How come my cat licks my arms and kneads my skin?

It seems like she is in a cuddly mood because she is purring. But, she licks both my arms while kneading them. It freaks me out. Why does she do it?|||One reason why cats knead paws stems from their kittenhood. Kittens must nurse their mother to get life-sustaining milk. Kneading mom%26#039;s teats stimulates the let-down response, causing the milk to flow more freely. The movements are instinctive, and since they incur a reward, kitty naturally transfers the behavior to other places and things in the hope of more good things to come.





There%26#039;s another popular theory that cats knead paws because they might have been weaned from their mother too early, and are acting out the behavior of their %26quot;inner kitten%26quot;. In reality, this probably isn%26#039;t the answer. After all, have you ever known a cat who didn%26#039;t knead its paws at one time or another? They can%26#039;t all have been weaned too early, can they?





Kneading seems to be more of a comforting action for cats since it mainly takes place during periods of happiness and contentment. It would be quite unusual to see a cat stop to knead its paws when it feels angry or threatened.





Yes, your cat licking you can a sign of affection. Another way of showing affection is gently biting on your nose or your face. Also, looking at you and slowly blinking her eyes is a way of saying %26quot;I love you.%26quot; You can respond in the same way, if you want. I do it with my cats all the time.|||i agree with herexinxyourxarms about the kneading thing, but there is another reason they lick you....they do it to get the salt from your skin, when we sweat, which we do all the time, we sweat out natural salt (which is why you need more salt when its hot than when its cold) the cat needs salt too, and if its not getting a lot in its diet, it will find a way, just as we would do too.....i know a lot about salt as i am slightly allergic, and therefore i have to make sure im getting enough....my salt must be cooked in or i vomit.....so i have to be aware of how much goes in as it cant be added afterwards|||she wants to get the taste of poop from her mouth on to your skin. your cat probably always licks her butt as most cats do. your skin tastes better. if i was a cat, i would rather not taste poop.|||She licks your arm to get needed salt from your skin (weird I know) And Im not sure why cats knead.|||that%26#039;s cat love. get used to it.