My cat is painfully "kneady"

by Jazzy L
(USA)

Hey, I have two lovely cats, both about ten years old now. The one I'm asking about is the slightly older of the two, a black female mix named Baby who has the stereotypical "worship-me" personality. Except when she's "cuddly."

This usually occurs at night, when I'm in bed and trying to go to sleep. Baby loves sleeping under the covers with me, right against my stomach (I sleep on my side) and is perfectly content to just lie down. It's only after she's been there for a while that she decides she wants to knead. And knead she does!

From what I've read, most cats stop kneading after they've laid down, but Baby doesn't. She'll stretch out her paws as far as she can, often trying to reach my face, and then pull them back, quite painfully might I add. Especially when she gets me in a more sensitive area!

My question is this: How can I encourage her to stop this behavior? I'm aware it's a throwback to her kitten days and a sign of happiness and affection, but it really hurts and I'm allergic, making scratches even more uncomfortable. If anyone has some suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Answer by Kate
hi
unfortunately a happy contented cat will often just knead. My cat does. and to the best of my knowledge there is no way to stop it and in fact would be unkind to do so really especially as all they are doing is expressing contentment.

i understand your predicament though and unfortunately you have to either decide that you are going to have to sleep with a blanket on your tummy or not to allow her to sleep with you.

Perhaps someone else will have a suggestion for you.

best wishes Kate

---