little pinpricks all over my shoulder

Please don't trim your cat's claws. It is very distressing to a cat not to have claws that can catch things. It's even worse to 'de-claw' a cat - it's approximately equivalent to having all of your fingers cut off at the first joint. When he starts kneading, remove him swiftly and give him a cushion of his own to knead. Kneading is actually a way of stimulating the milk in a mother cat. When the kitten grows claws (and teeth), she knows it's time to wean them ... and usually does so in no uncertain terms! It isn't cruel to give a kitten a sharp bat on the nose (accompanied by "No!"). Their moms would certainly teach them like that. Kneading is something that all cats do, to a certain extent. It's a throwback to kittenhood or, if you like, the 'inner child' coming out in them. It should naturally progress to 'scratching'. Perhaps your kitten is nearly ready for his own scratching post, so that he doesn't damage the furniture.

My cat is rather shy. She will let me pet her, of course. But she does not like to be held. If I am sitting on the couch, she will sit on me only if her front two paws are NOT on me. In other words, she "half-sits" on my lap. So trimming her nails is not something I feel she will "allow"(a perfect word for cats) me to do. I wish that I could though, since she loves to scratch the furniture to bits!

We trim claws all the time. The kitties don't like it much while it's happening, but really appreciate not getting snagged on the rug. You have to be careful just to cut the tips of the claws so as not to cut the quick and make it bleed. It's easier if one person hold and the other cuts.

It is a simple procedure to cut your cat's claws yourself, saving money and a trip to the vet for a pedicure, not to mention preventing your furniture from becoming a scratching post. It's best to start getting a cat used to having its toenails clipped while it's young, but you can still handle an adult cat quite easily too. My Mother clips her cats nails when they get too long also. I think you are meant to with house cats. I love it when they knead into something. I had a big tom cat and he done this when he was older too.

I read something just recently which said kittens are more likely to "knead," and it may mean a way of comforting themselves. I purchased 3 silver persian cats as kittens, only one of them did the kneading behavior. Everytime I would hold her, she would look so concerned as if she felt "lost," and would start that kneading on my shoulder or leg or arm. I really think she was homesick. She has been with me 3 or 4 months now and stopped the behavior completely.