Kneading

[rogue06]

kneading is how a cat tenderizes you before eating you in your sleep.

They're checking your internal organs for signs of weakness.

[One Bad Pig]

big kitty

[Teallaura]

The Royal Kitty Wave.

[Teallaura]

Nah, they just wander down to your bacon stash and finish that off while they are sobering up.

[One Bad Pig]

One of my cats kneads when he's happy. The other just raises one paw and waves it around vaguely.

[Sparko]

That's why they have your address if they get peckish in the night...

so you want a bunch of drunk cats wandering home later?

[Teallaura]

That's why they have your address if they get peckish in the night...

[Sparko]

Laugh it up cat lady. It's all fun and games till you wake up and your 200 cats are eating you for breakfast.

[Teallaura]

You're still mad about losing that leg, aren't you? I told you - it's your own fault for bathing in bacon grease!

[Sparko]

kneading is how a cat tenderizes you before eating you in your sleep.

[Teallaura]

They do knead in response to stress - but they will also do so just from boredom or because it feels good to them. If the cat is showing other signs of stress (pacing, yowling, obessive {for a cat} behaviors) then you might want to consider crating him for a while in a calm, warm spot and toss in some favorite things - and a treat or three. Otherwise, he's probably attention seeking or bonding.

[Raphael]

We had a cat that was taken away from his mother too soon, and he used to knead and then start dribbling.

Oddly the cats my mother hand reared from two days old don't knead.....

[Catholicity]

Yeah its thumb sucking cat style. It does originate from the milk flow thing. In fact all nursing babies do some form of this, including humans.

[mossrose]

I thought I had read that kneading is the function of causing milk to flow when the kitten is feeding, hence a comfort thing in an older cat.

Sucking a thumb, cat style, perhaps?

[DesertBerean]

The cat i took in from my neighbor is a champion kneader apparently. I believe there's two theories about kneading...either the kitty is very happy or is seeking comfort. In this case I'm thinking he's stressed out. With his old owner he was used to roaming around. I've been keeping him in because I promised to find a home for him and I wanted him where I can find him.

He really is kneading my leg right now.