Why Do Cats Knead?

Cats seem to love kneading at soft things with their front paws -- but why do they do it? Learn about this (sometimes very pointy) behavior in today's episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,
brain Stuff, lorn bogle bam here it never fails. You
sit down on the couch for an evening of streaming,
or with a book and a cup of tea, or
at your desk to get some homework done, or at
your craft table to make progress on that project. And
here comes your furry feline friend with an intent look

(00:23):
on her face and a per at the ready. She
places her paws just so on your lap and starts
kneading rhythmically, pressing her little front feet into your soft flesh.
It's cute, even if it does kind of hurt sometimes.
My cat certainly makes the sharpest biscuits, but she looks
so dang content while she's doing it. But why does

(00:43):
she do it? Kittens are born with an instinct to need.
As tiny little fuzzballs, they press into their mother's belly
while they nurse. This action stimulates the milk to come
out of her nipple and feed the kitten. It's called
milk treading, which is more accurate, if less door bole,
than making biscuits or kneading bread. While they're tucked up

(01:03):
against mom, the kitten is warm and being fed and
feeling very content. Even after kittens are weaned, they continue
this little tupaw dance when they're happy, and some cats
really get into it and need with all four paws.
People used to believe that adult cats needed because they
were weaned too early, but that seems unlikely. Almost all

(01:24):
cats need no matter when they were weaned. Many cats
do it even if they stay and grow up in
the same house along with their mom. There are other
reasons why cats need, though cats have scent glands near
their cheeks, at the base of their tail, and in
the pads of their paws. Needing a blanket, a pillow,
or your stomach as you lie on the couch watching
Netflix leaves behind a trace of your cat's particular scent.

(01:48):
She's marked you and probably every soft thing in the
house as hers. There's another theory that this action comes
from ancestral cats who lived outdoors with nary a pillow
or lap to their name. They would need to trample
any grasses and rough up the ground to make it
soft enough for sleeping. It's similar to the theory about
why dogs turn around in circles before settling down to sleep.

(02:10):
When a cat uses her claws while she needs your
squishy flesh or your new couch. It's tempting to punish her,
but kneeding is a natural behavior that means she's happy,
so punishment isn't the best action here. Instead, see if
you can gently press your cat down into a laying position,
she'll likely go to sleep. If her kneeding is problematic

(02:30):
for your skin or upholstery, keep her claws trimmed or
invest in plastic claw sheets. Just don't declaw her. See
our episode wise Declawing cats controversial for more on that,
but in brief, it's not harmless, and trimmings or sheaths
are easy fixes. Today's episode was written by Kristen hall

(02:53):
Geisler and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production
of iHeart Radio's Has Stuff Works. For more on this
and lots of other curious topics, visit our home planet
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