# Is this meant to be affection?



## CharlieChaplin (Dec 30, 2012)

So one of my boys, Charlie, likes to paw at me. Sometimes with his claws out. 

For instance, earlier tonight I was lying on my bed with him and we were having cuddles, he was purring and dribbling away. Then he laid down opposite my face ( we were in like a T shape) and whilst I was stroking him he laid his paw/leg out across my face and started, well, pawing at me with his claws out. He also tried to do it to my arms too. 

He's pawed at my face/neck in mornings whilst I sleep to wake me up for fuss and food. But what he did tonight, is it meant to be affection or a territorial thing or something different?


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

2 of mine do this,when they want something,either to get up, in a morning,or if not in bed food, dont put their claws out though


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## CharlieChaplin (Dec 30, 2012)

He does it in the morning, but that's like a tap. Well a persistent tap! But this is different

This was like a stretch (but not a stretch stretch) where he wanted to touch my face or stroke it or something. Then once his paw was on my cheek he would put his claws out to like grip on my cheek! Freaky! And quite painful


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

Wilbur is the one here who used to do this to me.

He would sort of stretch and then grip my arm with his claws. I quickly put an end to it by saying a loud NO (no shouting), moved away and ignored him. He stopped this very quickly.


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## anotheruser (Aug 17, 2011)

Yeah, one of mine does something similar to this.
Despite my repeated attempts to stop him using his claws, I think he will grow out of it soon enough (he's only 2).


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

CharlieChaplin said:


> This was like a stretch (but not a stretch stretch) where he wanted to touch my face or stroke it or something. Then once his paw was on my cheek he would put his claws out to like grip on my cheek! Freaky! And quite painful


I feel your pain!

My Declan does this. When i get fed up with having my face used as a pin cushion and my eyeballs nearly plucked out I turn over to face the other way and he carries on using the back of my scalp instead or gets up and repositions himself in front of my face so he can start all over again. It's maddening!

As to why they do it, Declan always looks pretty blissed out so I assume they just find it pleasurable.

Some cats just enjoy sadism...


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## Jiskefet (May 15, 2011)

Sounds like kitten behaviour to me, milk treading, like they do at their mother's chest to stimulate the milk glands.

Charlie feels like he is safely back with his mummy, apparently.
So it is a sign of love and trust.

When we lie down, a cat will not percieve our entire body, but just the parts they are interacting with or responding to. So our face can be 'us', or our hands, or our lap or chest.

Ricky will stand on top of me when I am in bed or in my recliner chair, and massage my chest with his claws.


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Mine do it without claws if they want to crawl under the duvet with me.


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

This isn't quite the same as that rhythmical kneading/milk treading thing. 

This is more like the cat positions him/herself opposite your face at just the right distance so that he/she has to stretch the front leg a little to reach your face, then places paw on your face, sometimes just touching and sometimes pushing quite hard and then closes the claws and grips! Declan will do this over and over in the mornings, I can't keep him away from my face, he gets very persistant, repositioning himself if i try to stop him by moving closer or further away or turn over and it's really painful and a bit scary when they get your eye! 

The cat clearly gains pleasure from this, Declan always looks totally blissed out.

I suppose it must be a variation on the milk kneading behaviour.

Not sure how much milk he thinks he'll get from my face - a few pain induced tears, a bit of blood and the odd eyeball maybe..!


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## Jiskefet (May 15, 2011)

Josje will do something like that to my hand sometimes...
I call it 'holding paws' with me. She will use her claws to hold me firmly, too, as if she is afraid I will pull my hand away. She will occasionally knead my hand, too, mostly with both front paws.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

This is indeed kitten behaviour. Kittens will sometimes hold on while suckling to ensure they stay close and don't get pushed out of the way by a sibling. It made me fele very, very sad to read of a cat being shouted at for doing this. He must have felt so confused, poor boy.

All of my kittens do this, and I assume they use the face as you have a nice ledge of skin below the eye that's easy to hold onto. Some caryr the habit on into adulthood, but it's only those closest to me that continue. Millie drags my whole arm in and hugs it really, really hard against her face, claws out and purring all the while. She holds me tightly just as she did her kittens when she was cuddling them. Apache still grabs my face at night, sometimes for reassurance, sometimes just because. If it hurts, simply trim the claws.


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

carly87 said:


> This is indeed kitten behaviour. Kittens will sometimes hold on while suckling to ensure they stay close and don't get pushed out of the way by a sibling.QUOTE]
> 
> Ahh, that makes sense. It is much more of a holding on manoeuvre than treading for milk. I learn so much from this forum!


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

carly87 said:


> This is indeed kitten behaviour. Kittens will sometimes hold on while suckling to ensure they stay close and don't get pushed out of the way by a sibling. It made me fele very, very sad to read of a cat being shouted at for doing this. He must have felt so confused, poor boy.


