Why do cats make biscuits? (kneading)

How to read it

The name comes from the motion, which looks like kneading dough (Blue Cross). The cat pushes its front paws down in turn into a lap, a blanket or a cushion. Some cats put their claws out and in as they go, some purr, and some drool. Cats Protection calls kneading a retained juvenile behaviour, “often seen in adult cats as a sign of contentment”. International Cat Care lists kneading on or near a person, with purring and dribbling, among the signs that a cat is open to interaction.

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Why kittens knead

Kittens suckle by treading on their mother’s belly with alternate front paws, which stimulates the flow of milk (International Cat Care). The drooling some adult cats do while kneading comes from the same place: Blue Cross and International Cat Care both explain it as the cat anticipating the milk that kneading brought when it was a kitten. Some cats purr while they knead, and Cats Protection says some seem to concentrate as they do it.

Why adult cats knead

International Cat Care says cats grow out of kneading once it stops being necessary, but a few keep it into adulthood, particularly with someone they feel safe with, or on a fluffy cushion or blanket. Blue Cross gives a second reason: some cats knead to prepare a bed before they sleep, which it says is thought to come from wild cats pressing down long grass to make a space to lie in.

Kneading on people and blankets

On a lap or chest, International Cat Care reads kneading as the cat relating to the person the way it related to its mother. Blue Cross says the same, and adds that the happier the cat is, the harder it may knead, which is when claws hurt. Both charities describe kneading as normal behaviour. Cats Protection names a lap or a fleecy blanket as the usual surface.

Kneading is not the same as wool sucking, where a cat suckles jumpers or blankets. Cats Protection describes that as a separate retained suckling behaviour, seen less often in adult cats.

When kneading changes

The RSPCA says any change in a cat’s behaviour could be a sign that it is upset, bored, sick or injured, stressed or frightened. If this is new or comes with other changes, check with your vet.