Why Do Cats Knead?

Cats are fascinating animals, even if, as pets, their reputation is not the best. However, those who have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with cats know that these animals are affectionate. Usually, one of the attitudes that owners take to show affection is when cats are kneading. But let’s dwell on this point, is it really a show of affection?

Kneading is the movement that cats make with their front paws on a large number of surfaces, including furniture, floors, tables, and why not? About people. So, below we are going to take a closer look at this behavior.

Memory

You will be surprised to find that this behavior, linked to the affection and affinity that the animal feels with its owner, is in fact a reflex act that cats have inherited from their wild ancestors. Kneading is a common gesture for most cats, even those of today, who keep it due to the short domestication process they have undergone.

However, the motivation for this behavior is not so much due to instinct, but to memory. When cats are newborn kittens, they learn that by pressing the mother’s nipple with their paws, breastfeeding becomes easier. So they associate this movement with the pleasant sensation of receiving food. Now, even if this gesture does not serve him to feed himself, the memory of that sensation persists through his memory and the animal associates the gesture of kneading with positive sensations, such as that of the tranquility and comfort of the mother’s nest.

It is exactly the same mechanism as positive stimulus training, in which animals associate movement with sensation or food. Therefore, cats knead when relaxed and calm, in response to the learned stimulus.

Ancestral heritage

An important part of the scientific community claims that it is a movement inherited from the ancient ancestors of the domestic cat. In nature , cats had to test the ground to see if they could cling to it, for example, in case they would have to jump from rock to rock or branch.

Marking

Cats mark their territory in many different ways, they don’t just urinate. In fact, in their body there are glands that secrete a substance that they use to leave their smell all over the place. Much of the physical contact of the cat, with objects, people or animals, is due to processes of marking the territory.

When cats knead on the floor or scratch surfaces, they are sending olfactory signals, through pheromones, and visual signals (by means of scratching) to other cats, to warn them that they are entering their territory.

Just like us humans, who look for the position to be comfortable, cats usually knead on furniture, pillows or clothes, to adjust them and make them stay softer, to sleep on them.

Demonstrations of affection

According to the above, cats do not knead to show affection. However, when they do this on a person, it is a show of trust.

A cat usually doesn’t make any contact with someone they don’t trust or think will harm them. Cats are usually very “demanding” when it comes to allowing someone (or other animals) to approach them. By following their instincts, they don’t go and put themselves in dangerous situations and they don’t sleep next to someone who could pose a potential threat.

So, if your cat is kneading or sleeping next to you (or on top of you) it means that he doesn’t perceive you as a threat, he knows you won’t hurt him and, therefore, can relax next to you.

If he starts kneading while you are stroking him, it means that he is feeling relaxed and that he is experiencing a very pleasant sensation.