Why Do Cats Knead? Reasons Your Cat Makes Biscuits

Have you ever observed your cat kneading? Cat Kneading is quite a common behaviour that makes the cat look cute. When a cat makes a rhythmic and continuous movement with its paws on the surface of a couch, pillows, blankets, and even on a person, it is referred to as cat kneading.

Cat kneading is a default birth behaviour of kittens that carries forwards to adulthood as well. If you find cat kneading in adults, there are a plethora of reasons behind this behavior. 

If you are an experienced cat parent, you might be familiar with cat kneading. You may observe this behaviour in cats many times. Wondering Why do cats knead? To discover the reasons behind cat kneading, we’ve gathered the necessary information in this handy guide. Take a glance!

What Is Cat Kneading?

Want to understand Cat Kneading? Well, cats are the most weird and strange creatures that do mysterious things very often. One such weird behaviour we observe in cats is kneading. Though Cat Kneading is a normal activity among the feline friends, there are a few reasons behind kneading.

Kneading is a kind of behavior when cats massage a cushion, blanket, or couch with their front paws towards the front and back using one paw at a time. This type of rhythmic pushing action resembles kneading dough to prepare bread or biscuits. That’s the reason cat kneading is often referred to as ‘Cat Making Biscuits’.

Why Do Cats Knead? / Why Do Cats Make Biscuits?

Kneading is a deep-rooted evolutionary natural behaviour in cats. Cats start kneading right from their early phases i.e., as little kittens. While nursing from the mother, kittens knead associated with suckling. 

By doing so, it stimulates the milk production of the mother cat as a result of oxytocin hormone release. Another benefit of kneading in kittens is that it is a type of pheromone communication between the kitten and the mother cat. This results in the strengthening of the bond between the kitten and the mother. 

Though adult cats don’t take feeding from their mothers, their kitten instinct continues in their adulthood. Few cats dribble while kneading to memorize their suckling instinct from their mother cat. When a cat is stressed and threatened, they start kneading to enhance their mood and soothe themselves.

Is Cat Kneading Normal?

Cat Kneading is quite common in kittens. There are multiple reasons behind cat kneading in adults. Cat kneading is a common behaviour in young and adult cats. While petting, a few cats knead and purr out of excitement. Sometimes, there might be no clear reason behind kneading in some cats.

Even if your feline friend doesn’t knead in adulthood, it’s still completely normal. If your cat makes biscuits on you instead of blankets, couches, and cushions, it may seem to be problematic. Still, you shouldn’t yell at or give punishment to your cats for kneading on your body.

As per some research studies, kneading is beneficial in cats to clean their paws and claws. However, there won’t be any malicious reason behind cats making biscuits. It’s just a normal behavior that almost all cats exhibit right from their kitten phase.

Reasons My Cat Kneads

Why Do Cats Make Biscuits? Though most cats make biscuits, there are some mysterious reasons as to why they do it. Kneading is an instinctive characteristic in cats that involves kneading on a soft surface, especially on objects such as carpets, blankets, cushions, couches, etc. 

In some cases, cats knead on humans when they lie down on their laps. A slew of theories is explained behind this behaviour among cats. Majorly, cats knead to arrange a peaceful place to sleep. Also, kneading gives a kind of comfort to them and also makes them happy.

Let’s go through this in-depth guide to understand the series of reasons behind ‘Why do cats make biscuits’. Have a glimpse!

Seeking Attention

Mostly, cats seek attention from their owners to interact with them. When they look for your attention, they immediately jump on your lap and start kneading. 

When you respond to your cat by petting it once it starts making biscuits, your cat feels good. As a result, whenever your cat seeks attention, it repeats the same behavior of kneading.

To Make Territory

Cats usually have scent glands in their paws. Using these scent glands, cats communicate with other cats and claim their territory. When cats scratch the surface using their claws, it leaves behind their scent. 

By kneading their paws on the soft objects, cats will mark their territories. Even, when they knead on your lap, it tells you that you are their own and warns other cats to stay away.

Expression Of Happiness

Why do cats knead on you? It’s a kind of expressing their happiness for staying with them and playing anytime needed. When your cat comes to you and starts cat kneading and purring, it indicates that it is extremely happy. It’s a form of expressing happiness before you. Also, it shows that they feel comfortable in your presence while kneading.

Way of Showing Affection

Another reason for Cats kneading is when they start showing affection to their owners. The love and affection you show to your feline friends makes them delightful and in return, they express their affection toward you.

Preparing For Sleep

When cats start making biscuits, it could be understandable that the cat is preparing for sleep. This could probably be another reason for cat kneading. Cats try to arrange a place to sleep and for that, they make necessary arrangements by kneading. 

Wild Cats prepare their bed by arranging grass and other available vegetation. On the other hand, domestic cats start kneading on blankets, cushions, couches, and sometimes your lap as well.

For Stretching

Cats make biscuits similar to humans kneading dough for preparing bread or biscuits. Cats love stretching just as humans do from time to time. 

Stretching is another possible reason for cat kneading. By kneading and pushing their paws against the soft surface, cats enjoy a decent stretch of their whole body and muscles. In addition, kneading their paws and stretching their muscles will stimulate blood circulation throughout the body.

For Mating

When cats are in heat, they display a slew of weird behaviors and make unusual sounds. Another reason behind kneading is that they’re showing mating behaviour. 

Mostly, female cats start kneading by lying on their side enticing male cats for mating. Apart from kneading, female cats will make new vocalizations to attract male cats for mating. 

