Why do cats knead?

Ever caught your cat clawing at soft surfaces, blankets, other animals or even people?

Kneading – pushing the front paws in and out alternating between left and right –  is a common behaviour in cats with many theories behind it.

The most common explanation for this behaviour is that it is carried on from kittenhood. You might have seen a kitten kneading the area around its mother’s teat for better flow of milk while nursing. In adulthood, a cat probably will knead when it’s feeling happy or content, associating the motion with this memory. That could explain the expression of absolute bliss on your feline’s face when it is kneading!

Another explanation is that kneading goes back to a time before domestication, when wild cats supposedly patted down foliage to soften the surface for sleeping or giving birth. So when a cat’s settling down, it may instinctively display this behaviour.

On the other hand, kneading may just be another way for a cat to mark its territory as they have scent glands in the pads of their paws.