Question
I have a 2 year old cat which we got from a cat shelter and has been with us for almost two weeks now. He's very friendly and enjoys a good stroke and has never used his claws in anger.
What frequently happens while he's being stroked is that he'll lie down and start kneading, but if the stroking continues, he'll extend one paw in the direction of the stroker (if you're crouched it'll be on top of the leg for instance) and start extending and retracting his claws rather frequently. It obviously hurts quite a bit. If you move the limb away he'll move his paw again so it doesn't seem accidental.
I'd like to stress that it doesn't appear to be an aggressive movement or that he's tired of being stroked, he'll continue purring and if you stop stroking him he'll rub against you until you start again.
I'm not sure whether this is a weird variation of kneading, because I've never seen it before and he's not exactly kneading per se (he doesn't move the paw at all), and the 'arm' will be at 90 degrees to the body (not underneath him)
What is this about, and how can I discourage this sort of behaviour?
Answer
Some cats have weird habits. I don't think you can discourage this, because you would be sending mixed signals (I'm petting you, which feels good, at the same time as scolding you).
One of my cats only likes to be petted while standing (if he's sitting or laying down, he'll stand up when being petted), and then he'll stick one of his front paws out at 90 degree angle away from his body (just into the air). It's just a weird variation of kneading, and I suspect that your cat is doing something similar.
If it hurts because his claws are digging into you, I would recommend trimming his claws or using nail caps (Softpaws are a popular brand)
Answered By - Zaralynda