Conference misery::feline_v1

The kneading action is what a kitten does to stimulate the mother cat's teats
into giving milk.  From my experience, it's pretty common behavior among some
adult cats.  Kind of like thumb sucking--it continues long after suckling has
ceased.  I can't explain the litter box position, though.

--PSW

    He's making bread!  My new kitten does the same thing...but usually
    to my arms or legs if a blanket isn't handy.  He did it to the back
    of my neck a few nights ago.  Felt pretty good until the claws came
    out!!  Chauncey also starts out by assuming the litter box position,
    but then lies down when it begin to stroke his back or face.  I've
    never know a cat to do this, before Chauncey, so I was alarmed at
    first, as you were.  Cindy Schreiner (whom I take all my questions
    to (thanks, Cin!!)) tells me it's a sign of contentment--quite a
    complement from your cat!
    
    So, as long as he only makes bread and not a mess, you're OK!!
    
    Mary

    One of my cats loves to do the kneading thing.  His favorite time
    and place is in the morning when my wife lets him upstairs.  He
    comes into the bedroom, jumps up on my pillow, and starts kneading
    my face and purring.  As Mary said in the previous note it is no
    problem until the claws come out.  After a few minutes of this I
    am awake enough to get up.  Some people use an alarm clock to get
    them up, I use a kneading cat.
    
    He is probably thinking to himself as he does this, "Get up!  I
    knead you to get my treats!"
    
    It works...
    

    My cat Monroe is also quite a kneader.  He has been known to consumate
    the litter box position after kneading himself into a frenzy.  This
    cat will concentrate and knead a pillow or blanket for hours.  I
    think he urinates on the blanket or pillow to let the other cats
    know to stay away because it is his.  We have provided him with
    some old terry cloth towels that he can knead and urinate on (in
    order to protect all other blankets, pillows, towels, etc.) and
    then I wash them for him (along with a gallon of bleach and
    disinfectant) and give them back to him.  Sometimes he will actually
    take a corner of the towel into his mouth and suck on it while he
    kneads.  He was taken away from his mother very young (three and
    a half weeks) because he had URI and needed immediate treatment.
    
    JoAnn

    Thanks for all the kneaded information! I guess we'll let Romeo
    continue to show his contentment. As long as he keeps it dry he
    won't get a rise out of us. :-) 
                          
    Happy Holidays
    Gaitan & Maria

    My newest cat, Alexandra the greatest (see note 371), gets so
    into kneeding that she sometimes starts to drool. I read somewhere
    that when this happens it means that the cat is in the most contented
    state that it can possibly be in. Also, while she is doing this
    he purr gets almost as loud as the boys' purr.  And she will go
    on making bread for hours.
    
    Deb

Both our cats do the kneading bit.  I love it.  It's definitely a sign
of contentment.  They are mother and son, so perhaps it's genetic ?

I've also seen human babies do it when nursing.

As for sucking on sheet, I've heard (in this conference?) that a problem
with weaning kittens (taking them away from ma) too young is that they
may suck on wool, which causes some sort of problem.

/Eric

    re .6
    Never heard of the drooling before... I noticed a few drops of
    water on my kitties cheek fur the other day during a bread making
    session (I usually get a couple of sessions an evening and always
    one or more during the night from this cat.) I have never seen this
    kitty do it to inanimate objects - except maybe the bed cover next
    to me - it is always directed at a person.  (but like 'misdemeanors'
    during the day - God only knows what they do!)
    \sjm

    Regarding inanimate objects, BOTH of my older cats definitely prefer
    to make bread on the medium sized bear on my bed.  My children gave
    it to me several years ago, and it has interfered with my back and
    stomach massages.
    

    I would move the bear...  Actually mine sleep with my stuffed animals
    on the dresser - once I couldn't find them (when real little) and
    that is where they were pretending to be a stuffed animal.
    I didn't think they could jump that far!

