Why Do Cats Knead Blankets Before Lying Down

A nursing kitten instinctually kneads to help stimulate the mother s milk production.

Why do cats knead blankets before lying down. Some female cats will knead frequently just before going into heat as a signal to males of her willingness and ability to mate. Cats are extremely happy when kneading rhythmically nd often have a far away calm look in the eyes accompanied by the sweet sound of purring. As the estrus cycle continues the cat will make plaintive meows. Cats may knead on a blanket before settling down to sleep to make themselves more comfortable and to unwind.

It appears to be an instinctual behavior. When cats are baby kittens they knead their mothers like that to get the milk flowing. Kneading is an activity performed by kittens while nursing to communicate with their mother and to increase milk flow. When cats are kneading blankets they use a motion much like making bread thus the term kneading.

A cat arranges her bed in a blanket for security. The most common cause of this is being taken away from the mother too soon. Wild felines knead on soft grasses and leaves outside to mold them into a comfortable sleeping surface. Why cats knead blankets and other soft objects.

Cats do after all tend to knead before sleeping. Cats start to knead as kittens while nursing from their mother. Kneading to create a soft place to sleep. Some but not all adult cats still do this behavior.

Kneading is sign of security and soothes adult cats as well kittens so it is often included in the bedtime ritual. Another hypothesis mentioned on petmd is that cats wild ancestors would knead grass to create a soft place to sleep. If your cat kneads or makes biscuits with their claws out you might want to place a blanket between your cat s paws and your body to prevent the claws from going into your skin. Mother cats may knead on blankets to form them into a nest for their kittens.