Kneading With Claws

Alicia88

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I've seen a member say that sometimes her cat kneads with claws and she says "claws" and kitty retracts them.  I don't remember who it was.  I was just wondering how to teach a cat to do that.  Murphy is always kneading and he does it with claws.  I love the kneading - I like knowing my baby is happy - but the claws hurt.  I clip his nails, but of course I don't want to clip them too short and hurt him so there's still enough claw to dig into my scalp or wherever Murphy feels like kneading.  I don't want to do plastic tips.  I used them on a cat I had a long time ago and they're a giant pain in the tuckus.
 

Draco

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I don't think there's a way to teach a cat to retract claws, I'd be interested in knowing too!

I try to keep a towel or blanket near by.. if he gets into kneading mode, I tuck the towel under his paws and it softens the claws.
 

Kat0121

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I've seen a member say that sometimes her cat kneads with claws and she says "claws" and kitty retracts them.  I don't remember who it was.  I was just wondering how to teach a cat to do that.  Murphy is always kneading and he does it with claws.  I love the kneading - I like knowing my baby is happy - but the claws hurt.  I clip his nails, but of course I don't want to clip them too short and hurt him so there's still enough claw to dig into my scalp or wherever Murphy feels like kneading.  I don't want to do plastic tips.  I used them on a cat I had a long time ago and they're a giant pain in the tuckus.
Lilith and Sophie love to knead me when they are laying on or near me. When the claws come out I ask them to put them away and they do. Sometimes they will come out again but just a little bit and I ask them to please put them away. They lift the paw and when they put it back down again, the claw has been retracted. What do I say? Usually it's, "Please put the claws away" or something like that. They usually get a guilty look on their faces before the claws go back in. I think they know that they should leave them in. Cats are so smart. 

Henry has never kneaded me with claws. He's such a gentleman. 
 
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Alicia88

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Lilith and Sophie love to knead me when they are laying on or near me. When the claws come out I ask them to put them away and they do. Sometimes they will come out again but just a little bit and I ask them to please put them away. They lift the paw and when they put it back down again, the claw has been retracted. What do I say? Usually it's, "Please put the claws away" or something like that. They usually get a guilty look on their faces before the claws go back in. I think they know that they should leave them in. Cats are so smart. 

Henry has never kneaded me with claws. He's such a gentleman. 
How did you get them to do that?  I complain to Murphy and he just keeps purring.
 

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I also keep a blanket near me. My two year old cat Casey loves to knead on me. If he starts using his claws I gradually cover myself up with a blanket. He starts kneading on the blanket once he sees it. Hopefully this will work for your Murphy.
 

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I'd love this to work with Meeko! I wake up at night because my scalp hurts since he uses his claws while kneading my hair. Yesterday I had claw marks (like mini red bruises) on my neck to go to work!
 

catlover73

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I'd love this to work with Meeko! I wake up at night because my scalp hurts since he uses his claws while kneading my hair. Yesterday I had claw marks (like mini red bruises) on my neck to go to work!
How old is Meeko?  I am asking because when my now 10 year old Starbuck was a baby kitten she used to do the same thing to me.  She outgrew kneading my scalp and chewing my hair.  If Meko is really young this could just be a phase he is going through.  Starbuck also used to groom my face constantly and wake me up with that when she was a baby.  She used to dry out my skin a lot with her grooming.  She outgrew this behavior too.  She still grooms me once in a while but does not wake me up anymore or dry out my skin. Starbuck was 6 weeks old when I adopted her.
 
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Alicia88

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Same thing happens to me when Murphy gets to kneading.  Mickey does it without claws.  Connor prefers to knead a plush blanket or my plush pj bottoms.  He's obsessed with plush.  Who can blame him - I adore it, too!  Murphy is obsessed with my hair.  He likes to bury his face in it and knead my head.  But when he's ready to go to sleep, he'll curl up in my arms and purr himself to sleep.  Which is incredibly relaxing for me, too.
 

jellycatfish

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How old is Meeko?  I am asking because when my now 10 year old Starbuck was a baby kitten she used to do the same thing to me.  She outgrew kneading my scalp and chewing my hair.  If Meko is really young this could just be a phase he is going through.  Starbuck also used to groom my face constantly and wake me up with that when she was a baby.  She used to dry out my skin a lot with her grooming.  She outgrew this behavior too.  She still grooms me once in a while but does not wake me up anymore or dry out my skin. Starbuck was 6 weeks old when I adopted her.
Meeko is 6 months old. I don't want him to stop doing it though, but if he could knead with is retracted claws, my scalp would like it, hehe! The biggest inconvenience is I have to spend 10 minutes every morning to untangle my hair. Even though I sleep with my hair tied in a bun, he gets some of it out or kneads the base of my head.
Having your skin dried out because of too much grooming doesn't sound so pleasant, either! I'm glad Happy (8 months old) or Meeko are not into that... yet! Only time will tell, right?
I find the kneading really relaxing, he falls asleep on my pillow every night while doing it and it's somehow conforting. He purrs so intensely while doing it that my pillow kind of vibrates, hahaha! This is actually the only way Meeko purrs, or if he's super sleepy on my pillow and I start to pet him.
On the other hand, Happy purrs all the time, even when I brush his teeth or trim his claws. I know cats do it when they suffer, but he makes a face of delight every time, so I think he just enjoys having all my attention.
 
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