The Cat's Meow - What Does it Mean When My Cat 'Kneads' Me?

Rob "Power of the Meow" Stanson on Aug 12, 2008

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>From KE via aol.com

"A stray, who was resident where my husband works, walked up to him one day, dropped what appeared to be a mouse, then ran away. But when he bent down to look at it, he realized it was a nearly lifeless kitten! We took it to our vet who pronounced the poor thing all but dead. However, he optimistically gave us instructions, some medicine and wished us luck.

"That was three months ago. Today Rocky (named since he's such a great fighter) is a very active little fellow but, probably due to his nearly dying, not only has very poor hearing and eyesight but seems to be half the size of he should be.

"Why I'm writing is because of some peculiar behavior he engages in. He regularly comes to me or my husband and tries to 'nurse' on our shirt. I'm wondering if this is normal or whether it's due to being separated from his mother so early and while he was so sick? And is it anything we need to worry about?"

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It certainly sounds as if your little Rocky had quite the close call in his early days. Still, it looks as if his mama instinctively chose the right person to drop her sick little baby off with. It sounds as if he turned out alright and is quite the healthy little scrapper today!

Regarding the kneading behavior you mentioned -- it's actually more common than you think. Some adult cats will do this on their owners (as you've experienced), a pillow, or any other convenient soft surface. It's thought to be a throwback to the "milk-treading" behavior of kittens, which is something they do while nursing to stimulate the milk flow.

In Rocky's case I'd imagine that it's probably related to the rather extreme trauma he experienced as a baby. However, it's also very much a sign of affection to you and your husband, showing that he's bonded to you as "mama." There's nothing particularly harmful about it (other than damage he can inflict with his claws), so I wouldn't try and do anything about it unless it gets out of hand. If so, gently discourage him after a minute or so.

Based on my experiences, this is something he'll probably do for his entire life, at least so long as he's with the two of you. It's a sort of "comfort" behavior, and shouldn't be interpreted as anything more or less. My female housemate would probably think it precious and consider you two lucky. But she's a little bit funny that way. I think it could be from being around too many cats!

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Cat fancier Rob "Power of the Meow" Stanson has been an observer and studied cats for over twenty years. Visit him at "The Cat's Meow" where you can view the archives or ask him your own question which he will answer in a future column!