Does your cat like to be picked up?

pui hang

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Bella loves to be picked up and held like a baby. Cindy, on the other hand hates being picked up and squeaks as though she is being strangled
- that is, if you can manage to pick her up in the first place as she will struggle and scratch to break free.

Having said that, I've recently noticed that she no longer struggles if I do pick her up, preferring instead to just glare at me. Hubby can't get anywhere near to picking her up and he has the scars to prove it!

Is there anything I can do to make her more accepting of being cuddled?
 

devanagara

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I don't know if there's anything you can do...I think cats who like to be picked up were cuddled and held as kittens. Mony hates to be picked up and will meow the whole time until I put her down. The longest I've held her is probably under 30 seconds.

Penny and Siouxsie, however, were adopted as kittens by my boyfriend, and he held them all the time, so they enjoy it.
 

wildflower79

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Gizmo will for the most part tolerate being picked up. He has to be in the right mood and if he isn't he'll definitely let me know. Typically if he's just walking around I can pick him with no problem. When he's relaxed though and laying down, well that's pretty much his don't bother me time.
 

GoldyCat

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Every cat is different. I think it has as much to do with their personalities as with how they were raised.

Shareena was my first kitten, 7.5 weeks old when I got her. She likes to be carried around, either draped across my shoulder or holding her like a baby and scratching under her chin. I do have to be standing or walking the whole time, though. As soon as I sit down she's gone.


Miss Patchwillow is Shareena's sister, but I didn't get her until she was 3 months old. She loves to be held, carried, cuddled--any time, anywhere.


Goldy was dumped near my house last summer, obviously had been an indoor cat and very loving, but she doesn't want to be picked up or carried. She doesn't scratch me, but she does squirm to get down. On the other hand, as soon as I sit down she's plastered against my leg and she sleeps on top of me at night. I guess the cuddling just has to be on her terms.


Cali is one of Goldy's kittens, born August 23, so I've had her from birth. Cali likes to be held but only for a short time. She's just too active to settle for long-term cuddling.


Iris is another of Goldy's kittens. She loves to be held. I think if I got one of those baby snugglers she would be happy to have me carry her around all day.
 

brokenheart

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One of my cats loves to be picked up. The other one, whom I've had for nine years, has always gotten very still and wary when picked up -- he'd tolerate it, but he wouldn't enjoy it and would get away at the first chance.

He seems to not hate it so much these days -- and you know, sometimes you just have to pick up your cat and hug him.
I think sometimes now when he nudges me when I'm standing it's to get me to pick him up, although when I try to, he'll run away and come back and run away, etc.

He's also only sat on my lap twice in nine years, but he'll sleep next to me at night. The other guy is semi-permanently glued to my thigh.

They just have different temperaments.
 

mikehong

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Girlie doesn't mind so much if you walk around and pet her. As soon as you sit down she'll try to squirm out of your arms.

Obie doesn't like being picked up but once you have him he doesn't struggle. Oscar will crouch down and tense up which makes him feel heavier and harder to pick up. When you have Oscar he'll stare off into space like he's retreated to his "happy place".

All three HATED being picked up when we got them last summer. We started off picking them up briefly (few seconds) so they got used to it. Gradually we'd hold them a little longer. They're progressing at different rates but so far it seems to be working.
 

brokenheart

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My cat who died last year loooved being picked up and was a major ear nuzzler when picked up. I miss him.
 

meowqueensdaddy

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Zero doesn't mind being held, so long as he's not in play mode. There's something very calming about holding him, since he purrs readily and is so big and soft.

Pumpkin tends to make this mooing sound that sounds like "nooooooo!" when she's picked up... sometimes it's more of a squawk though. Sometimes she'll let me hold her for a bit, depending on her mood. She doesn't do laps either.

We're pretty sure Zero was born feral, but with Pumpkin we're not so sure.
 

casienjoy

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I have two cats, and they are both very different about being picked up. Meisje will only let me pick her up in my room. If I pick her up downstairs she makes this mooing whine sound after about 3 seconds. She won't let anyone else pick her up, and most of the time they're not allowed to touch her either. Paris, on the other hand, will let you pick her up anywhere, but only on her terms. If she doesn't want to be picked up, she takes off the instant you look at her.
 

libby'smom

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Both of my cats like to be picked up. Apollo LOVES to be picked up and will request to be held every couple of hours. Rocky, well, he will be picked up and held for a minute or two, but then he wants to sit down. He'll sit on my lap though for 20 minutes at a time.
 

misty8723

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Swanie does, he starts purring immediately. Cindy did at one time, when she first came to live here. Unfortunately, now she associates it with being put in a carrier and taken to the vet, so if you pick her up she freaks.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Pui Hang

Is there anything I can do to make her more accepting of being cuddled?
probably not. Mouse used to enjoy it ok - Pixel's tolerant, as is Chip. the other 3 squirm like crazy if/when they're picked up.
 

anjhest

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Minka loves it, Leo hates it, Taxi tolerates it.

Minka likes being held so much that one time Todd carried her to bed upside down without realizing it. She purred the whole way.
 

jack31

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Jack likes to be held, but not for a terribly long time--he loved it as a baby-he liked to be up over my shoulder.

Harley hated it. He was a stray for the first year of life. But we've worked on it alot since he's been here and he's gotten much better. One thing was figuring out how he was most comfortable being held--he likes to be held sort of in an odd way--lots of support under his little bum. The one thing I try to make a point of is never letting him jump from my arms when he starts to sort of freak out. I am always sure to set him down, so he knows he won't be dropped and that if he squirms momma will put him down, he doesn't need to jump. I usually just sort of squat when I hold him, so he's not real far from the ground, only holding him for 30 seconds or so, so he doesn't freak out--making it a positive experience. He's come a long way in the 9-10 months he's been here.

Leslie
 

ut0pia

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Jake was cuddled and picked up all the time as a kitten, I've had him since he was 4-5 weeks old, but that doesn't mean he likes it now although he tolerates it and doesn't complain when I carry him like a baby. If i am carrying him though, as soon as I sit down he jumps right out of my lap. Well he is still a baby, only 4 months (turning 5 months in just days though) and he might turn into a lap cat later on but so far he has never sat in my lap longer than a few seconds.
 

lil maggie

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Maggie will tolerate being picked up and held for a few minutes then it's playtime or wiggling to be let down. She'll lay all over me and beside me in bed and sits 'with' me in a chair but not in my lap. I've had her for almost 2 years and am very patient with her. She may change, she may not. I'm sure she remembers her previous home and owners and it's hard for her to trust completely.
 

cheylink

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Maia loves to be picked up and snuggled, but I also made sure I handled her a lot as a kitten. I wanted her to accept me holding her, grooming her like trimming claws and cleaning ears, just want her to be trusting of me and relaxed in my arms. I have always practiced this in case of an emergency situation, I want her to trust me.
 

lunalover

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Luna has her moments, she only likes to be picked up at certain times of the day.
She was handled a lot as a kitten - in fact the guy I rescued her from was carrying her around at the time!

She HAS to be picked up first thing when we wake up and when I come home - whether I've been out all day at work or I've just stepped out for a few minutes. And while I'm holding her she'll knead my hair.

However during the day when she's all alert and playing if you pick her up she'll squirm out.
 
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