He turns into a board if I try to pick him up.

[gailuvscats]

MY 10 month old cat is terrified of being picked up. I fostered him since he was 8 weeks old and there was no trauma that i am aware of, but he never liked to be picked up even though his mother and sisters were fine with it. He will lay next to me if I am in a bed and he loves being petted and loved, he purrs, but just try to lift him an inch and he turns into a stiff. I feel bad for him and I have never had a cat so fearful of being picked up. God help me the day I have to take him to the vet. He will rub up against and I can bend over and pet, put hand under the stomach and forget about it.
Any suggestions besides don't pick him up? I really do like to pick up, hug and cuddle/kiss my kitties. Up until now, they have all loved this type of attention. Of course I will respect his wishes, but I am hoping there is a way I can change his mind.
Part two, He is almost a year and my other two cats that are two years old fight pretty rough with him. I guess this is all territiroy stuff, but sometimes they seem pretty serious and I feel bad for him because they don't hang with him as much as they used to and he won't get close to me unless we are in bed. Not a lap cat.
Can't we all get along?

 

[lotsocats]

I know you don't want to hear this, but some cats simply do not like to be picked up and it is important for us to respect that. When you do have to pick him up for some reason, do not pick him up by the stomach. Instead, put one hand under his rear end and the other under his arm pits, keeping the bulk of his weight on the hand under his rear. He will be much more comfortable with this than with being picked up by his tummy.

 

[emmylou]

I second that. Many cats just don't like being picked up; it's not uncommon. When you think about what is happening to the cat -- being swooped up with no control by a being several times larger, heavier and stronger than he is -- it's a wonder that so many like being picked up.

Also, people have a tendency to let the cat go when they're done holding it and let it jump to the ground. It's possible that this startles some cats and makes them feel like they can't trust being held... you could try always placing it down gently each time.

I imagine that as yours gets older and more used to you, it will be easier to pick it up when you absolutely have to. Or else you can just use the side door on a carrier when taking it places.

 

[ruthie70]

My 11 year-old-cat whom I have had for the last 2.5 years also doesn't like to be picked up. She becomes rigid, her eyes fixed, her chin drawn back into her neck. It's hard not to laugh, but I am careful not to do so. Also, she does not sit on my lap at all, but snuggles against me with her head and paw across my abdomen. In every other way, she is very, very loving - very attuned to my whereabouts at all times.

 

[jennyr]

Of my five, Persil does not like being picked up or carried. She never has, from kittenhood. She will follow me around, snuggle against me, want pets etc, but not to be taken off the ground. Just the way she is. To put her in the carrier, I put it on the ground and kind of push her into it -it works OK.