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What do other languages, countries, or cultures call it when a cat makes biscuits?

Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
For those not in the know, a cat is "making biscuits" when it kneads its front paws into a surface, alternating between the left and right paw. It occurs to me that this is probably an American/European idiom or phrasing, since biscuits are largely a Western food. So if we look at other cultures where biscuits are not as common, what do they call it when a cat makes those dough-kneading motions?

Examples:
 
TAJ

TAJ

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
12,446
Border said:
For those not in the know, a cat is "making biscuits" when it kneads its front paws into a surface, alternating between the left and right paw. It occurs to me that this is probably an American/European idiom or phrasing, since biscuits are largely a Western food. So if we look at other cultures where biscuits are not as common, what do they call it when a cat makes those dough-kneading motions?

Examples:
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A lot of people (most?) in the US don't even call it that. It's also called kneading or milktreading.
 
Hey Please

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
LYjM5Iv.jpg
 
OP
OP
Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
CaLe said:
In Japanese it's ふみふみ (fumifumi).
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Does that mean anything, if translated literally? I was mainly thinking that other countries might have a different idiom or metaphor for the phenomenon -- like in Asia it might be called "pressing noodles" or something like that.
 

Deleted member 23094

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
2,217
Border said:
Does that mean anything, if translated literally? I was mainly thinking that other countries might have a different idiom or metaphor for the phenomenon -- like in Asia it might be called "pressing noodles" or something like that.
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踏む (fumu) is the verb for stepping/stomping/pushing your feet into something. Repeatedly doing the same thing doubles up to become fumifumi (Japanese does this with a lot of words).
 
Mechaplum

Mechaplum

Enlightened
Member
Oct 26, 2017
18,824
JP
Border said:
Does that mean anything, if translated literally? I was mainly thinking that other countries might have a different idiom or metaphor for the phenomenon -- like in Asia it might be called "pressing noodles" or something like that.
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Not every culture looks at it in the same way. Japan uses a lot of onomatopoeia to describe actions/events which are more mimetic than direct descriptions.
 
Radnom

Radnom

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,017
Haaahahahahaa making biscuits! Before this thread, if you had told me your cat was making biscuits, I would have assumed the cat was taking a dump. I've always referred to this as kneading
 
Kay

Kay

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
2,077
Was certain this was going to be a shitting thing

But yes, the answer is Kneading
 
OP
OP
Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
TAJ said:
I've never heard anyone say 'making biscuits' in real life, but I knew that it was a thing.
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Radnom said:
Haaahahahahaa making biscuits! Before this thread, if you had told me your cat was making biscuits, I would have assumed the cat was taking a dump. I've always referred to this as kneading
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Jakenbakin said:
+1 here, I was certain that phrase could only mean one thing.
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Kyoufu said:
Biscuits...??

It's called kneading.
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Kay said:
Was certain this was going to be a shitting thing

But yes, the answer is Kneading
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Do you own a cat? While I don't think of the phrase as something super-common, I always thought that among cat owners it was a commonly-used term.
 
Jakenbakin

Jakenbakin

Member
Jun 17, 2018
11,819
Border said:
Do you own a cat? While I don't think of the phrase as something super-common, I always thought that among cat owners it was a commonly-used term.
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Not really, I had some as a kid but not for very long. My cousin who I spend a lot of time with has had like 5 cats though and I don't even think I've heard the phrase from them, but I can't think of it being called anything in particular either so maybe it just escaped my attention. At the description/video my first thought was just "scratching" or "pawing" though so I'm not very imaginative I guess lol.
 

Imperfected

Member
Nov 9, 2017
11,737
I've heard people calling it "sharpening", I guess on the assumption they're sharpening their claws, though I'm not sure if that's true.
 
Jedi2016

Jedi2016

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,687
I've always called it "kneading". I did know a guy at work years ago that called it "making biscuits", that was the first time I'd heard it.
 
Chubnasty

Chubnasty

Banned
Sep 26, 2019
712
Without reading the OP and clicking on the thread I thought you were going to talk about hairballs
 
Sobriquet

Sobriquet

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
9,888
Wilmington, NC
I've always called it kneading. My cat is doing it right now on my legs. I heard "making biscuits" for the first time last year because a friend said it. Is it regional?
 
maigret

maigret

Member
Jun 28, 2018
3,192
Never owned a cat, but if you told me it was "making biscuits" I would hope it was doing that outside.
 
Jotakori

Jotakori

Teyvat Traveler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,184
Kneading's always been the proper term for it and what I most commonly hear where I live (US), but my household likes to call it making bread. :3c
It matches better with the whole 'bread loaf' sleeping pose thing they also do.
 
Bing147

Bing147

Member
Jun 13, 2018
3,696
I'm American and have owned cats the large majority of my life (I'm 33 and since I was 12 I've only been without cats for about 2.5 years total, and even for those 1-2 of my childhood cats were still at my parent's house who I would visit often). I've never heard the phrase making biscuits. Didn't know it was a thing.

I just say kneading. When my cat starts doing it, me and my wife will joke that our blankets/couches/whatever aren't good/soft enough for her.
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
50,038
It's also known as "dropping the kids off at the pool" or "taking the Browns to the Super Bowl".
 
Nikus

Nikus

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,370
The verb Pétrir/the noun Pétrissage in french, which is also how we make a good baguette.
 
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