My cat HATES being picked up...

The first thing I want to do when I get home from a long days work is pick up my little baby and give her some cuddly love..but she HATES it! As soon as I pick her up, she wiggles like crazy and even uses her claws to spring out of my arms. It kind of hurts my feelings a little .

I know she loves me because she always meows all happy in the morning when I get up, and walks around my feet trying to trip me..and she is right on my lap when I'm trying to eat cereal..but WHY does she hate being picked up?

Is there anyway I can make her like it?

There isn't anything you can do really if she doesn't like it. My two will tolerate being picked up and carried upstairs but thats about it.

It's like wanting them to be lap cats when some don't want to be, so at least she comes onto your lap

Baker and Missy hate being picked up too, but are more than happy to sit in my lap.

Nothing you can do. I have one who loves being picked up, one who doesn't mind it, and one who will tolerate it only when absolutely necessary. The latter, Suzy, is not a very demonstrative cat, but she likes to be WITH her humans, likes a scritch, and will reciprocate with some delicate licks. She snuggles behind Rob in his computer chair and will occasionally claim his lap, but pick her up? No, not the way to show her affection. They're individuals.

Over the years I have had cats that either want to be picked up and held often. Then the others hate to be picked up. Its just their nature some like to be held and others don't

You can't make her like being held. Some cats prefer petting to holding. Ling is that type too - she'll follow you around, bugging you, talking to you, but "don't hold me for more then a few seconds - don't like restraint"!

Which means she won't become a show kitty - she'd do well, but not the personally needed for a lot of handling.

Luna doesn't mind being picked up, but sometimes she prefers to face away from you. She'll wiggle until she sees the rest of the room. Usually that's if there are other cats in a 5 foot radius from us.
I use to pick her up all the time though when she was a kitten.

I know Patches and Beauty don't like being picked up, but B said that he never really picked them up as kittens. I'm not sure if this has something to do with things or if its more personality than anything else.

Four of mine will allow themselves to be carried anywhere, but Persil always struggles. I don't know why - I have treated them all the same from kittenhood. It is all I can do to hold her long enough to carry her out of a room or up a short flight of stairs. Whereas Dushka will not even wake up if you pick her up when she is asleep and move her up two stories! And she loves to be carried like a baby in the crook of an arm. Some do, some don't. But Persil will come and cuddle up to me on the sofa or on my bed.

I have one who will accept being carried around as the only appropriate form of affection and he loves it, but won't ever, never sit on my lap.

I have a kneading lap cat who doesn't seem to mind being picked up, but doesn't seem to love it either.

And I have one super-affectionate lap kitty who refuses to be picked up. He refuses SO much that he walks into his carrier for vet visits because he knows the alternative is being picked up.

My cats don't like to be picked up either. Princess will allow me to pick her up because she know when I do she gets to go visit her Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) for a couple hours. They live next door so I take her over there during the day so I can get some stuff done without her help. Patsy isn't to crazy about being pick up either but she LOVES to cuddle. She will crawl in my lap any time she can and sleeps next to me (or on me) every night. My others are former ferals/strays so they have their own issues with being picked up.

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

I guess I'll just get used to it and just really give her lots of love when she finally comes onto my lap!

I have one cat who allows me to pick her up and hold her for all of about 5 seconds and one who loves it (unless she's in 'play mode'). Callie enjoys being WITH her humans tho and will allow lots of petting and brushing. She reciprocates by laying near me, leaning against my legs, and purring her soft little purr. After living with me for about 2 years, she finally got up the courage to jump up in my lap so don't totally give up hope. Just learn what your cat likes and go with it!

Stephanie

Originally Posted by stephanietx

I have one cat who allows me to pick her up and hold her for all of about 5 seconds and one who loves it (unless she's in 'play mode'). Callie enjoys being WITH her humans tho and will allow lots of petting and brushing. She reciprocates by laying near me, leaning against my legs, and purring her soft little purr. After living with me for about 2 years, she finally got up the courage to jump up in my lap so don't totally give up hope. Just learn what your cat likes and go with it!

Stephanie

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Oh, THAT's the truth!! It took all of two years for the mushiest of my girls to seek a lap, and Suzy is mellowing every day. I don't ever expect her to LIKE being picked up and confined, no matter how lovingly, but she accepts more and more affection all the time. Just stay loose, and let the cat be the driver.

Hi, out of our 5 cats only 2 like to be picked up. Tuffy loves it when I carry him around. Angel likes for me to pick her up and hold her by the window in the back door so she can see outside. That is the only window we have that faces that direction. Rusty is getting a little better at letting me pick him up as long as I don't walk with him picked up and Panther and Missy just hate it.

I am glad Tuffy likes to picked up after all we went through to get him well again. I don't know if he would let anyone else here pick him up or not because he is a different cat when other people try to get to close to him but he will let me do about anything with him so he must totaly trust me not to hurt him.