Cats on laps

[gardenmad]

My cat loves to sit on my lap when I sit down of an evening. He purrs very loudly, but digs in his claws, which hurt! By the look of ecstasy on his face, he is happy, but why does he do this?

[divegirl]

Hi, my kitten does this too. Isn't it something to do with them making a bed? In the wild a cat would tread down grass etc to make a den..... not sure if this is true, but it's what I've been led to believe!

Lisa x

ps....yes it hurts....lol

[Siamsal]

I believed it to be retained kitten behaviour; they push and knead their mother's belly for milk. When that size, they wouldn't have claws enough to hurt.

[paulakea]

Its a comfort thing, its what they do when drinking milk from their mummies tummy, they press on mummys tummy just the same so i love it when my cat does it to me...means she loves me :-)

[annavc]

Definitely a sign of contentment and happiness. My cat does it all the time on my stomach!

It is a retained kitten behaviour but it's good that he does it as it means he's happy. As for it hurting - tell me about it! All I can suggest is wear thick clothes or try to slip a cushion or blanket or something under his paws before he gets going!

[andy-hughes]

I would suggest it may also be security behaviour. If your cat is going to relax properly, he doesn't want to have to worry about his comfortable space making unpredictable movements, so he 'anchors' himself in place, so he knows he won't slide off, and can doze and purr away.

[gardenmad]

Thank you to all who replied re the kneading of laps - it is what I thought really, but we don't really know, do we. I must go, the cat is waiting for me to form a lap....

[gen2]

It is called neoteny