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If you have a cat or have been falling in love with these little friends, you will realize that all cats have a lot of instinctive actions. Most of the time, they behave like this to get you to understand what they want. One of them, cats often knead you with clear purposes. To decipher this behavior and give you an answer to the question: “Why does my cat knead me?”. I will share them all in this post. Hey, are you ready to explore?
5 Reasons Why your cat kneads you
As I often share, to find a solution, we need to perceive the causes. It’s not entirely bad if your cat kneads you, but I think you’ll be stupified when knowing the intentions of your cat.
Habits from cat’s preadolescence
Kittens always knead their mother cat’s stomach. This behavior is to stimulate their mother’s milk. As kittens get older, they will more often knead the soft objects or your belly because they associate this habit with feelings of comfort and relaxation. According to experts, no matter how long the kittens stay with their mother cat, they often keep this favorite manner into adulthood.
Admittedly, when your cat kneads you, it feels like you’re very familiar (like your cat is being with its mother).
Conveying enjoyment
There are many ways for cats to show affection and satisfaction. Usually, they often knead at you. Cats want you to understand that they are very pleased with everything or very much in love with you. We often show our love by hugging, holding hands, and sharing. Cats too! They will gently knead you, sometimes knead blankets, pillows, towels (soft items) to say: “I’m so happy and love you.”
This is also your cat’s body language. It helps you and your cat understand each other better. Besides, some cats will be very gentle when kneading, but others will tickle or hurt you. It’s not too serious, but be careful.
Diminish tension
Let’s remember, have you ever seen your cat keep kneading you or soft items too many times? You must have wondered: “Why is my cat kneading me?” don’t you?
Just like how to show love, cats also have several ways to reveal and relieve stress. Hence, cats often knead soft objects (blankets, pillows, towels, teddy bears, …) or knead on you to relieve anxiety. This stress can come from the environment, diet, or bad experiences. It is as clear as day, this is also a sign that your cat needs some mental comfort.
Autonomy spot
If your cat has a favorite place to nap, it will have a habit of kneading beds, mattresses, and blankets to mark its ownership. Cats are very possessive, they don’t want other pets to use their favorite spot. Furthermore, when your cat kneads its favorite position/item, his/her scent will be saved on that and other pets will smell it and stay away. No one wants to see a mad cat (I mean…including us).
You had better buy different toys and lots of sleeping spots when you have more than one cat!
Prepare for the sweet sleeping!
“Why do cats knead me?”- This question is always a curiosity for cat owners. More simply, cats knead their mattress/napping spot just to prepare for a good night’s sleep. This is also a sign that your cat is sleepy and wants to have a great resting time. A soft bed will make your cat want to knead on it even more. Let’s sing a “Twinkle twinkle little star” for your lovely cat!
Is it normal? Suggested ways to limit this problem
Do you like it when your cat kneads you? As for me, I like it! However, too much of anything is not good either. Although your cat’s habit of kneading you or soft items is pretty normal, we need to keep a few things in mind to avoid the negative effect of this behavior.
Let your cat knead on its bed
In case you don’t like your cat nibbling you or house furniture, you can place the cat on other soft surfaces such as its bed or a warm blanket. In this way, your cat will be less likely to harass you and cause less damage to items at home.
Offer the more attractive treat
Another recommendation for you to discourage your cat from nibbling is to attract it with other fascinating toys or treats. Whenever you see your cat is about to knead you (or other objects), you should immediately give it another enticement.
Trim your cat’s nail
I believe that you will surely stop wondering: “Why is my cat nibbling me?” when realizing this useful option that we often forget: TRIMMING the cat’s nails! With this solution, you will reduce the risk of your cat kneading you with its claws. As well as prevent the cat from scratching and tearing clothes, furniture, etc.
Using safely spray
Pheromones spray or another similar product is great for motivating your cat to knead other surfaces that you want. These products are easy to find at any pet store. Remember to ask your veterinarian to choose a spray that is best for your cat
Place a blanket
For cats who are addicted to kneading, you can spread a thick blanket or a pillow on your lap/belly for the cat to knead instead. This will help you feel more comfortable because there is no pain or soreness, and your cat will be satisfied too.
Therefore, it is a normal habit for your cat to knead you, but it still needs to be limited to make the relationship between the cat and you more pleasant. Above all, when you always see your cat often kneading you or other objects in the house, and feel uneasy about this, try applying some of the methods in this article. I believe you will find these sharing useful. Be restful!
