# Sudden Kneading Behavior



## djf052 (May 17, 2010)

I picked up Marley from a rescue organization, neutered, last May. She'd just finished weaning a liter. She's only about 22 months old now. She does not especially like to be picked up and does not cuddle nor sleep with me, but she follows me around everywhere and is always trying to play with my feet. She's not afraid of anyone, runs up to see who it is, and she barely jumps at loud noises, but instead runs up to check it out. And see if she can make it make the noise again. I have never seen her rub her head or body on anything. She does not rub against my or anyone else's leg. Until a couple weeks ago, I had never witnessed her kneading anything either. Suddenly out of nowhere she started doing it. Mostly in the morning, while I'm still in bead. She'll do the blankest, my thighs, my chest, my face. Vigorously too, like she's pumping up an air mattress. I've seen cats do that. I know it's normal, but anyone have any idea what would prompt her to suddenly start doing it?


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

One of my cats picked up kneading & "nursing" from watching my other cat do it. So maybe your cat saw one of the kittens doing it and decided to give it a go?


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## djf052 (May 17, 2010)

The last time she saw her kittens was last May shortly before I got her. She's never kneaded at least since then, until she started doing it about 10 days ago.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

Has she been fixed since the litter? She might be in heat.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

She might have encountered something (smell, texture) that reminded her of when she was a kitten. For example, my Muffin used to knead when she was a baby, but mostly on this one fuzzy blanket. I had put the blanket away over a year ago, and she hasn't kneaded in about the same time. I happened to have the blanket out again about a month ago, and as soon as she encountered the blanket, she started kneading again. I was surprised, but I have since left the blanket out for her. So, perhaps your Marley came upon something (a blanket or another material) that reminded her of something in her kittenhood (before you adopted her), which prompted her to start kneading again.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Does she do that all the time now? Maybe she just caught on to how great it is! Haha. My cat hardly ever does it, except when she's really happy sitting in bed with me... maybe your cat has just reached a new level of trust and contentment!


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## djf052 (May 17, 2010)

No, she was fixed before I got her, and she didn't come with anything from her previous life. The only thing different lately is that starting about a month ago I switched her from a never empty bowl of dry food to 5.5 - 6 ounces/day of high quality canned food. Several brands and varieties. She only held out for about 18 hours before she gave in -- completely, so it turned out to be a cold turkey switch, which wasn't the plan, but hey, who's complaining?


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## djf052 (May 17, 2010)

Actually, she only does it on my bed, mostly in the morning, but I have seen her do it in the evening. She will not sleep with me. She mostly does it to me in the morning.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

djf052 said:


> Actually, she only does it on my bed, mostly in the morning, but I have seen her do it in the evening. She will not sleep with me. She mostly does it to me in the morning.


Then maybe she's just buttering you up with an early morning massage before you feed her?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Gigi suddenly started kneading the blankets around me just before she left. It was adorable, but I have no idea why it started, either.


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## djf052 (May 17, 2010)

It's OK, not adorable, but OK. When she starts doing it on my throat, then it's annoying.


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

I think she's just gotten to the level where she trusts you and thinks of you as her "mommy"/caretaker, and being in bed with you in the morning just makes her very very happy and reminds her of being a kitten.

It doesn't matter whether she "came with" anything from before you adopted her, it's just if she's REMINDED of something from kittenhood, it'll set off her kneading.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

paperbacknovel said:


> I think she's just gotten to the level where she trusts you and thinks of you as her "mommy"/caretaker, and being in bed with you in the morning just makes her very very happy and reminds her of being a kitten.


I think this as well. At night before he goes to sleep and very early in the mornings Mows likes to cuddle with me in bed and knead like crazy (and drool like crazy). I just redirect the kneading to something OTHER than me. The pillow next to me or the blankets and stroke his back. I find it a pleasant way to start and end the day as well, so I'm game.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

paperbacknovel said:


> It doesn't matter whether she "came with" anything from before you adopted her, it's just if she's REMINDED of something from kittenhood, it'll set off her kneading.


Agreed.


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## kwarendorf (Oct 12, 2009)

MowMow said:


> knead like crazy (and drool like crazy).


That's my pal Franklin. I have 5 or 6 t-shirts that I wear in the house only. Twice a day, every day, Franklin hops up into my lap and kneads my left bicep for 10-15 minutes. And he is a drooler! These t-shirts all bear his mark on the left sleeve


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## Meker (Nov 8, 2010)

My cat started kneading recently as well, and he's never done it before, he did it for about a week straight, and now he doesn't do it anymore, its odd


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

kwarendorf said:


> Twice a day, every day, Franklin hops up into my lap and kneads my left bicep for 10-15 minutes. And he is a drooler! These t-shirts all bear his mark on the left sleeve


When I go to bed, I lie on my back so Cleo can knead my bare left upper arm for about 10-15 minutes. While drooling. She needs her talons clipped, so it really hurts lately.


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## kwarendorf (Oct 12, 2009)

marie73 said:


> She needs her talons clipped, so it really hurts lately.


An added benefit to the kneading is built in claw monitoring


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

These cats are unpredictable, aren't they. I wonder why she would suddenly start doing that?

Murphy's an early morning kneader too. Like clockwork he's in my bed at about 3:30 a.m., kneading the bejesus out of my arm. It's like he's entranced with it, kneading really hard and it does eventually hurt. Fortunately, all I have to do is disrupt the whole thing slightly, like pulling my sleeve down, and he gives up and jumps off. And I never get the sleep I needed.


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