Lap Cats

natalie_ca

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I see so many posts about people wanting a "lap cat", or upset that their kitten or cat isn't a "lap cat".

Can I ask why is there such an appeal of having a lap cat? Do people realize how a lap cat can interfere with their lives? Here is my story.

I love cuddly cats, but all this loving can be difficult and somewhat annoying when you are trying to do stuff.

My oldest cat Chynna is 14 1/2 years old and she has what I thought was a cute habit of going onto the shelf under my computer and tapping my knee to tell me that she wants some lovings. The routine has been that if she does that I pick her up and give her 'love bugs" where I scratch her head, chin and ears and she kisses me on the nose and then she settle down on my chest while I rub her tummy or brush her and that lasts about 15 or 20 minutes. It would last a whole lot longer but I put her on the ground at that point because if I don't she will lay there forever.

However, it's gotten to the point beyond annoying. Bless her little heart that she loves me so much and wants to be with me,
and I love her to pieces too
, but what used to be occasionally, has turned into a 2 or 3 times or more an hour. It's impossible to ignore her because she keeps tapping you until you stop and pick her up and give her cuddles, and she's very insistent about it.

Sometimes I try and cheat by using one hand to rub her head, chin and ears while she's on the shelf while I type or work on my graphics with the other hand, but it's difficult and she keeps tapping my leg to tell me that she wants "up". If I don't pick her up, she eventually does jump down, but then she lays on the rug looking so sad and rejected. Then she'll try again a little while later.

I feel like such a bad "Mommy" for not wanting to cuddle her as often as she wants me too, but it just gets to be too much after awhile and if I cuddle her as much as she wants I can't get anything done
. Cuddling Chynna could easily be a full time job.
 

krazy kat2

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When Fred got up in years, he wanted to be cuddled constantly. He lived to be 18, and it started when he was about 12, even though he had always been a cuddle bug, it was not constant until then. I know it can be annoying, and I am not trying to sound harsh, but enjoy it while you can. I miss it now that Fred is gone.
 

evepie

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Originally Posted by krazy kat2

When Fred got up in years, he wanted to be cuddled constantly. He lived to be 18, and it started when he was about 12, even though he had always been a cuddle bug, it was not constant until then. I know it can be annoying, and I am not trying to sound harsh, but enjoy it while you can. I miss it now that Fred is gone.
my thoughts exactly. treasure those cuddles while they last!
 

miriampa

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yup, whenever I'm on my laptop my kitty alwys climbs onto my lap - now i just hold the computer a little further and pet her with my left hand, so I'm free to type with the other! while it is super-cute, it can be a bit of a pain when I've got a lot of work - one handed typing is just too slow! so i just plonk her on the sofa next to me and she'll usually nap beside me instead
 

catlover73

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My Tegato is a total lap cat with me. I am not allowed to watch tv without him in my lap. He even watches baseball games with me. I am a Braves fan and this has not been a fun year so my cat now complains and runs off when I yell at the tv. Tegato will climb on my hubby in bed for pets and his kiss goodnight but he is more of a lap cat with me. My other cat Claude seems to think he is my DH's puppy. He greets my hubby at the door every night and follows him around. Claude also likes DH to pick him up. Claude lets me pet him but not pick him up. Claude is not a lap cat and prefers to lay next to people. I used to have another cat named Baby T. She used to sleep on our bed. When were not using the bed she would sleep on DH's pillows. Everynight at bedtime he would pick Baby T up and put her on the corner of the bed and she slept there. Baby T passed away in November of 2003. I still miss her.
 

meow meow

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Gee -- are you trying to make those of us without lap cats jealous? Actually, I call my 6 month old the 5 minute lap cat. Usually twice a day he will sit on my lap for about 5 minutes, then jump off and lay on the table next to me. He has hardly every fallen asleep on me. His favorite time to lay on me seems to be around 5:00am when I am in a dead sleep!

