it hurts and he sometimes does it on my chest and i got a scratch from him kneeding which just healed not long ago. and he is a full grown cat not a kitten. he's 4 years old so his claws are sharp. please give me some advice. i fear that one day when he kneeds my neck that he will kneed a vein.
2007-05-31 17:21:20 · 12 answers · asked by Hunny b 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
Most of all, relax. Your cat will NOT cause serious injury when kneading your neck... unless you forgot to tell us that he's actually a lion!
The human body is designed such that there are no major veins anywhere near the surface. Granted, sharp claws in the skin do hurt, but it will never cause anything serious.
Kittens knead their mother's belly while they nurse to stimulate milk flow. So he's telling you that snuggling up to you feels just as nice and warm and cozy and secure as when he was a kitten snuggled against his mother! So don't reprimand him harshly when he does this. You can make sure to keep his nails short, so he can't hurt you, or you can gently remove him from you whenever he starts to do this.
2007-05-31 17:43:02 · answer #1 · answered by twosweethounds 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps Gibbs was taken away from his mom too early. He may not of been ready to be weened. There is a time that people say cats should be weened, but some just aren't read for it yet--they may be a runt. My first cat who passed away a few years ago did it. She was partly too young to be weened and just plain wasn't ready to give up her mothers milk. She would do this only on stuffed animals, and try desperately to find a nipple--she did this till she passed away at 7 years of age. My second and current cat who is three does this with my finger, but I also got her when she was only just 4 weeks old as an abandoned kitten. She was NOT ready to have left her mother at the time (since she was 3 weeks when my friend got her and her sibling). Gibbs will probably not grow out of it, but feel blessed, he now thinks you are his mother!
2016-03-13 03:48:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, one of my cats tends to do that too. It sounds like it's time to trim his claws. You can do it yourself at home: just get some clippers and clip them--just be careful not to cut the quick, which looks like a vein underneath the claw's surface (it will look either pink or purple/blue). That's important to do for any inside cat anyway so he won't get stuck on furniture/blankets. If you keep his claws trimmed, then they won't feel nearly as sharp.
When my cat is getting on my nerves with his kneading (he does that on my chest), I put him on my lap and pet him so he'll stay there--when I'm wearing jeans, I don't notice his claws. You can also keep a blanket on the couch, or wherever you normally sit, to put on your lap. In fact, if you get a really good blanket, he might end up clawing the blanket instead of you--get one of those really soft, fleecy lap blankets. Every cat I've met loves those.
2007-05-31 17:32:52 · answer #3 · answered by kacey 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When my cat does this I move her onto a blanket so that her nails do not scratch my skin. Since I have done this she rarely kneeds me or anything anymore. Hope this helps
2007-05-31 17:33:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a cat that also does this. He's 11 now and I must admit it drives me crazy also. The only thing I tried that worked for a short amount of time is to hold his paws together, not to tightly, and sometimes this stops him, but not always. Good luck
2007-05-31 17:26:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wish my cat would do this! He does kneed my chest, but I'd love him to massage my neck (tha back of the neck). the best idea is to trim your cat's nails, not declaw, of course, just trim the pointed ends. make sure you don't cut too deep, because there are veins there.
2007-05-31 19:58:16 · answer #6 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Every time your cat starts to kneed take it and put it on a fleece blanket and pet it, it will eventually kneed the balnket and not you...
2007-05-31 17:38:05 · answer #7 · answered by Heather H 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He is doing this out of love, the kneading reflex is what kittens do to stimulate milk flow while nursing. Many adult cats do this when they are snuggling in and contented. Keep him off of your chest and neck if you don't want this to happen.
2007-05-31 17:24:37 · answer #8 · answered by Amy 911 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get a small spray bottle and fill with water and some vinegar. I kno its hard to do cuz im sure u love ur cat but everytime she goes to do that spray her. The vineger wont hurt them but they hate the smell!!
2007-05-31 17:24:36 · answer #9 · answered by *-kC-* 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
my cat used to do the same thing..just stop him right when he does it by sasying no and putting him on the floor
2007-05-31 17:26:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