My kitten massages a large stuffed unicorn

Here's a unicorn chaser, starring my kitten who likes to massage my daughter's stuffed unicorn.

[#1 posted by mhlaxp , September 10, 2008 12:18 PM]

Mark, can I say to you, man to man, that this, while adorable, is not quite as adorable as I was expecting.

[#2 posted by Gary61 , September 10, 2008 12:20 PM]

needs more adorableness ... can ya shoot the kitty with a squirtgun or ... say ... wrist-mounted flamethrowers?

[#3 posted by Keneke , September 10, 2008 12:21 PM]

Shoulda saved it for when we needed one!

[#4 posted by Phikus , September 10, 2008 12:25 PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_uuN5kuq74

[#5 posted by Teapunk , September 10, 2008 12:26 PM]

And I was so afraid to scroll down, wondering what horrors awaited me that required a unicorn and a kitten...

[#6 posted by xzzy , September 10, 2008 12:26 PM]

Not to demystify the cuteness, but it was always explained to me that this kind of behavior is a leftover trait from birth. Kittens will knead their mother's belly to signal they want milk, and some cats never outgrow it.

It is pretty cute though, and if you get really lucky they'll associate getting a treat with the kneading, and can pretty much do it on demand.

They do use their nails though, so it can hurt a little if they decide to use your thigh. ;)

[#7 posted by Anonymous , September 10, 2008 12:31 PM]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=smurgle

We have 4 cats in the house. Two Siamese and two big black furballs. The Siamese have always smurgled something fierce to the point of slobbering on themselves and trancing out.

The black cats never used to, them they seemed to pick up the habit from the others.

[#8 posted by RJ , September 10, 2008 12:35 PM]

Well, I thought it was cute.

[#9 posted by Phikus , September 10, 2008 12:39 PM]

It is reminiscent for them of padding their mother's tummy for milk. One of my kitties always has to fluff up blankets this way. He gets going and just purrs and purrs.

[#10 posted by EricT , September 10, 2008 12:42 PM]

OMG We have that Exact same unicorn. My Dog keeps trying to make it his bride

[#11 posted by ellkaiesse5 , September 10, 2008 12:44 PM]

I wake up in the middle of the night every now and then to my cat kneading. Sometimes I get a great shoulder or lower back rub; other times she lands on my ribs or something and it's not quite so nice.

[#12 posted by grimc , September 10, 2008 12:47 PM]

Massaging or tenderizing?

[#13 posted by Drew from Zhrodague , September 10, 2008 12:49 PM]

I haven't gone careening through scientific papers on cat behavior or cat psychology quite yet. Cat neuroscience is generally on the visual systems, as they've not got much cortex (rats are cheaper for general brain studies).

I've been calling this behavior 'Making Muffins". It would be interesting to measure just how many left/right cycles of this kneading would happen, per cat, and for how long.

One of my cats will make muffins for as long as I let her.

[#14 posted by Jerril , September 10, 2008 12:49 PM]

I had a cat who obviously still remembered paddling mama for milk, because he'd start drooling when he kneeded your leg.

There's nothing quite like a slobbery cat poking you repeatedly.

[#15 posted by Trvth , September 10, 2008 12:58 PM]

I had a cat that would do this and drool - his name was Mousebane. I loved that cat, we had him for about 12-13 years. Unfortunately, even though he was fixed, he often ran outside. One day he met a dog that he couldn't scare off (a pit). He survived the encounter, but I'm pretty sure it shortened his life span by a few years.

[#16 posted by wolfiesma , September 10, 2008 1:05 PM]

I dig the chair. I imagine it would make a fairly ergonomic laptop/novel reading position if you put your feet up on the windows.

[#17 posted by obeyken , September 10, 2008 1:11 PM]

My house mate's cat does something similar, only he likes to sit on my chest when I'm reclining on the couch, and knead my throat. Cute.

[#18 posted by Steve Lodefink , September 10, 2008 1:12 PM]

I dig the chair. I imagine...

...and the table is begging for one of these Evil Mad LED tops:

http://evilmadscience.com/majors/46-tables

[#19 posted by hassan-i-sabbah , September 10, 2008 1:12 PM]

Mousebane! Brilliant!

