I expect we have all experienced the very slow and deliberate kneading action that our cats have done when they come and sit on your lap, or when they nestle in your jumper that you left laying around. Why do they do this?
If you have ever observed kittens they do this as well. When a kitten feeds from its mother it will knead at the mother's nipple. This action stimulates the flow of milk and therefore the kitten can feed. The result is a warm, contented well fed kitten.
These pleasant infantile feelings stay with the cat forever, so when he is warm and contented with his surrogate mum (or dad!) this stimualtes him to regress back to his infantile behaviour.
The complication for the cat comes when the poor owner fed up with being pricked to death picks the cat up and puts him down somewhere else, the cat is probably dismayed by this action that a mother can behave in such a way. This is a prime example of confused messages between felines and humans. Next time the cat jumps up on you and starts to tread try putting an old jumper between you and the cats claws so he can tread in contentment and you save your skin!
The reason for your cat's behaviour maybe due to an underlying medical reason. If you are concerned about your cat, always consult your vet or a cat behaviourist for professional, qualified advice.
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