My cat likes to put his claws into my hand and when I touch him with his claws, he purrs like a Rottweiler. This is an affectionate behavior, more than a cat’s natural habit of just scratching or playing with fur. When it gets on my nerves, I snap a few painters and watch her howl. But why does my cat knead on me? I have tried everything I can think of to stop this behavior right here and now, but I am not sure what to do in the long run.
Well, one of the main reasons my cat scratches and bites me is that she is trying to get rid of her claws. When she scratches me, she removes all of her claws, and she will do this for a while until she finally gets them all off. I understand that cats need to use their claws to climb and play, and they need to do that for a lot of different reasons. But my cat does not want to let go of her claws, even if she is not claws-by Claw. Here is a way to figure out why does my cat knead on me – because she is trying to remove all her claws.
This is usually something that starts out very innocently. You know, your cat wants to scratch you and she wants to remove all her claws so that she can play with you. That is the common sense most of the time. Sometimes, though, it isn’t as easy to understand why your cat does this.
You know, cats naturally want to keep their claws in as much shape as possible. This is in part so they can protect themselves from predators. The longer their claws are out, the harder it is for them to hide from predators. A cat that has short nails doesn’t have nearly as much defense to offer as a cat with longer nails. So they will scrape and scratch to get their claws and stay away from trouble. As you might imagine, some cats start to rub themselves on furniture, clothes, walls, or whatever else they can find to “scratch”.
In more severe cases, the problem could even be physical. A cat who is carrying its claws in an outward manner might have a problem with circulation, which can lead to a life-threatening condition. Or, the claw might be crushed against something, and that can cause internal damage over time. The problem could also involve a broken claw bone. A broken claw bone is very painful and can even require surgery to get it back into position.
The scratching behavior you see on your cat may be similar to what a child might do when playing with something they don’t like. They will put their hands in their mouth, or even dig into things to get to the object they want. This is natural for them, but you have to try to avoid letting them do this if at all possible. Removing tempting objects from your cat’s reach, and teaching him not to get into things when he doesn’t want to, can go a long way toward keeping him safe. You can also try to shape his hands into appropriate shapes by tapping them against things and moving his fingers about so that he understands what he’s doing wrong.
If you’ve tried the natural methods above and still have trouble getting your cat to stop scratching, then perhaps your cat does have a medical problem. It could be that your cat is too thin, for example, or it could be that he is injured. You’ll want to talk to your vet about any of these issues and get your cat checked out. If there is nothing wrong medically, then your cat could be just very stressed and uncomfortable when he starts scratching. This could be the case with some animals, and it can usually be resolved by simply giving him some catnip toys to play with.
Finally, the most common reason why cats scratch is because they are feeling territorial. They may have been raised in a cage where there was a lot of scratching going on, and they feel that if they aren’t getting scratched, then other cats will start making fun of them. It’s up to you to stop this, and teach your cat that only you are the one that he has to please. There are loads of ways to stop this aggressive behavior, including basic obedience training and positive reinforcement.