    One of mine once snuggled in amongst my daughter's (extensive)
    stuffed animal collection -- a we just couldn't find her (the cat,
    not the daughter).  Now we know to look there after checking on
    top of the hot radiator!

re: Gund bears

One of the members of one of the cat clubs I belong to bought her cat a 
Gund bear for his own.

It's sometimes embarassing to be benched next to this cat at a cat show 
when he's with his bear.  You see, he's a whole male, and, er, uh, he, 
well, he... uses it as a surrogate?

Ray

    My kitty "Bailey" wakes me up every morning by lying on my chest
    and licking my face.  Slowly she begins to turn toward my right
    arm and when she is turned sufficiently she puts her mouth very
    close to my skin and begins to knead my upper arm muscle.  Now all
    I have to do is teach her to work on my neck and shoulders.
    
    Jan Cordes
    

    re: drooling
    
    We have an older cat named Jesse, that doesn't knead but will sit
    on my lap and purr and DROOL all over me!  I thought it was because
    of his advanced years.  He is very sensitive about it so we don't
    make a fuss.  He also likes to sleep on my chest at night so sometimes
    I wake up to a very soggy nightgown, ugh! (you can't return it cause
    it's got cat spit all over it!...famous Steve Martin line)
    
    JoAnn
    
    

    When I picked up Chauncey at the vet's last Tuesday, the vet came
    in with a smile on his face and the little puff in his arms.  Chauncey
    was kneading his arm like crazy and, because he as still a bit drugged,
    was drooling all over the poor guy.  My vet didn't seem to mind...he
    thought it was quite a complement, especially after what he had
    just done to the little critter!
    
    Mary

    as far as surrogate uh,er,um...well as far as surrogates go,
    
    At a show I attended in S.F. in December with a friend and her
    five Birmans, one of her 7 1/2 month old males decided to use his
    less mature littermate (also male) as a surrogate.  Not only was
    the littermate confused and upset but so was the show management.
    She and I were busy trying to seperate the two cats (with tears
    of laughter streaming down our faces!) when the show management
    came over to warn us that "planned mating" was prohibited at CFA
    shows!  Seems that someone complained that we had conspired to breed
    our two cats at the show, both of us being birman breeders.  That
    person ended up with egg on their face when my friend calmly replied
    that there was nothing in CFA rules prohibiting two males cats from
    mating.
    
    Most fun that I have had at a show in a long time!
    
    JoAnn

    
    Our mog Lucy does this too. Her favourite thing in the world is the
    sheepskin rug on our bedroom floor. Now that I've had it cleaned (the
    corners were all liberally coated in dried cat spit), we don't let her
    in our bedroom any more. She has recently started to do it to us
    instead so it looks like we'll have to choose between a foul rug and
    battered clothes... 
    
    Trev

    
    Trev,
    
    What's a "mog"?

    
    As far as the "making bread" (I love this term for it), our two
    will do it when they are up on your lap and getting lots of attention.
    Or, first thing in the morning when they are waking us up. They
    both seem to love terry cloth - either bathrobe or towels. (and
    since it is so thick, the claws aren't quite as lethal!)
    
    I'm so glad to hear that other cats drool! I had never had a cat
    that did it before, but both of these crazies do it! Usually about
    5 minutes into a pet/knead/cuddle session there will be an occassional
    drop. When they are laying on your chest (as you are laying in bed)
    it's not the most fun thing to have a drooling cat, but I'm glad
    to hear it's because they are so contented!

    
    	It's a (my?) contraction of "Moggy" - i.e. a non-purebred cat
    (the best sort !). Is this English slang only ?
    
    Trev

    Trev,
    I think it is a safe bet that moggy is English slang only.  I had
    never heard the term before your note.  I like the sound of it though.
    Went home last nights and called Winston a mog and he looked at
    me in the strangest fashion.  Wonder what it means in the language
    of cats?
    Jo