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tara Tara Bears
Lancaster, England
Posts: 11

Hey guys  bear_original  I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on a strange but cute thing my cat's started doing.

He's about 6 years old now, and I've had him since he was a kitten, but we moved house about a year ago and he came too. Well anyway, I was getting my winter gear out and left a scarf on my bed which he started curling up on.. fair enough, it's soft. But the last few days he's started putting it in his mouth and 'paddy' pawing at it all the while purring and purring! It's so adorable but I was wondering if any of you cat people have experienced anything similar?

Also, he's a picture of my Kaya! (I'd love to see some of all your pets.. cats, dogs, rabbits etc.. I love them all!  bear_wub )

v.p?uid=tkomorowska&pid=610726&sid=kmD55cFNS4

-Tara

TamiL Dolls N Dreams
Aurora, Colorado
Posts: 6,454

Hi, maybe he misses the old house or maybe he just loves the smell of you on the winter scraf and it makes him feel loved and safe.  I have a cute westie named Tiffani.
My mom gave my Tiffani a stuffed toy when she was 6 months old, it was my old stuffed animal that was given to me when I was 16 yrs old. She loves this old thing...she drags it everywhere, sleeps with it and even nurses on it  bear_grin  bear_grin
Tiffani is 6 yrs old now and she never gets tired of doing this!  bear_grin  bear_grin

smalltiffanipic.jpg

thumperantiques Newcastle, Ontario
Posts: 5,643

Tara,
    Your cat is butterscotch/orange tabby?  I think orange cats are very eccentric.  We have a male orange and white tabby and he's just plain odd!  :crackup: One of the really strange things he does is stick his whole head in someone's shoe - it appears he likes the odor-yuck!  He's always done this to the point we got a shoe rack for the closet, so we  could put our shoes away  bear_grin
     Thumper used to be an outdoor cat,  until we moved to our current location.  When he wanted outside, and I was on the computer and ignoring him, he would literally bite my butt very hard and then run to the front door!  He used to infuriate me.  We also had to find a good hiding place for his Whiskas treats, as he was like Houdini and kept finding them and eating his way through the packaging and then all of the treats!  He is a very odd cat, indeed and here's a picture of the rascal, looking totally innocent bear_grin
!thumper2.jpg

                                          hugs,

                                          Brenda

KJ Lyons KJ Lyons Design
Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,413
Website

Tara,
Your cat is going back to the happiest time of his life; mommy time. THe kneading motion is a memory of nursing with his mom and I'm sure the soft scarf reminds him of the feel of his mom. It means he feels very happy and safe.
Karen

JeannieB JeannieB Bears
Greensboro NC
Posts: 1,183

Totally agree with Karen! The scarf must remind him of his mommy! There's nothing more warm, loving and secure than kittens nursing with their mommy bear_wub

    Hugs,
    JeannieB bear_original

Barling Bears Barling Bears
Nr. Maidstone, Kent
Posts: 1,523
Website

Hi Tara,

Karen said:
Your cat is going back to the happiest time of his life; mommy time. The kneading motion is a memory of nursing with his mom and I'm sure the soft scarf reminds him of the feel of his mom. It means he feels very happy and safe.

Yes, I tend to agree with Karen.  I had a little cat called Woody and he absolutely loved a very soft toy dog that I used to lay out along the bottom of a door.  Whenever he saw this lying on the floor, he would paw away at the very soft faux fur and purr and purr as loud as he could!  He never purred so loud anywhere else and you could tell that he was really enjoying it!  I think it is a way of comforting, bringing back "memories" of being with his Mum.  I know that Woody had a very sad introduction to the world as he was a rescue cat and the RSPCA would never tell us what his circumstances actually were when he was found, but soft cuddly material and textures were a very important and favourite item for him.  Bless his little cotton socks...   Also, there could be the chance that maybe your scarf has a scent that reminds him of his previous house, you never know.  He does sound cute though!  It's great that animals have little things that they really enjoy and have their own special meanings to them.  Enjoy!

Hugs

Marilyn bear_flower

Us Bears Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,479

I vote for nursing behavior too!  :)
Very young kittens "knead" their mother's tummy to get milk.

If a cat cozies up and "kneads" you with its paws, that means it looks up to you as a sort of "mother figure."

Basically, you've got one contented puddy-tat on your hands.   bear_thumb

tara Tara Bears
Lancaster, England
Posts: 11

Thanks guys! You've all made me smile with your cute stories (and pictures!  bear_wub) and made me feel like I'm doing a good job with my boy cat! He does seem really happy, but his purring woke me up this morning so maybe I'll have to banish the scarf downstairs!

Tami - your westie is so cute!! My friend has one that she actually dyed purple! He curled up in a just washed new purple jumper and the dye came out on his fur!

Brena - Thumper is such a handsome cat! I love his stripes and he looks so warm and cuddly! I know what you mean about having to hide treats though, when we first moved here I put all Kaya's stuff in a cupboard in the kitchen and came home to find the house covered in catnip and the cat running around like a maniac! It's all in an old biscuit tin now so he can't get into it though!

Animals are the best  bear_wub

-Tara

Studio44 Studio 44
UK
Posts: 99

My cat and dog are really friendly and often curl up together. Poppy the dog was 2 years old when Henri the cat came to live with us as a kitten. Poppy is a loving & extremely tolerant dog. From the very beginning Henri insisted curling up with poppy and we noticed that she became ecstatic when they were close and that she was sucking away at the dogs fur. We thought that perhaps she was seeing the dog as her mother! Henri is now 8 and still loves to suck at poppy's fur, purring and padding. As an old dog Poppy isn't always that tolerant of this behaviour but as you know cats do as they wish.

:hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Dorothy 

Poppy__henri.JPG

Michelle Helen Chaska, Minnesota
Posts: 2,897

Something tells me the scarf resembles his mother’s fur and he is resorting to kitten behavior. The kneading and purring is the nursing action when he was feeding from her.

EvaJ EJ's Crafts
Fort Mohave, Arizona
Posts: 829

bears-10-20-08-004.jpgMy cat is a kneader.  When I cover my legs with a blanket, he will stradle my legs and knead and purr away.  He was from a littler of kittens that a stray had in a friends shed.  He is now 9 years old and weighs 17 pounds and has done this since he was a baby.  Here he is asleep on my cutting table, one of his favorite places to sleep and watch outside.  He is an inside cat.

Eva
www.ejcrafts.com

KJ Lyons KJ Lyons Design
Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,413
Website

Eva,
He's beautiful! Have any more photos?
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Carolynn Teenytinyteddybears
Posts: 444

When I moved in with Dino he had a cat. Just an ordinary grey cat. They existed together happily. Anyway, he was away for 2 months and madam started "kitty gripping" . My dressing gown, blankets, anything. She was very content.

Blueberrycreations Blueberrycreations
Northern California
Posts: 372
Website

Hi Tara,

I had a cat that did that when you would pet him. He would suck on your shirt or a blanket till he made a big wet spot, and purr as loud as could be. Now I have a 13 week old puppy that likes to nibble and nurse on a blanket when he is tired. I think it soothes him so he falls a sleep. Here is a picture of him and our other dog.
3001402148_453925f254.jpg?v=0
Franklin is 2 years and Oliver is 13 weeks, they are both Boston Terriers

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