Why Do Cats Knead On Blankets

Cats knead soft objects such as teddy bears.

Why do cats knead on blankets. It is only natural that when a cat finds an equally warm and soft surface like a cozy blanket they will be tempted to knead and bite at the blanket to feed. One reason cats knead is to make a soft bed or clear a space to doze. There are a few ways to answer the question why does my cat knead blankets explanations for why cats knead vary but it is without doubt an instinctive trait. Watch a cat knead tapping at a soft blanket your favorite souvenir sweatshirt or her own bedding.

The most oft repeated explanation states that kneading is a leftover behavior from kittenhood. This is achieved through the glands found in feline paws. Why does my cat knead and suck on its blanket. Because the pads of your cat s paws contain scent glands her kneading.

Unspayed female cats often knead just before going into heat as a sign of their eagerness to mate. Cat kneading and biting blanket is an instinct most notable in kittens. They do it with your jeans. During nursing a kitten will knead the area around its mother s teat to promote the flow of milk.

She s pushing the fabric into a more comfortable shape the same way people adjust pillows or blankets at bedtime but perhaps she s also channeling her inner kitten. If your cat kneads its blanket it is marking the item as its own. As humans we cannot smell cat pad odors but other felines definitely can. Cats may adopt a blanket and use it like a security blanket.

This is where a cat sweats when they start to overheat. While kittens knead to make nursing from their mother more productive adult cats do so for a variety of reasons on soft surfaces. This will include much kneading purring and suckling of the blanket. Newborn kittens knead their mother s belly as they snuggle close to nurse and the motion is thought to stimulate the flow of milk through her nipples.

An unspayed female cat will knead a blanket when she is coming into heat. Mother cats may knead on blankets to form them into a nest for their kittens. This can involve claws. Their ancestors did this with tall grass or leaves.

Kneading can also signal a form of territorial marking. Sometimes it hurts. Cats may knead on a blanket before settling down to sleep to make themselves more comfortable and to unwind. When kittens suckle they knead and bite on their mother s nipple to produce milk.

Like thumb sucking in little children nursing wool is a behavior that provides a sense of comfort and safety. A sensitive kitten may grow up into a fabric sucking cat because that behavior reminds. This is also a form of nesting instinct for a female cat. As a result the paws release a unique scent.