Member

Posts: 14
From:toronto, Canada
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-07-2004 01:21 PM         

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hey guys!ive just noticed something that my little kitty Storm does and i was wondering whether any of you have noticed the same behaviour and whether you know what it means. Well, sometimes when Storm is about to sleep on this cushion we have in the living room he constantly pads it. What i mean is that when he is on the pillow, before lying on it he pushes against it....moving his two paws one at a time on it, almost transfixed!it looks like he is fluffing it....i am not very good at explaining what it is exactly...but does anybody know what im talking about?? hehe it looks cute, but its so odd and i just wanted to know why he'd be doing it....
thank u so much for any help!!

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Posts: 51
From:Mobile,Alabama,United States
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-07-2004 01:34 PM         

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your cat is just "making a bed" or getting it ready to sleep on.My cats do it all the time.It is perfectly normal.

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Posts: 32
From:miami beach, fl usa
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-07-2004 01:38 PM         

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It's commonly known as "making biscuits", my boyfriend and I call it mushing, when our cat Ozzie does it......he loves to do it on our down comforter, we joke about how Ozzie needs to go to MA meetings (musher's anonymous), lately he's a "recovering musher" because he's been to busy chasing his new brother Simon around so we haven't seen him mushing much lately. But now Simonheis a serious "mushaholic", he mushes everywhere on your lap, when he's at the vet.......which is funny because it's a happy thing for them, my guess is it's a simulation of the movements they make when they are feeding from they're mother .....they need her or press against her in that same way while suckling, and I'm sure they are also releasing they're own scent from the pads of their feet while mushing, of course it's a scent we can't smell. It's so cute, huh?

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Posts: 14
From:toronto, Canada
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-07-2004 02:54 PM         

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awww thanks guys,.....haha yeah its adorable! its a very interesting concept though ....heheheh!

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Posts: 75
From:Sydney,NSW,Australia
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 02-07-2004 09:47 PM         

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its a comfort thing much like nursing from blankets or woolly jumpers.
It stems from when they are newborns, they massage their mothers teat as they suckle to keep the milk flowing. They usually purr while they do this , even the very first day they are born I can hear my little ones 'rattling' out a purr.
Some cats continue to 'massage' their favourite chair, fluffy blanket or even toys.
I have 2 girls that fluff up their sheep skin bed while purring and stick their tongues out, they are so blissfully happy.

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Posts: 996
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 02-07-2004 10:46 PM         

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cacey: does your cat pee on your down comforter? We are collecting information b/c we have heard anecdoctally that a lot of cats pee on down.

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Posts: 32
From:miami beach, fl usa
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-07-2004 10:53 PM         

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Fleafly:Simon, the newest, he did 1st thing when I brought him home, but only once so far and Ozzie never has.

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Posts: 11
From:Canada
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-10-2004 09:44 PM         

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Hi madraggs,

As others have said, it is very normal what your cat is doing.

Nedding motions they do with their paws is enate.

I did hear once that when they do this as adult cats, it is more an enate / instintual behavior. The story I heard is,

In the old days, before cats where fully domesticated, they would do this nedding behavior on the beds where they choose to sleep to ensure there wasn't anything in the bedding itself. Checking to make sure there was no snakes, etc.

If this is true or not, I am not sure / LOL / but I found the story intriguing.

If you think about it, does make sense since most cats during the olden days slept in some pretty strange areas for their beauty sleep - hay beds, in rafters, grassy beds, etc

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Posts: 14
From:charleston WV USA
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-10-2004 10:13 PM         

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My cats do this too! All six of them - all from different mothers and different circumstances. (5 are rescues).
They began as kittens, and as adults still kneed when they are on something especially soft like fuzzy blankets or even rugs. I have heard also, that this is a habit that they pick up from their kittenhood when they kneed their mother's fur while nursing. I take it as a sign of contentedness. They normally start purring happily while they are kneeding and then, they like to lie down with the object. Some cat breeds are even more likely to do this such as siamese cats. My persian mix, actually picks up favorite blankets in her mouth and then kneeds. It is hilarious to watch this fluff ball with the blanket hanging out of her mouth, looking so serious yet content.
One of my cats, whom I have an especially close bond to, attempts to nurse on my arm or armpit while I am going to sleep at night. I have heard that some cats develop this habit when they are taken away from their moms at a very young age. I rescued him from a shelter when he was very tiny. He is over 2 years now and still does this behavior (though less frequently). I think that he thinks that I am really his mother. He also steals soft sweaters out of my room and drags them around the house or onto my bed when I am away from home. It's like a security blanket for him!
I have heard other people say that their cats do similar things such as suck on ear lobes.
Anyway, you can most likely be sure that this is a sign of contentment and happiness, and it is cute to watch too.

Maggie

[This message has been edited by maggie4 (edited 02-10-2004).]

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Posts: 10
From:UK
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-11-2004 04:31 AM         

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My two cats both do this, the youngest does it to his fleecy blanket and the oldest to me, usually when I'm asleep! I read this great book called Cat Watching by Desmond Morris. He's a famous social scientist/anthroplogist type boffin in the UK and he says that it is a comfort thing stemming back to kneading their mothers while suckling. They also drool while they are doing this and purr loudly. I always feel kind of jealous of the fleecy blanket!!

I love your explanation though Wolfe.

quote:

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One of my cats, whom I have an especially close bond to, attempts to nurse on my arm or armpit while I am going to sleep at night. I have heard that some cats develop this habit when they are taken away from their moms at a very young age.

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As I said my cat does this to me and he was with his mother until he was about over three months old. I think the close bond is the key :-)

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Posts: 14
From:toronto, Canada
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-11-2004 07:17 AM         

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Hey Wolfe what you said makes sense. I just took an animal behaviour course last semester and the habit could have definitely stemmed from the older cats. Thank you for your reply. Maggie, Storm was an abandoned cat and we got him when he was 8 weeks....hehhe he was soo cute....well, the comfort thing is def true....coz eh does it right before sleeping too and then just plops right back on the spot and falls asleep. Its Great!i love being a parent hahha even though im only 21...!the worst part is im gonna have to go back home in nairobi to see my fam over the summer and im gonna miss him sooo much!however, my bf will have him.....so im not so worried....im just gonna miss the cuddles and weird behaviour...
thanks again!

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Posts: 14
From:toronto, Canada
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-11-2004 07:21 AM         

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Hey Wolfe what you said makes sense. I just took an animal behaviour course last semester and the habit could have definitely stemmed from the older cats. Thank you for your reply. Maggie, Storm was an abandoned cat and we got him when he was 8 weeks....hehhe he was soo cute....well, the comfort thing is def true....coz eh does it right before sleeping too and then just plops right back on the spot and falls asleep. Its Great!i love being a parent hahha even though im only 21...!the worst part is im gonna have to go back home in nairobi to see my fam over the summer and im gonna miss him sooo much!however, my bf will have him.....so im not so worried....im just gonna miss the cuddles and weird behaviour...
thanks again!

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