The Cat Doctor Veterinary Hospital and Hotel

Kneading Paws

My wonderful 6-year old cat gets on my lap and kneads away with her paws. Fortunately I keep her nails trimmed so she doesn’t scratch me. What causes this behavior?

Good question! As a nursing kitten, this “pumping paw” behavior stimulates the mother cat’s mammary glands to release milk. When the kitten is successfully nursing, she experiences a pleasant sense of well-being and happiness. As an adult, your cat carries over this behavior and is honoring you by kneading her paws when she sees you. You should be flattered!! Many of us will be rewarded by a cat kneading or “making biscuits” as we stroke and pet them. Some cats even forget to swallow and are feeling so euphoric they drool on us as they purr and knead away. We benefit from their behavior too. Stroking a cat who responds so positively can lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

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