Cat-ERA: does your cat like to be picked up?

[I Don't Like]

Can we make this a poll?

Those of you with cats: do they like being picked up or hate it? I've grown up with cats most of my life and very few liked to be picked up. Part of that may be many of them were originally feral, adopted by my parents every time they traveled somewhere exotic. My current cat is a feral from Puerto Rico, about 10 years old and I've had her for about 6. She fucking hates it lmao. The face of disdain when I grab her, pick her up and coddle her like a baby is vicious. She then freezes for about 5 seconds before the melodramatic meowing and intermittent spasms of trying to escape before I finally let her down.

 

[Deleted member 18944]

FUCK NO. my cat will literally start fucking me up if i pick her up.

 

[Cenauru]

Mine practically begs to be on my shoulder. I have to be careful whenever he's on something because he will leap onto my back if I turn my back to him. If I pick him up he also tries to scramble onto my shoulder, his favorite spot is curling around the back of my neck with his head drooping over one of my shoulders.

 

[Schwarzenegger]

I have 5 cats

1 love to be picked, I can carry her in my arms all day, she loves it.

The others hate it.

 

[Static]

Ya. He seems sort of sedated by human presence tbh. If there's someone in the room and he's awake, he's purring. If he's at the vet, getting a shot, he's purring. Weird little guy.

 

[super-famicom]

Yes, both my cats don't mind being picked up and held for a few minutes. One likes it slightly than the other (who likes to be cuddled more).

 

[wenis]

yea, she loves being picked up. I can hold her generally for like 10 minutes, if she's receiving scratchies then 30.

 

[Nothing Loud]

I don't know why so many people have such insufferable cats. Mine is super sweet, loves cuddles and attention, very friendly, doesn't scratch anything but his designated scratch post, uses one litterbox faithfully with no accidents, has no "acting out" behaviors, has never hissed or gotten angry at me or intentionally scratched me. Mine will purr when I pick him up. He even goes into his kitty crate when I say "kitty go to bed." He doesn't climb my furniture or touch any plates of human food.

I hear so many horror stories from friends about insufferable cats that do whatever they want and climb everything and hate being touched and ruin couches and shit outside their litter boxes. I don't know what to say except start training your cat or accept that you have an unfortunate one.

 

[night814]

No I have 4 between my wife and I and not one like it. They want to be where they want to be on their own terms.

 

[Dalek]

I have a brother and sister from the same litter. The boy loves to be picked up and held. The girl hates it and tries to get down.

 

[affeinvasion]

For about 10 seconds and then she's done with it.

 

[Deleted member 6949]

I got my last cat when he was a kitten and he loved it when I carried him around. I adopted the cat I have now when she was 9 and she just wiggles around and squeaks when I pick her up, so I just don't even try unless I have to.

 

[Kisaya]

Neither do, but the older cat will tolerate it for a minute, while the new cat squirms after 30 sec.

I've learned that they will let me hold them longer if I move around or let them look at things they can't reach (e.g. they like to watch the stove when something is cooking). They're literal babies.

 

[Trisc]

Hell yeah, both of my cats are big on the pickup snuggles.

 

[Corran Horn]

My cat will tolerate and let me do anything to her honestly. She doesn't like being picked up but she won't fight it besides the initial trying to walk away from me.

 

[SchrodingerC]

Yes both of my cats are fine if I pick them up.
Debatable when others try though, mostly with my male cat.

 

[W-00]

I currently have two cats. Neither of them like to be held. One of them was born at least third-generation feral (we fed and attempted to catch/domesticate her mother since she we saw her wandering around our yard as a kitten) and she likes to ride on my shoulders, at least. When I pick her up, she either tries to get down or get onto my shoulders. The other tolerates being held slightly better, but she still clearly doesn't like it.

It always strikes me as weird that my current cats don't like to be held. I've had a lot of cats in my life, and only two others have ever really not liked to be held (one was generally bad-tempered and the other was blind in one eye, so I could understand it making him nervous).

 

[fontguy]

I'm in charge and I can do what I want without much resistance, but when I pick them up they're like 80% sure I'm going to kill them.

 

[Poppy]

mine don't, i have only had one cat that would tolerate it at all in my whole life really

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

Have 2 both are fine with it.

 

[lacer]

she'll tolerate it for about 30 seconds before she starts squirming, but she never gets particularly aggressive. she just kinda contorts herself in a manner so disconcerting that i instinctively put her down before she breaks her neck or some shit. she'll occasionally jump in my lap when i'm sitting in bed, or jump on my chest if i'm laying down after a shower for some reason

 

[TaySan]

One of them is cool when i do it with her. She loves me because i don't normally bother her.
The other cat doesn't want me to touch her period. I very rarely see her during she just likes to do her own thing.

 

[Arebours]

no, but apparently that's typical for ameshort.

on the other hand our cat will actually alert us, in the middle of the night, when she finds venomous centipedes in the house - so I'm fine with that.

 

[shadowkat]

Mine don't. One tolerates it more than the other though.