[#20 posted by wgmleslie , September 10, 2008 1:13 PM]

We always called it "Happy Feet".

[#21 posted by themindfantastic , September 10, 2008 1:23 PM]

That makes me think of a friends cat who had a love affair with a stuffed elephant she had since she was a child, he (the cat) would drag this out into the middle of the room (especially during parties) and fornicate with it for all to see... she tried to get him interested in anything even other cats, but no he was monogamous to this stuffed elephant. Every now and then you would hear him 'Mrow... Mrow!...' as he would have his way with the poor plushie.

[#22 posted by loci , September 10, 2008 1:30 PM]

ww... ct dng smthng.
nxt w wll hv smn tkng pht f thr lnch nd pstng t!
ntrnts s mzng

[#23 posted by beep1o , September 10, 2008 1:33 PM]

Noooo its not making muffins, its making biscuits. Who the heck kneads muffin batter? :)

Many (I'd say 98%) of cats do this. It's the exact same motion they used when nursing, and almost always accompanied by purring. Some cats do this when they are happy, some do it whenever they encounter a suitably squishy object or their favorite person. At any rate I think its a comfort thing. It reminds me of my favorite T-shirt:

"My cat kneads me" :D

[#24 posted by Phikus , September 10, 2008 1:36 PM]

LOCI: Let's see you do something. It's not as easy as it looks.

[#25 posted by wonderama , September 10, 2008 1:50 PM]

OMGSOCUTE!

[#26 posted by Egypt Urnash , September 10, 2008 1:56 PM]

Aaawww! We have the exact same unicorn, except in pink.

[#27 posted by xzzy , September 10, 2008 1:58 PM]

We always called it "Happy Feet".

Around our house it's "tap dancing".

Because it really does look like they're dancing for a meal.

[#28 posted by Mark Frauenfelder , September 10, 2008 2:02 PM]

A quick look at Loci's previous comments makes it abundantly clear that he/she/it is more interested in saying nasty things than creating anything interesting, surprising, or funny.

[#29 posted by Chocolatey Shatner , September 10, 2008 2:02 PM]

@#3: Did you miss the bit about the beef sundaes? This was actually more of a unicorn aperitif, since it came before the beef sundaes. Although technically, I read it after. Dammit, stupid LHC screwing up time already.

[#30 posted by thevinery , September 10, 2008 2:05 PM]

Hey Mark -- and everyone else --

I had a cat JUST LIKE THAT as a little girl and have been trying to figure out what kind of cat it is for years and years -- clue me in!

[#31 posted by Antinous , September 10, 2008 2:07 PM]

Loci,

Why don't you write to Teresa and explain to her why she should reinstate your account.

[#32 posted by starcadia , September 10, 2008 2:08 PM]

Thick, fuzzy wool gets 'em everytime. Try it! :D

[#33 posted by midknyte , September 10, 2008 2:10 PM]

> And I was so afraid to scroll down, wondering
> what horrors awaited me that required a unicorn
> and a kitten...

And I was looking forward to scrolling down, to
find what horrors awaited me that required a unicorn and a kitten...

[#34 posted by Xopher , September 10, 2008 2:24 PM]

Mark 27: That's "she/he/it." Why, you ask? Try saying it real fast, as one long syllable, and you'll see why.

[#35 posted by Peaceflag2007 , September 10, 2008 2:42 PM]

Nice chair! I'm in looove.

[#36 posted by veto , September 10, 2008 2:48 PM]

as a few already stated this is supposebly a behaviour to stimulate the mothers tummy so the milk starts to flow.
on the other hand grown up wildcats can be observed doing just the same thing when preparing a place to sleep e.g. tramping down grass. so for grownup wild as for domesticated cats its a behaviour of comfort.

one might also add that cats have.. glands (not sure if its the correct english term) on the downside of their paws, so they mark their possesions.

human babys are also known to rythmically move their mouth on the nipple before actually suckling.

[#37 posted by straponego , September 10, 2008 2:58 PM]

@#9: You mean... he offers it a ring? He dresses it in white? He... recites vows of holy matrimony?

Now I need a chaser chaser.

[#38 posted by franko , September 10, 2008 3:01 PM]

too cute. i miss our kitties. : (

[#39 posted by Noelegy , September 10, 2008 3:08 PM]

That's a lynx point Siamese mix. They are truly unusual and beautiful cats.

