Why Do Cats Knead? | What is Smurgle?

Have you ever wondered why cats knead with their paws? Does your cat knead your belly? It's also called making biscuits but it has another name! It's called Smurgle and there's a reason cats do it!!

00:00 WELCOME
03:23 WHY DO CATS KNEAD?

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#JacksonGalaxy #Cat #Advice

[JacksonGalaxy]

Hi gang, thanks for all of the great comments. I think I need to clarify something re smurgling, because I didn't explain it well in the video. So... yes, smurgling IS very common with cats who were weaned too early or were bottle-fed, but no, it's not limited to those cats. Smurgling is, in the critical early life of a kitten, one of the first actions (if not THE first) that they accomplish on their own. Minutes old, they get nourishment, warmth and maternal identification - in other words, “the thing on the other end of my paw is the most important thing in the world.”

So, yes,  although very common in the early-weaned and bottle babies, smurgling can stick around in ANY cat to some extent later in life when that primal sense of comfort, safety, and love are present. Sorry for not clarifying this in the video. 

Either way, one thing for sure is that the behavior is your cat bringing themselves back to that blissful moment because they feel... blissful!

[missyanderson]

Smurgle.... ha love it. We've always just called it kneading. Just found a stray who is a passionate smurgler

[LuigiTheHeadcrab]

My cat mochi was found when she was very young and very sickly. Now she is a healthy lump who is a professional baker. She must first feel around the blanket for the perfect dough consistency, finally finding the right spot, taking a little chomp, and gets to work. She gets into a trance while baking and can not be disturbed, and will only bake on my lap. A great baker indeed to makes top quality biscuits.

[whbbrd]

Oh my, all the cozy kitties smurgling to lovely fairy music--it's so pure! ☺ As a dog person, I wasn't prepared for all the feels!

[vargasvector]

Miu killed me with that little active tongue! Laughed a lot!

[shelbrindahl]

My foster car snurred. Yep. She purred loudly while snoring. It got her adopted into the best family. She’s still trying to teach them all.

[wendy]

When not accompanied by the suckling motion, we call kneading "Happy Feets". We adopted a cat who was likely weaned too early and she did Happy Feets with the suckling motion, often on our chests, and she would get our shirts sopping wet. This suckling always happened during snuggle times, so we called it "Snuckles" or "Snucks" 😻😽

[kikicarr]

My foster girl just started smurgling out of nowhere😂 she’s a snuggler but has never made biscuits before. Just now she came up to my foot and lay on it, so I picked her up and the baking began. She wouldn’t stop. Purrs and baking. Felt awesome😋 I looked up this video whilst the baking was ongoing and she sat to watch her fellow felines and fell asleep😴

[SarahJSweetheart]

I could honestly watch a whole hour of cats smurgleing - it was so relaxing

[joyfulmornings]

My cat kneads all the time. Especially when he’s tired. He’ll come up to me and I’ll lift up the blankets and he’ll go right underneath it and start kneading and purring. It’s so cute.

[Ivy-enqc]

I got my kitten two to three days ago. She only needed a little bit of time to warm up to us. She loves smurgling a lot. She will often knead on my thighs or on my chest. She’s so cute but also super energetic and hyper. 😂🧡

[coffeewarriorprincess]

I am an accidental cat owner...many cats, most are feral. The momma is in my house after being abandoned by a woman down the street who abandoned 3 total. I got the female with all the baby making. She was found in my garage with a few kittens. Got almost all fixed including Mamma. She kept sneaking into my house and eventually, I just gave up and let her stay inside which is no small trick since I also have two rescue dogs and two parrots. She stalks the parrots so I have to be very careful. She is a kneader also..but she has scratched the dickens out of me doing her "bisquit making". I wondered why she was doing that and now I know.

[marytufts]

Thanks for this. I’m trying to convince my husband that this is OK. Thanks to your video (and another telling him NOT to punish a cat for this, he may actually be learning.

[LadyLaran]

I’m so glad my Seba isn’t the only cat who smurgles while having a mouth full of fabric. She’s 15 and we both love cuddles that end up with this. I always know she’s happy, and her joy means the world to me.

[priscillacrockett]

If I sing " you are my sunshine" to my kitty Samantha, she immediately does this & we enjoy a snuggle, er, smurgle! I love her ♡

[satrixremix]

I call it nuzzling and I love it when both my cats do it, it's almost like a massage and they both purr while doing it lol its adorable ❤️.

[allison]

Oh, how she kneads me ! 💞 My sweet furbaby will occasionally push her head against my side at cuddletime as if to say move over- When she first did this yrs ago, I was amazed at her strength & perseverance to "nudge" me to tell me how much she "kneads me" ! 😂😻😁

[manny_f]

Man, you put so much work into your videos! They are incredible fun to watch even for someone who doesn't have any cats lol

[romandark]

I've noticed every time I come home from work, my cat jumps up on my bed and does this for like 5 minutes on my fluffy blanket before coming onto my lap. I think it's adorable when she does it and she has her happy purring too. She also gives me kisses after doing this

[ruthgilbo]

LOL - I can tell my cat, "push-push", and he'll start kneading!