I hope as he grow up he come a little more often and stay a little longer.
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by krazy kat2

I know it can be annoying, and I am not trying to sound harsh, but enjoy it while you can. I miss it now that Fred is gone.
I'm sorry about your Fred


Chynna has always been a cuddle bug and was suggested earlier, she's gotten so much more so as she's gotten older. I do know my time with Chynna is limited and I do give her lots and lots of cuddles and enjoy cuddle time with her. I think what I'm going to do is put a chair next to me when I'm at the computer so that she can lay down next to me if she wants to and then I can reach over and pet her periodically without having to pick her up each time.
 

pippen

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Originally Posted by meow meow

Gee -- are you trying to make those of us without lap cats jealous? Actually, I call my 6 month old the 5 minute lap cat. Usually twice a day he will sit on my lap for about 5 minutes, then jump off and lay on the table next to me. He has hardly every fallen asleep on me. His favorite time to lay on me seems to be around 5:00am when I am in a dead sleep!

I hope as he grow up he come a little more often and stay a little longer.
Five minutes twice a day would be generous for my kitten. He hopped off our lap at 4 weeks old and that was the end of that. Sometimes if he's very tired or his sleep has been interupted he lets me pick him up and cuddle while standing but there's about an 80% chance he'll hop off when I sit down (100% chance if it's the kids trying it). One of my kids especially wishes he'd just cuddle up with him.

However, I also understand being annoyed. When I was a kid we had a cat that was so overaffectionate it was irritating and pushed people away by the behavior.
 

cearbhaill

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You can't sit down around here without one of them coming on your lap for a sleep- it's a good excuse to put off whatever you need to be doing. "Dinner's going to be late, hon- Rochester is having a nap!"

Actually I'd be happy if they'd stay down on my lap but these three all want to be neck cats. They'll climb overtop of one another trying to see who can perch closest to my face. That's when it starts getting annoying.
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

want to be neck cats. They'll climb overtop of one another trying to see who can perch closest to my face. That's when it starts getting annoying.
That's my problem. I'm on the heavier side so don't have much of a lap for a fat cat to lay on, so she likes to be held up high by my face, and she doesn't like to be held just any way, she likes to be cradled like an infant high up across my chest and that's not possible unless I use both of my arms.
 

fats mcgee

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I would ignore the behavior. It will get worse before it gets better. She will become more persistent. If she is so annoying that you can't deal with it, leave her alone. that was she learns "not only does x behavior not get me what I want, I get totally ignored".

If you give in even ONE time, it will set back any progress you did make. She will learn that if she is just REALLY REALLY annoying she gets her way and it will take longer to extinguish the behavior.

I would then teach her a cue that YOU iniate cuddle time.

That's what I'd do if it were a dog. Theoretically, should work with a cat.
 

meow meow

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Originally Posted by Fats McGee

I would ignore the behavior. It will get worse before it gets better. She will become more persistent. If she is so annoying that you can't deal with it, leave her alone. that was she learns "not only does x behavior not get me what I want, I get totally ignored".

If you give in even ONE time, it will set back any progress you did make. She will learn that if she is just REALLY REALLY annoying she gets her way and it will take longer to extinguish the behavior.

I would then teach her a cue that YOU iniate cuddle time.

That's what I'd do if it were a dog. Theoretically, should work with a cat.
Would this same theory work if you wanted a lap cat? Would giving them the pets and rubs they want only if they are sitting on your lap work? In other words, make them "work" for it?
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by meow meow

Would this same theory work if you wanted a lap cat? Would giving them the pets and rubs they want only if they are sitting on your lap work? In other words, make them "work" for it?
Gee, you really want a "lap cat". If you lived near me I'd suggest you come over daily and get your lap cat fix from Chynna. She's always eager when she sees another person especially when that person is willing to shower her with affection.

I'm serious when I say that cuddling Chynna as much as she wants could be a near full time job. She would be quite happy if I were to just carry her around wherever I go when she's not using the litter box or eating. I've had cats all of my adult life and I've never seen one as affectionate as she is.

She didn't like the chair next to me. She laid on it for about 10 minutes and then went down to the shelf and tapped my leg indicating she wanted "up" and to be cuddled. What I've been doing is acknowledging her when she's on the shelf and tapping my leg. I rub her chin, nose, neck, head and ears for a few minutes while encouraging (lightly pushing her) her to lay down. While I'm using the computer I am making it a point to periodically reach down and give her a few pets along her head and back. It's helped a little. I did give her one intense cuddle session but after that when she tapped my leg she just got petted while on the shelf and then a few scratches occasionally after that.
 
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