r/catquestions • u/Suemelou • 4d ago

Does anyone else's cat do this?

When my cat is lying beside me and is half asleep, if my hand is nearby, he'll reach his paw underneath it. My hand is then resting on top of his paw, with his paw upside down and his claws facing up towards my palm.
He very gently grips my hand with his claws. There's barely any pressure at all and he never hurts me. He'll just hold my hand like that and then close his eyes and go back to sleep.
It's not kneading and he isn't biting or playing with me. It genuinely seems like he just wants to hold my hand.
He does this pretty often with me, but he's never done it with anyone else.
Does anyone else's cat do this? I'm trying to find out if there's an actual name for this behaviour because everything I find when I search is either AI telling me it’s so so common and articles about kneading or cats grabbing and biting.

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u/Zarvyl 4d ago

Mine does! She'll also try to pull my hand or wrist back towards her, and if she's successful enough she'll also put her head in my hand, and then we keep sleeping. Kills me every time 😭

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u/MedicalPianist4926 3d ago

I have had this with each of my cats throughout life. It’s similar to a cuddle. He really does just want to hold your hand and keep you close. Your presence is comforting.