Why do they knead???

Question

i no its a silly queation but i am having oner of those moments when your mind goes blank. my partner asked me why do our two young cats knead our laps, chest and anything soft they get their paws on but i cant rememeber for the life of me why they do it. could you let me no please as my iq has suddenly dropped ha ha

thanks

Answer 1

It';s a throwback to when they're kittens and trying to get the milk flowing from their mom.

Answer 2

Apart from kneading to maybe stimulate the mother to produce milk, possibly it it goes back to treading down foliage for a bed like a dog walking round in circles before laying down. Good question

Answer 3

Cats of all ages knead, not just kittens. This behavior is called "milk-treading." When you relax and sit quietly, you're giving your cat the same signal he got from his mother when he was a kitten - that his mother was ready to let him suckle.  A nursing kitten instinctively uses his paws to draw out the milk, gently pushing on his mother's stomach to increase the milk flow.  When older cats behave this way, it's a good sign that they're happy, content, and probably recalling their kitten hood.

Answer 4

Cats do this to make the spot they have chosen comfortable, this mimics the behaviour of when they used to knead their mums b*****s to stimulate milk flow as kittens. Cats that crave close attention tend to do this, Oriental cats do this in particular.

Answer 5

when kittens are with their mum they knead at her tummy to stimulate the milk so they can feed and this habit just sticks with them when they're older and no longer nursing, it just shows they're comfy, content and happy :) plus my cat does it to prepare an area for her to lie down and sleep in

Answer 6

I don't know for sure but my Siamese cat kneaded a big stuffed cat before he,.... raped it. So I guess he got a little too happy.  

Answer 7

All these answers are good.  I just wanted to say that we call it "Making Biscuits" and this kitten we just got does it so much that we actually named him Biscuits!

He does it while he eats and when i pet him. It's similar to why they purr.

Answer 8

It is a very sure indication of contentment.  My wife and I used to call it 'treading grapes' when we had cats.  Lovely.  And purring always went with it.

Answer 9

Kneading is instinctive.  It is the way kittens express the milk from their mother's teats. It is associated with warmth, security, and satisfaction.

When older cats knead, they usually purr, showing their contentedness. They are telling you that they are happy and feel secure.

Answer 10

It's a sign of contentment.  It goes back to their behavior as kittens when they would knead at their mothers when they were nursing.  It's a sign of happy cat.

Answer 11

In the wild, cats flatten the grass where they intend to lie down by "kneading it".

Answer 12

They knead when they are happy, and when they are kittens they knead their mothers stomach to get milk.

Answer 13

My two indoor cats like to knead and suckle afghans while I pet them. I think it goes back to their days of nursing. Mother cats give their kittens baths while their nursing, so I think it's just a comfort thing.