I just got back from a two week trip, and both my boy kitten and my little girl kitten curl up on my beely on knead it with their paws while they purr. Then they butt my face with their heads. Why?
2007-03-14 07:17:50 · 16 answers · asked by mystic 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Congratulations--the purrs and kneading mean that they have adopted you as their "mommy". They realize that you love them and take care of them, and they love you, too. Any head-butt is aonother sign of affection, which partly means that they are "claiming" you as something "belonging to them" and aslo that they consider you a member of their family. The face-to-face touch or nose-to-nose touch is an especially affectionate gesture, as it means that they trust you, and they are greeting you as they would another cat.
2007-03-14 07:54:47 · answer #1 · answered by explorationredwing 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Kitten Purring And Kneading
2016-11-04 11:37:10 · answer #2 · answered by pellenz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats rub you with their heads because they missed you. Cats have scent glands on their heads somewhere, and they are marking you. They are probably trying to tell you not to run away again. As for kneading, Kittens knead their mothers to increase the milk flow, so they can suckle easier. When they knead you, the are relaxed with you and trust you as a cat mom.
2007-03-14 07:27:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Kittens need that close feeling that they have with their mothers. They knead your tummy because it is soft like their mother, and they do that kneading action when they are nursing. Have you ever watched a mother cat with her kittens? They rub heads like you pet them, but they don't have hands so they use their heads. They purr because they are content, and feel safe.
2007-03-14 07:35:15 · answer #4 · answered by Joner 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's instinctual behavior. They associate contentment with feeding as kittens. They do the kneading thing because as kittens it would help them get milk, and the purring is a method of communication with mom.
2007-03-14 10:22:47 · answer #5 · answered by Lindsay 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is all instinctual behavior. The kneading is left over from their kitten days when they knead the mother while drinking milk. The butting of the face with their heads is just saying hello.
2007-03-15 05:44:42 · answer #6 · answered by stingra385 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They do this to show you affection. The kneading and purring shows that they are happy. Give them some attention, sounds like they were lonely while you were on a trip.
2007-03-14 07:22:53 · answer #7 · answered by abigmal 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is something kittens do to their mom's when they want to feed. They need their stomach in order to get the milk flowing and many times cats continue to do this throughout their adult life when they feel happy, comfortable and content. Its your cats way of telling you, you make them feel safe!
Enjoy!
2007-03-14 07:21:58 · answer #8 · answered by Sara K 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Like Sara K said, it is a behavior carried over from nursing, showing contentment and as for the head butting, cats have glans in their head that leave a scent when they rub up on something. It's one of their ways of marking their territory, so they are claiming you as one of theirs. Be glad they aren't using one of the other ways of marking territory. LOL.
2007-03-14 07:41:26 · answer #9 · answered by Kats 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they probably want to show you that they think of you as a mother. They missed you while you were out on vacation. When you do leave for awhile and then come back they always are this way. They miss you
2007-03-14 07:57:43 · answer #10 · answered by Cat Lover 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