy and he looovvvesss his dadday!

He also LOVES when I massage his toes and paws... He loves touching everything. He rocks.

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