Cat Hates To Be Picked Up

IMO, at best, take it very slow - some cats simply do not like to be picked up. My Dharma, whom I adopted as an adult, and who must have been someone's pet as she was front declawed when I got her, simply detests being picked up and wants DOWN right away. My boy, on the other hand, can be picked up.

I guess you might try positive reinforcement for the picking up - if you pick him up and put him down very quickly, before he gets upset, immediately give him a very favorite treat and see if that makes him a little happier. Then next time, a tiny bit longer, then the treat. But I honestly wouldn't push it too far if he keeps getting upset...I think you've done wonders already.

My Claude wouldn't allow me to pick him up when I first got him. He would run away even if I walked over to him. He would sit besides me, though. From sitting, I would pick him up and stand up holding him (which I had to do tight), most every day, for a few seconds. I would talk to him and tell him what a good boy he is. I extended the time, gradually, to about a minute. Slowly he got over it. He doesn't like to be picked up, but he does let me, for necessary reasons. It took about a year. He doesn't run away when I walk over to him anymore, either.

I have another cat, Ariel, who I can't pick up. I can hardly touch her. I've had her a year and a half now. Even she has gotten better at letting me walk over to her and touch her. But, it is a very slow process. I have hope, still.

The first year I had Claude I fed him with his food dish pushed to the back of the open carrier - so he'd have to go in to eat. I was afraid if there was a medical emergency, I wouldn't be able to pick him up to get in the carrier, so I would be able to coax him in with the food (he's food obsessed). But that wouldn't even work with Ariel. I had to hire someone to help me get her into the carrier to take her to the vet for shots (No kidding!) We used a towel, but still the helper was scratched good. She's a hissing, yowling, monster if you try to pick her up. I'm sure she would bite if she could. I don't know what I'll do if I ever have a medical emergency with her. I just hope I don't


Robin

None of my kitties are fans of being picked up. They'll tolerate it for a few minutes, but then they want their freedom. Just take it nice and slow and don't rush him.

How are you picking him up? Are his legs dangling in the air? If so, that would be one of the big factors. You need to support his back legs/bottom when you pick him up so he feels safe. But some cats never like to be picked up, so you might have to give up the notion that he can be like a stuffed animal you can pick up and cuddle.

Kissing is scary for most cats; it's a threatening gesture, swiftly moving your face down towards theirs. And the noise I'm sure is weird too, nothing like sniffing or a friendly lick. Honestly, as much as you may want to, I'd give that up too.

Well, when it's car ride time, when I'm lucky I can trick Dharma into going into the sherpa bag. I leave it out a few weeks ahead of time, and put her favorite treat (turkey) inside every now and again. She'll often sleep in it. Then, on D-day, I will put a little turkey in and zip her in quickly.

If not, if you can herd your kitty into a small room like a bathroom, and put the carrier on its side so you can lower him in, and then close up the carrier quickly. I've had to lower her in - it's not fun for either of us, but do-able. I applaud you for thinking ahead!

Something similar to kissing you can do which mine don't seem to mind is to put your head down, close your eyes almost completely and smell near em, and my two at least usually push their noses up to mine and do the same thing. Its like an eskimo kitty kiss.

Buttercup won't allow you to hold her upside down, draped over your shoulders, or anything like Wesley, and initially didn't like being picked up at all (perhaps dropped or held too long before, I dunno), but now she doesn't mind it at all and rubs her cheek against my neck when I do it. I don't hold her though, just make a horizontal perch with my left arm just under my chest, and my right arm under her front legs by her chest so she just kinda perches there. Only time I ever had that backfire is where I was carrying her and I forgot it was 11pm and her auto-feeder went off. She leaped off with massive force and scratched my arm w/ her back claws... ugh!

One thing I also learned early on is a cat will let you know when they want to be put down, and picking up is no problem as long as:
1) Its not always for something negative, like only getting picked up to have paws washed or something they don't like.
2) Not held too long, and left down when tail swishes or they lean far forward like hanging off which means "PUT ME DOWN GIANT!"