I never personally had a litter of kittens, so I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe they put their paws on their mother's stomache and knead while they are nursing the get the milk flowing better. Puppies do it too! When my dog had puppies, they kneaded Susie's belly. But when they got older, their claws got alot sharper and really scared up Susie's belly. We were told later by a vet you're supposed to clip and file their claws...oops...anyways, I'm not saying the kittens will scar your cat, because remember, these were 7 HUGE large breed puppies! Compared to a little (takes a shot in the wind) .5 ounce kitten, I don't think they'll do quite as much damage :wink: