Why does my cat "y *****" come wake me up at 4:30 in the morning?

Every morning she comes to my side of the bed and flops down near my head Nd turns around ,then she takes her paws and "kneads" them into my face area and purrs loudly...wish she could tell time cuz I don't have to be up for another hour...she has food and water out and if I do get up she just hangs around me and does what cats do rubbing up on me and such....but what is with the kneading of the paws?