I have long hair, and two of my cats "fix" my hair for me, by kneading it when I'm in bed. It's oddly soothing.

[#40 posted by Steiny , September 10, 2008 3:19 PM]

Talkin' out of turn... that's a paddlin'.
Lookin' out the window... that's a paddlin'.
Starin' at my sandals... that's a paddlin'.
Paddlin' the school canoe... ooh, you better believe that's a paddlin'.

or

One Does Not Simply Paddle Into Mordor

[#41 posted by Frank_in_Virginia , September 10, 2008 3:24 PM]

I love when my cats do this. The one who sleeps in our bed with us kneads my chest if I am on my side so he can sleep under my arm.

[#42 posted by minTphresh , September 10, 2008 3:38 PM]

wah...ahhh...AHHH...AAKXCCHHOOOOOOOUUYE!! sorry, i'm allergic.

[#43 posted by Banksynergy , September 10, 2008 3:41 PM]

Firstly, it's called "making biscuits" because they look like they're kneading dough. Sheesh, get it right =P

Secondly, my 9 month old cat wakes me up at least once every night by laying on my chest and making biscuits on my throat. She sticks her claws out at the peak of each push, too.
Not so cute.

Thirdly, your cat is way cuter than mine. I love her, but damn it, she's a silver tabby and not so interesting to look at. Part of me wishes I'd restrained myself longer and waited for a Siamese mix, which was my original preference.
I want to compensate by just getting another kitten, but the hubby won't allow it. Although he said if I teach her to do a two-syllable meow for "thank you" I can get a snake...

[#44 posted by fatuousplatitudes , September 10, 2008 3:42 PM]

I'm not so sure about adorable cuteness...
Our neutered male cat, Chuck E (a real Public Enemy fan), has developed the kneading habit with a plushie cushion cover.
Only he kneads, then (as @#20 so gracefully says), he fornicates with the said cover, very loudly, repeatedly, regularly.
Adorable?
Maybe for him...

Go, Chuck E, go!

[#45 posted by Esther Sassaman , September 10, 2008 3:45 PM]

squee! siamese kitteh with stripey legs!

[#46 posted by Kblackwell , September 10, 2008 3:49 PM]

My cat does the exact same thing with this large white stuffed dog, and only with that dog. It's like he thinks it's his mommy.

[#47 posted by Banksynergy , September 10, 2008 4:14 PM]

P.S. "massage my daughter's stuffed unicorn"
Now there's a line I never thought I'd hear.

[#48 posted by Mark Frauenfelder , September 10, 2008 4:39 PM]

thevinery@29: "I had a cat JUST LIKE THAT as a little girl and have been trying to figure out what kind of cat it is for years and years -- clue me in!"

I wish I knew what kind of cat it was. My wife found him near death under a bush in the hills of Pasadena a couple of months ago. He is awfully cute.

[#49 posted by membrain , September 10, 2008 4:58 PM]

lol @ Loci... I found it really cute..

[#50 posted by Stefan Jones , September 10, 2008 4:59 PM]

The whole tone of this video would be wildly different if the unicorn was lying on his back.

Sorry, it had to be said.

#47: You are Carla are mensches for keeping and raising him.

[#51 posted by alisong76 , September 10, 2008 5:04 PM]

Ditto on many comments above - I've had cats ever since I was a kid (the ones I have now are numbers eight and nine) and they've all done this. Chester, my number eight, does it on me, the furniture, the other cat and occasionally on empty air.

[#52 posted by Robert , September 10, 2008 5:04 PM]

I love when my cats do that. We call it "making bread" or "doing the paw thing". The only time it's not fun is just before I wake up. With a full bladder. And a cat apparently trying to make me pee myself.

[#53 posted by BadKittyM , September 10, 2008 5:50 PM]

That is a lovely Lynx-point Siamese; she looks a lot like my Miss Kitty. I call it "Pump-n-Drool," as Miss Kitty invariably develops a drip when she's really into it.

[#54 posted by Antinous , September 10, 2008 6:02 PM]

We always called it 'making muffins'. And is she giving you a guilty look or inviting you for a threesome?

[#55 posted by DennisSC , September 10, 2008 6:22 PM]

So, The MindFantastic's cat was a furry fetishist?

