Which breed makes the best lap-cat?

No, I'm not thinking of adding to my crew, I think Sonic's head would explode if he had to guard 'his' favourite sleeping spots from 2 "lesser mortals" and when/if the time is right for another I know which breed I would like (pending negotiations with DH, he seems to think he has a say in the matter ).

I'm just curious! I knew exactly what traits I wanted when I was looking for Sonic (Oriental Shorthair) and he fits the bill perfectly, on top of that he's also very demanding of affection and would cement himself to my body whenever he decided to take a nap, if that were possible! When he's not doing his racehorse or fearsome hunter impressions, he spends a lot of time on my lap at the computer, and when it gets to that 'lay on the sofa and watch telly' time of the evening, he is usually to be found snoozing on my chest. At night he sleeps either on my face (tripping me in the hallway obviously hasn't worked so he's now trying suffocation) or on Nate's legs.

So, if you were asked to generalise about personalities and someone told you they were specifically looking for a lap-cat, which purebred would you suggest?

Heh, I've actually been thinking about asking this same question...Not that I'll be getting another cat for a while, but it will be interesting to see what people suggest.

Art

The kind of cat that likes to sit on your lap would make the best lap cat, of course!

I think you're going to get a lot of different answers. Everyone has a different perspective and experience. I've never had such love bugs as the Persian's I've owned. But I bet someone else could say that about another breed!

I would agree with mzjazz2u. I go with Persians/Himalayans. I have 2 Himmies that love the lap to sleep.

I would say that it depends on the individual cat since they all have their unique personalities, however, breeds that are best known for being lap cats are either Persians or Ragdolls.

That's a hard question. I think the orientals/rexes/siamese are good lap cats (after they get tired of racing around the house). Many times Spooky was very content to curl up in your lap.

I think Burmese are lap cats too. As much as I love Oci's, they really are not "lap cats" - they socialize and very loving but are too much into helping you out to just lay on your lap unless they are tired

I breed Devon Rex occasionally. Of course, I am biased toward the rexes. However, I think one of the most important thing when choosing a cat is to make sure that the kitten has been properly socialized from an early age on (a few days old).

Our kittens are part of our family. They are born in our bedroom and we given the lots of TLC and cuddles several times a day from the time they are born. Once it becomes safe, they have the run of the house and, particularly, our beds. By the time they are ready to leave - no earlier than 3 months old - they are regular little cuddle bugs.

Abyssinians!!!!! All mine are lap, shoulder, stomach, neck, whatever inch of space of my body cats!

IMO it depends on their individual personalities and how they were raised as kittens. My Persian was not a lap cat. I don't think Somalis are a lap cat breed but my Kingston is a lap cat.

I think it depends on personality and age more than anything else, although I think a lot of the more active breeds are less likely to be lap cats. And I agree with kitytize that Somalis are not lap cats. Mosi will cuddle up to me in bed and does like to lie on my lap sometimes when I'm at the computer (for a short while) but he's got far too much to get through in a day to waste time being a lap cat. Jaffa is a DSH but his build and personality have always made me think that he has some foreign breed somewhere in there. He's always been active but now that he's older (10) he does spend a bit more time on my lap. He doesn't curl up and go to sleep though - just sits or stands on me!

I should have made this a poll!

One of the things I love about Sonic is that he spends a fair amount of time chasing around, but when he does want to settle down he usually heads for a lap. Best of both worlds really, as I wanted an active cat first and foremost.

One other thing I find with my 2 is that I feel like the Pied Piper, every time I stand up to go to another room I have cats trailing behind me... it has become a race to get to the bathroom so I can get some privacy, and when I come out there are cats right against the door waiting for me so they can follow me again... very cute apart from when I hit them with the door on my way out, you'd think they'd learn

You shut the bathroom door? I wouldn't dare!

Originally Posted by urbantigers

You shut the bathroom door? I wouldn't dare!

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Yes but you don't have Radar "the ankle monster"

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I think Burmese are lap cats too.

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I agree! My grandmother used to breed Burms, and they would be plastered to our laps the entire time we visited. In fact, if we wanted to get one to hop in our lap for a pet, all we'd have to do was pretend to pet an invisible cat. They'd get the message right away!

My neighbor breeds Birmans and they are all made "lap ready" before going to their homes (at 12-16 wks.) I get to house sit/cat sit them all for a week starting tonight and my lap will be worked out for sure.

Originally Posted by pee-cleaner

My neighbor breeds Birmans and they are all made "lap ready" before going to their homes (at 12-16 wks.) I get to house sit/cat sit them all for a week starting tonight and my lap will be worked out for sure.

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Fantastic!

Unfortunately my 2 aren't that easy. Radar would like to sit on my lap more, but Sonic bullies him off me. I shut Sonic out of the room so that Radar can have cuddles by himself, which he does after looking over his shoulder to make sure Sonic isn't glaring at him from some unseen location. I have on 2 occassions now had them both on my lap at once for a few minutes without it descending into mayhem! Alas they cut off the circulation to my feet in that short time! I think I need some sort of padded cat-support for my lap - like one of those bed-trays with the cushion attached underneath

Even rexes are jealous of each other when it comes to laps. I'd have one content on my lap and the next one would want to "outdo" the other and curl up higher (closer to your head). It was comical when one would try to push the other out of your lap.

As a family we recently bought a beautiful silver blue abyssinian. I thought he would be a lap cat for me but he is anything but! Any advice on how I can encourage him to sleep on me instead of next to me?

suzie said:

As a family we recently bought a beautiful silver blue abyssinian. I thought he would be a lap cat for me but he is anything but! Any advice on how I can encourage him to sleep on me instead of next to me?

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Abys are not generally known as lap cats, they usually prefer to be next to their person rather than on them

GoldenKitty45 said:

That's a hard question. I think the orientals/rexes/siamese are good lap cats (after they get tired of racing around the house). Many times Spooky was very content to curl up in your lap.

I think Burmese are lap cats too. As much as I love Oci's, they really are not "lap cats" - they socialize and very loving but are too much into helping you out to just lay on your lap unless they are tired

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I agree.  I have three orientals and a Siamese and they all love to sit on me, and I had a couple of Asians which are more or less Burmese in a multitude of colours and they were just like Burmese - very affectionate people-oriented cats.  The boy loved playing with children.

Persians of all colours need and awful lot of grooming, and any of the SLH breeds can as well despite claims of 'non matting coats' and for a lot of people it's too much to spend a long time each day with a comb.  It also makes finding suitable cat sitters much harder.

But the people who are saying 'it depends on the cat' have a point.  There is a 'breed character' for each breed, a tendancy (for example) for Siamese to be active, agile, intelligent, outgoing, but it is present in varying degress.  How a kitten is raised makes a difference as well - they need planty of socialisation in their sensitive period which starts at about 2 weeks, just after they can see (sort of) and hear.