Nobody here said they shouted at their cat? I guess you mean me but I said I didn't shout? I said a firm no as I didn't want Wilbur to dig his claws into my arm so it bleeds (and he made me bleed).

I did not see this as affection at all and it seems it was not the same thing others have described here as Wilbur did not look calm but actually a little angry.

Guess I misinterpreted the first post. Apologies.


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## CharlieChaplin (Dec 30, 2012)

Well I am glad this is meant to be affection. In the morning when he paws at me I roll over or hide under the duvet. As much ad I love him,m4:30 is just too early for this sort of shenanigans. But the morning one is more of a tap than a latch. 

But this morning he ws tapping me as per usual - then bit my scalp (under my hair not my face) now is that usual behaviour? I swiftly got up then!!


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## muffin789 (Jan 28, 2013)

My late rescue boy Jamie used to sleep on my back (I'm a front sleeper) and tap my face for breakfast when he was ready. If I didn't respond quickly enough, he'd grab a mouthful of my hair and yank my head back til I got up!!

Bless him, I still miss him at times:crying:

Libby's got some funny ways though! I'm still trying to work her out  Last night she slept on my bed with her front legs wrapped around my arm, and when she's asleep she seems to need to be touching me at the mo - sure that'll wear off as she settles in! :wink:


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

CharlieChaplin said:


> But this morning he ws tapping me as per usual - then bit my scalp (under my hair not my face) now is that usual behaviour? I swiftly got up then!!


That'll teach you for ignoring him when he's telling you it's time to get up!


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## Misi (Jul 13, 2009)

Misi used to hook a perfectly-manicure middle claw inside my nostril when she wanted to snuggle under the duvet with me...


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## Bray (Apr 17, 2013)

I'm glad to read about milk treading; my Beau constantly kneads (sometimes with claws) a lot of the time its my belly and chest that gets the brunt of it but he also does it to soft fleece material. 
I think the fleece may be from him being away from his mum too early (possibly, the breeder didn't know his age or sex!!) and when we took him home he had a brown fleece blanket in his little bed which we still have as it's his baby blanket, so he possibly associates fleece with comfort.


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## CharlieChaplin (Dec 30, 2012)

I get the usual pawing/padding on my chest, which he also does on the duvet. But I swear the latching into my face thing is different. It's so odd! Now the biting on the head thing- doesn't happen often. But I deff want it to stop! It really hurts  and before he went into a coughing fit from getting the mouth full of hair!


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

He is biting you because he wants attention.

Wilbur does this but it is more a gentle nip than a proper bite. I have to accompany every night to the litter tray!

If your cat only wants attention because he wants to play or is hungry you have the following options:

1.If he is hungry at that time of night either give him a late night meal before you got to bed or get a timed feeder and programme the feeder for about 4am (or whatever time he usually wakes you up).

2. If he wants to play then have a proper play session just before bedtime. Use a DaBird, laserpen or any other toy that really makes him run around and tires him out.


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## CharlieChaplin (Dec 30, 2012)

I honestly don't know if its food or affection. I would hazard a guess at food. Only once have I gone down to feed them then he came back for fuss. 

If he does it too early (say 4:30) I just hide under the duvet  that soon confuses him! 

I've done the playing thing and food, but don't see too much of a difference. I'll try more playing  on Sunday he didn't get me up till 6:50! Major lie in! 

Least the biting isn't mean


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Jiskefet said:


> *Sounds like kitten behaviour to me, milk treading, like they do at their mother's chest to stimulate the milk glands.
> 
> Charlie feels like he is safely back with his mummy, apparently.
> So it is a sign of love and trust.*
> ...


Our old tortie, Paco, used to do this all the time - she was a very loving cat and would tread and suck and purr like a tractor for hours. All my jumpers were full of holes and clicks of her treading and sucking the wool. She used to do it on flesh to, and used to lick my eyelids (that was pretty horrible, actually), putting her paw on my face to hold me still. I had to stop that - it hurt. You can but a new jumper, but eyelids - can't say I've seen them on e-bay.hmy:


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## CharlieChaplin (Dec 30, 2012)

lostbear said:


> putting her paw on my face to hold me still. I had to stop that - it hurt. You can but a new jumper, but eyelids - can't say I've seen them on e-bay.hmy:


Hehe - yep I've had. Few eye lid hits too! It's annoying - but as its a sign of love I'm happy :thumbup:

I will try and stop the biting tho - I'm only human! But the pawing, that can stay - for now.


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## oggers86 (Nov 14, 2011)

Elise will stretch out her paw and put it in our faces. It starts off like an accidental big stretch but she gets more persistent if we ignore her and then the claws come out. Punishment for ignoring her..

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