Why Do Cats Knead Their Paws On You

The surface can be a cushion pillow bedspread soft toy piece of clothing or you.

Why do cats knead their paws on you. In adulthood a cat supposedly will knead when it s feeling happy or content because it associates the motion with the comforts of nursing and its mother. But there are a few other potential reasons why a cat will knead including. Adding further weight to the explanation. Kneading can also signal a form of territorial marking.

You re being tagged by scent glands under their paws. By kneading their paws on the surface of something yes including you they re activating the scent glands in their soft paw pads thereby marking that item as theirs. Kneading for possible mates. Cats knead by pushing their front paws into a soft surface alternating between the right and left paws.

Cat paws have scent glands that secrete your cat s unique scent. Kneading may also be your cat s way of claiming you. You may not be able to smell it but other cats can. When female cats knead while lying on their side that could be their way of well advertising for a mate.

Yes that s right your cat officially owns you. Kneading a person or a comfy place is sometimes a discreet way your cat is telling other kitties to back off. Your cat may also be trying to claim you as his or her territory with the scent glands on his or her paws. Unspayed female cats often knead just before going into heat as a sign of their eagerness to mate.

Kneading your sofa or your lap can be your cat s way of marking their territory. After all you re her mom now and when she s on your lap she feels comfortable safe and secure just like she did with her feline mother. A cat does this in order to stretch their muscles after a long nap. When our cats knead on or near us it probably indicates that they are feeling safe and content just like they were when they nursed with their mom and siblings.

Kneading reminds her of her first few days of life when mom was there to take care of everything. You re not just being kneaded. They knead on humans because they re used to kneading before naps and obviously when your cat starts kneading on you it s likely he or she is going to take a nap on you shortly after. 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.

It is quite common for them to purr while they are doing it and sometimes they may even drool a little. Think of it as their way of showing they care enough to tell the rest of the feline world to keep their paws off you.