[#56 posted by Tavie , September 10, 2008 8:48 PM]

In our household that's called "the kitty-cat march".

Drusilla the Evil One does it while attempting to suckle any bit of bare skin. We cannot break her of this habit.

[#57 posted by BadMojo , September 11, 2008 6:17 AM]

My cat Charlie does this....we call it the "Charlie Dance" -- our other cat, Mortimer, suckles on my fingers and paws the air...they are both about 2 years old.

Too cute!

[#58 posted by Sekino , September 11, 2008 8:21 AM]

Frankly, I have yet to see a cat that never does the 'kneading'. I always find mine is hilarious to watch because she gets so engrossed in it, like it's a mystical zen-tentra practice of some sort... Problem is, she increasignly uses her claws as she kneads; I can only tolerate her on my belly for about 5 minutes.

Aaah, cuteness. Bringing humanity together (except Loci :P).

[#59 posted by trai_dep , September 11, 2008 3:59 PM]

My kitty does that on my belly although I'm not as soft as a unicorn; more's the shame. He doesn't quite have the whole keep-the-claws-recessed thing down yet (he's an adolescent) but he's so adorable when he does it that I grit my teeth manfully until he leaves the room so I can then sob like a schoolgirl.
We suffer for our children. And our pets.
I have no idea how to train them not to do something so wired into their predatory feline brains so if you have any suggestions, my stomach (and formerly white tee-shirt collection) would be grateful.

[#60 posted by kathode , September 11, 2008 4:47 PM]

If anyone is still wonder, it looks like a "ticked tabby with residual markings" --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tabby-types.jpg

[#61 posted by mellowknees , September 11, 2008 4:58 PM]

we always called it 'making muffins'. I have two cats who do it - one with claws and one without.

And if you find yourself needing additional cuteness, here is a short vid of our most recent addition to our catty household. Her name is Ell O'Ell Kitteh. No I am not kidding. My husband named her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfWpfhBljg

We call her 'Lolly' for short.

[#62 posted by Razzabeth , September 11, 2008 11:22 PM]

I had a siamese who would masturbate in this way. And yes, it was definitely masturbation. His hips would get a-pumping, and, though neutered, he would leave some sort of small yellowish stain behind.

[#63 posted by cha0tic , September 12, 2008 12:40 AM]

@midknyte #33
Yeah I feel ripped off. Where's my nasty thing. I want to see something gross now.

@Chocolatey Shatner #29
Nah Hot Beef Sundae doesn't need a unicorn chaser that looks like some good eating. I think you'd be too full to manage a Unicorn smoothy after that.

[#64 posted by lilly34171 , September 12, 2008 12:53 AM]

wonderfull

[#65 posted by Halloween Jack , September 12, 2008 6:53 AM]

Happy ending?

[#66 posted by nil8r , September 12, 2008 9:19 AM]

#21, Themindfantastic: Exhibitionism seems to be a part of it. My mom gave up on reclaiming her pink, fuzzy slipper 'cuz the cat would take it out on a date, in front of as many people as possible.

#all: As for the kneading action, I read it as my cat wants some attention. A couple of taps where I'd like her to come, or some stroking, and she abandons the kneading and comes up to me, knowing she's been invited. So I think it's a signal. Purring, by the way, doesn't automatically mean "happy" -- I think sometimes it also signals a desire for attention.

[#67 posted by racer x , September 12, 2008 4:55 PM]

I've worked with and owned kittehs for a long time and the behavior is universal, but I hypothesize that it varies with the kitteh. Two of mine were orphaned very, very young and the girl almost never does it whereas the boy tried to nurse on me, kneading all the time, until he learned it would get him thrown off. As he got older he turned to wooing me with deep purring and subtle ass movement - I took him to the vet (ewwww!). Now he has a lil stuffed ho-kitty that he likes to drag out and hump in the living room. Still ew, but better her than me.

Kittehs purr to comfort themselves, too. Sort of self-hypnosis. I saw it sometimes when I worked at the vet.

Did ya know dogs lick your face to get you to regurgitate food for them? That's what wolfie puppies do to their mommies. All about da food. Same with the "begging" stare - trying to dominate you and make you give them your food. You don't fall for it, do you?