kneadinjg

Question
My cat is 2 yrs old and I have had 3 others before her and she is the only one that does not knead. Is this normal? I thought all cats do that. I adopted her at the humane society and they were not too sure where she was born. Some college kids took her down there.

Answer
No, not all cats necessarily knead. Kneading is a throwback to what they did to get mothers milk flowing to nurse. Some cats continue this behavior because they were actuallyweaned too early from mom-cat (they will also sometimes suck their own paw or a persons skin like if they were nursing). Some cats knead out of comfort - its similar to how we are comforted by things that remind us deeply of mom's comfort. But many cats don't do it. they may stretch out their paws but not really do any continuous kneading process. Don't worry if all is otherwise well.