Stretching, purring and kneading are some of the symptoms of possible mating. This happens when your pet cat isn’t spayed. As a result, it starts kneading indicating that it is receptive to mating.

Kneads When Nursing

One of the most common instincts in cats while nursing is kneading. During the early stages i.e., as a kitten, cats will start kneading when they are being breastfed by their mother cats. 

Kneading and breast milk production in mother cats have some interlinks. While the mother cat is feeding its kittens, the little felines will make biscuits. If this behavior continues in adulthood then, we can assume that it’s a leftover behavior of the cat from its kittenhood.

To Calm Anxiety

Few cats get anxious due to various reasons like shifting to a new house, meeting strangers, and others. Anxiety is one of the reasons for Cats making biscuits. By kneading, cats try to reduce their anxiety levels and calm down.

Ready For Labor

When your female cat being pregnant is displaying symptoms of heat for more than 60 days then, it starts kneading. It indicates that your cat is prepared for labor. When your cat is ready for labor, it makes necessary arrangements like setting up the queening box using her paws and making a nest.

Why Do Cats Knead Their Owners?

Why do cats knead on you? Cats love kneading on soft surfaces and objects like cushions, blankets, couches, etc. What if your cat kneads on you i.e., the owners? If your cat is kneading on your lap then, it is seeking affection from you. Also, it’s telling the owners that it loves you and looking for you to love them back.

The toughest part is that kneading on your lap is pretty painful though your feline friend feels happier. Even if your cat kneads on your body, don’t harm your cat for this behavior as it doesn’t know that it hurts you.

If your cat comes to you, make sure you place a thick and smooth blanket or any other material before taking it onto your lap. By doing so, you and your cat can enjoy kneading comfortably. 

Why Do Cats Knead On Blankets?

Why do cats knead blankets? Cats have scent glands on their paws that tend to knead soft and smooth objects. This behavior usually starts in cats when they’re kittens at the time of taking a feed from their mother cat. 

Even in adulthood, cats continue to knead blankets and other soft objects as they can’t forget the memory of milk stimulation from their mother. By doing so, cats can replicate the comfort of nursing by kneading on blankets. 

What To Do If My Cat Kneads?

If your cat kneads, you can try out some techniques to reduce this behavior. You shouldn’t punish your cat even if it kneads. When your cat kneads, simply place her on the ground and redirect its attention to a toy. 

If you punish your cat for their instinctive behaviour like kneading, it will react aggressively to you. So, try to learn various distraction tricks to reduce kneading. Give training to your cat to play with its toys to distract it from kneading.

Why Is My Cat Kneading Excessively?

Cats knead excessively to exhibit their pleasure. Also, cats knead excessively while petting. To express their love and affection for their owners, cats will make biscuits excessively. Cats knead so much to communicate with their parents.

What To Do If My Cat Kneading Hurts?

If your cat is kneading so much that it hurts you then, you need to try out some techniques to avoid this problem. Cats often love to knead while petting i.e., when they’re on your lap. 

When a cat is kneading on your lap, the paws and claws of the cat will dig into your skin ultimately hurting you. You can forcefully stop your cat from kneading or punish it for instinctive behaviour. When cat kneading turns out to be a big problem for you, you need to follow certain tips.

Trim Their Nails And Keep It Well Groomed

As a cat parent, you know how sharp and strong are cat nails. By trimming your cat’s nails, you can evade injury to your skin while kneading. If you do so, you as well as your cat can enjoy kneading on your lap. Otherwise, you can simply place a soft and cozy blanket between you and your cat while kneading. 

If you don’t want to do any of these, simply get up and move away from your cat without making it sit on your lap. By doing so, your cat will understand that you don’t like it kneading on you.

Check For Any Signs Of Stress And Try To Change Its Behavior

Is your cat feeling stressed? When a new member adds to your family, your cat may feel stressed. Sometimes, your cat may be suffering from some underlying health issue. If you find anything odd in your cat, check for the aforementioned signs and try to alter its behavior.

To reduce your cat’s stress, you can divert your cat from uninterested things. When you take your cat to a new place or travel in a vehicle, try to distract the cat by providing toys, blankets, and other objects to it. Soothe your cat using pheromones.

Divert Your Cat With Toys Or Treats

Kneading for a long time may not be a problem until and unless you observe other unusual behaviours accompanying it. Distract your cat from kneading on your lap to making biscuits on an appropriate soft surface like a cushion, blanket, etc. Give her positive vibes by rewarding her with special treats and praising her verbally and physically.

Why Did My Cat Stop Kneading?

You need not worry if your cat has stopped kneading. There could be various reasons behind your cat has stopped making biscuits. Your cat might have stopped kneading as there is no longer the necessity to mark its scent. 

If the cat had an injury or suffering from an illness, it may have stopped kneading. Sometimes, a change in the environment of the cat may cause your cat to stop kneading. Whatever the reason could be, there’s no need to worry about your cat stopping kneading.

Conclusion

Well, this is everything you need to know about the reasons behind ‘Why do cats knead.’ Cat Kneading is quite an instinctive feline behaviour which is not to be worried. As we have explained the multiple reasons behind cats making biscuits, you might have now understood the cat’s behavior.

Until your cat’s kneading isn’t hurting you, you need not forcefully stop your cat from kneading. Because, your cat is kneading out of love, affection, and relaxation. After all, Kneading is just an interactive behaviour in cats. If you still have any queries about this topic, drop them in the comments section. 

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