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Does anyone else know a cat that loves to "knead" his/her human's eyelids?

Beans now insists on kneading my eyelids. She loves doing it so much that I hate to deny her. After a bit, I push her paws to my cheeks and open my eyes. She's usually so happy that her tongue is peeking from her mouth and sometimes she drools a little on my face. Every now and then she forgets to tuck her tongue back into her mouth and it stays out a while. I think it gets dried in place.

Anyway, I've not had another cat this insistent about kneading my eyes and can't find anything on Google about why she might want to do such a thing.

Silentkid shared a quote from Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close that suggests eye kneading isn't entirely unheard of: "I woke up once in the middle of the night, and Buckminster's paws were on my eyelids. He must have been feeling my nightmares."

So, is this eyelid kneading something lots of cats do? If anyone knows why Beans needs to knead my eyes, I'd love to know as well.

Red-eyelidded and Blue,

KA

I have never had a cat knead my eyelids. I had one that suckled at my scalp (complete with razor sharp kitten claws kneading at my tender skin hoping to stimulate milk). My sister had one that would gently tug your eyelids open in the morning with her sharp kitty teeth to get you up to let her out (that was a totally weird feeling). But no eyelid kneading.

Maybe she just likes the springy feeling of the eyeballs under the soft skin? Like one of those stress relief balls?

She just wants to massage you. But tell her that you don't have any bags under your eyes, and to please move down to the neck and shoulders, as that feels better.

She could be doing this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ffwDYo00Q

skippy the dead wrote:Maybe she just likes the springy feeling of the eyeballs under the soft skin? Like one of those stress relief balls?

I agree with skippy.

I suggest placing a couple of peeled hard-boiled eggs into two adjacent teacups and placing Beans's paws upon them to see if the consistency is close enough to serve as an acceptable substitute. Either that, or maybe peel the skin off some grapes and place her paws on them to see if that works.

If those methods fail, I suggest placing her paws upon someone else's closed eyelids so she'll learn that she doesn't have to just target you every time.

She probably does it right when you're in the REM stage of sleep. Those moving orbs under eyelids are just too much fun to resist. I couldn't believe it when I read your blog post. I had just read that passage (only a day before) in Foer's book and it stood out because of how weird it seemed. Then you posted your experience and BLAMMO! I don't believe in coincidences because I believe in God.

PS: Isn't Buckminster a great name for a cat?

Stress relief balls, eh? Funny, Skippy.

I'd try hooking Beans on peeled grapes, Shades, if it had a shot in hell of working, but it doesn't. Creative thinking, though. ;)

Sam, if only she'd massage my back! Mmmm.

SK, I think Foer has it right. Beans is feeling my nightmares.

Buckminster is a great name for a cat. You could get a second kitty and name him that. :)

KA

Kitten Thinks Of Nothing But Murder All Day

I think I've figured out what it is up to.

Does anyone else know a cat that loves to "knead" his/her human's eyelids?

Yes, it's a cat thing. I had concurrently two Siamese cats when I was young and each would do that as well as walk on my face. Also, I would be lying on my back and they would come lay on my chest with front paws on my neck and massage my neck while licking my chin and purring.

Sounds kinky I know....

BCSpace, I had a cat, Tootie, that would lie on my chest and rest her paw on my chin, maintaining its position by inserting one claw into the indention just under my lower lip. She would suckle my chin, too, but never placed her paws on my eyes or kneaded my eyelids.

It's good to know it's a cat thing and that Beans isn't actually feeling my nightmares. The thought of that was giving me nightmares!

KA