 

[jakeh111]

Hell no, he hated it with a passion tho past 6 months he's cooled to it a tad but not much

 

[ErichWK]

Yes. I have a ragdoll who just wants to be held and loved on all day

 

[Avitus]

Maine Coon: Yes, will stay on my lap if I put her there.
Ragdoll: Yes but he'll death roll out of it if he feels like it.
Norwegian Forest Cat: Hell no. Hates being fussed over unless he can come visit you on the couch on his terms. Super sweet cat overall though.

 

[I Don't Like]

I have 5 cats

1 love to be picked, I can carry her in my arms all day, she loves it.

The others hate it.

Click to shrink...

Any commonality between the one that likes it and the ones that don't?

 

[HardRojo]

There are 4 cats currently living in the first floor of my building, they're stray cats that we keep here and feed them. They always chase after me and don't really mind when I pick them up, a couple of them actually seem to like it.

 

[Deleted member 1086]

Yes, to an extent. I can pick her up and cuddle her for approx. 2-3 minutes before she gets squirmy.

 

[Dullahan]

None of them, no.

 

[Avitus]

Any commonality between the one that likes it and the ones that don't?

Click to shrink...

Depends on their personality and how they were socialized when they were younger. Certain breeds are predisposed to being more 'cuddly' though like Ragdolls.

 

[EmptyWarren]

she'll tolerate it for about 30 seconds before she starts squirming, but she never gets particularly aggressive. she just kinda contorts herself in a manner so disconcerting that i instinctively put her down before she breaks her neck or some shit. she'll occasionally jump in my lap when i'm sitting in bed, or jump on my chest if i'm laying down after a shower for some reason

Click to shrink...

The suicide twist. My guy does the exact same thing. He does laps and curls up real close in bed, but if you pick him up he flails.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

One basically needs it, the other hates it.

 

[Deleted member 3082]

Y'all need to start posting pictures in here, what kinda cat thread is this?

My cat begs to be picked up, and enjoys both resting against my shoulder and being cuddled like a baby. She also drools when she's purring, so my shoulder is usually soaked (you can see some of it in the pic). At night, she also meows in the hallway where she knows the accoustics are good and she knows I'll pay attention to her so she won't wake my wife up. She wants me to move to the couch or recliner, get out a fleece blanket and let her sleep on me.

Life of the party. Damnest thing, she was a stray who was trying to get into a restaurant as we were walking out. Couple days before Christmas, so we named her Noelle (but she answers to "Shitbird").

 

[xxracerxx]

Yes.

 

[Aranjah]

One of them really hates being picked up and the other only kinda hates being picked up.
The one that only kinda hates being picked up really loves hugs and belly rubs to a weird, non-cat-like degree, though.

 

[Poppy]

i miss my old cat i had growing up, she was the only one who liked it and would also constantly jump onto my shoulder and walk between them, and also sometimes fall off and claw the shit out of me

cats are cool

 

[TheForgotten]

My Ragdoll loves being picked up. She will even sit at my feet and look up and cry when she wants to be picked up and held.

My other cat is hit and miss, sometimes she will love it, other times she will hiss and jump away as fast as she can.

 

[lunarworks]

My cat sometimes likes but mostly tolerates being picked up. When she's had enough, she lets us know.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Yeah. Also Likes to hang out on my shoulder sometimes and the top of my computer chair.

 

[Yabberwocky]

She'll tolerate it for about 30 seconds, and then her front paws start desperately reaching out for freedom. I try to keep her well-supported when I pick her up, but she's still not a fan, so I don't really do it.

The one that only kinda hates being picked up really loves hugs and belly rubs to a weird, non-cat-like degree, though.

Click to shrink...

Ha, ditto! Belly rubs all day, every day. And pats. so many goddamn pats.

 

[Deleted member 29660]

No, not even remotely so. One will start pawing at the air underneath her or me, the other is a bit more docile but only for a few moments.

 

[Jedi2016]

She's okay with it. Doesn't like to stay up there for too long, but I can hold her for a minute or so before she gets antsy to get down.

 

[LProtagonist]

I have two brothers. One of them loves being picked up and cuddled. The other can tolerate it for about 30 seconds and then will violently squirm out of my arms no matter how much I try to hold on.

 

[Lys Skygge]

One of my cats LOVES being picked up. He'll beg to be picked up. My other cat will freak the fuck out if you try though.

 

[Deleted member 56909]

Yes my precious bun loves it call him parrot cat because he perches on my shoulder when I pick him up.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

My cat is largely fine with being picked up and will purr if he's in the right mood. He generally understands that if he's pleasant we'll get bored and put him down.

Previous cat hated it though, so I rarely did.

 

[Morrigan]

No she meows in protest every time. She's very cuddly and affectionate otherwise but hates being picked up.

 

[deimosmasque]

Two are fine with being picked up but get over the idea quick.

The last one shoves his paw right into your throat till you let him down (no claws use) But that one is named Spock so he might just be messing up the Vulcan nerve pinch. He's only 2.