Want your kitty to cuddle with you after a long day?
We’re sharing our favorite tips for how to get your cat to sit on your lap!
Lap cats are the best. It’s right there in the title.
There’s nothing better than a purring little pal snuggled up on your lap.
Not all cats are born lap loungers, however.
It just doesn’t come naturally to some.
You can, however, encourage them to make their way to your lap.
Overall, you’re not just making them lap cats, you’re making them more friendly cats.
Read on to find out how!
Bringing Out Their Inner Lap Cats
While cats can be encouraged to be more friendly in a number of ways, it’s important to remember that heredity plays a big role in how friendly your cat will ever be.
This is just a small disclaimer at the outset so you’re not disappointed when your totally aloof cat doesn’t become your furry Siamese twin even after coaxing.
Early handling by humans – as early as 3 weeks – has been shown to produce friendlier, more social cats. In addition, cats who have friendly parents are more prone to being cuddlers.
However, if you haven’t raised your cat from the time they were born – and most of us haven’t – you won’t have had a chance to handle them early, and you won’t know their parentage.
That means, you’ll have to employ some tactics to get your cat all cuddly.
1- Lap Cats Need Calm Owners
Cats like a calm space and calm owners.
They feel threatened by sudden movements and loud voices. So move slowly around your cat to give him that sense of calm safety. Even if you’ve had your cat for a while, the new vibe will be appreciated.
2- Lap Cats Aren’t into Staring
It’s unclear why, but staring isn’t something cats will put up with. Don’t make long term eye contact. Instead, slowly blink at your cat. It’s kind of like the human equivalent of a wink or a kiss.
3- Lap Cats Have No-Fly Zones
Those “where to pet your cat” memes on the internet aren’t lying. Most cats have no fly zones when it comes to petting.
They love to be scratched between the ears, under the chin, or between their eyes. They also enjoy a nice gentle stroke along the spine.
That’s about it for most cats.
The majority of cats don’t want belly rubs, and they don’t want to be touched at the base of their tails.
Belly rubs make them feel vulnerable, and the area at the bast of the tail gets into glandular territory that they do not want their people messing with. So stay out of the no no areas.
4- Lap Cats Enjoy Grooming
Getting your cat used to extra handling and possibly getting some snuggle time can also be achieved through brushing.
Unlike dogs, who generally don’t like to be brushed, most cats are totally into it.
Gently and slowly brush your cat WITH the grain of his fur – that’s important. As you brush talk to him in a soft soothing voice.
5- Lap Cats can be Bought
We’re talking about cats, so it should come as no surprise to any cat owner that they can be bribed.
Keep a supply of extra delicious cat treats on hand to entice your cat into your lap. Just be prepared, as the most appealing cat treats are generally the stinkiest.
Lap Cats are Both Born and Made
BUT they’re made to varying degrees. No matter how much work you put in, if you have a cat that generally only looks your way for food, then you may not get the uber cuddle bug you’re after.
You might, however, get a cat that will allow you to pet him from time to time.
By the same token, if your cat is already generally friendly, you might produce one of those lap cats that are bonded at the hip with their owner. Which is, of course, super fun.
One last note on bringing out the inner lap cats in our felines.
Don’t force it. Don’t rush it. Studies have shown that cats who allow themselves to be petted when they really don’t want it are more stressed than cats who simply will not allow the petting.
So bust out the treats, do the grooming – do everything in this post – but don’t force the petting.
Only pet your cat when he’s into it.
That will ensure a better bond for both of you.
Do you have a lap cat? How do you entice your kitty to come snuggle with you? Share below!
Ben is an animal lover, blogger, and all around geek. He divides his love equally between his family, his animals, and his video games. In his spare time he is attempting to get a blog off the ground. Boy, are they heavy!
oh this is so cute! my childhood pet was a cat and he was for sure a lap cat. so sweet. great tips 🙂
I also find lap cats are dam right lazy and wont fetch me the newspaper from the porch! LOL! I am joking. I love it when my cat sits on my lap, but now my baby daughter has claimed that spot and the cat is very very angry! 😛
Our cat is a lap cat occasionally when it comes to my husband, but not to the rest of us. The day we brought her home from a rescue she claimed him as her own and it’s been that way ever since. 😉
My one cat is the cuddler. The other is more of a loner. I love my kitty massages lol.
Growing up a had three cats and they loved to cuddle with me. Aww I miss them!
We have two cats. Both really fun, but only one likes to cuddle. They other, no amtter what we do, hates to be touched, unless she decides to rub on your feet.
I have two cats and they are so cuddly. I will be working and one will usually come and lay across my arms so I can not type anymore. I love it when they snuggle
It’s good that you can pamper your way to get the cat into your lap. They are such nice to cuddle and stroke and they lobe it that way.
I never really thought of this before, but your steps make sense! I would love to own a cat but with allergic kids it just can’t happen! I’ll pass this post to a few cat lovers I know ; )
I am lucky to have a cat who loves to sit on my lap. I’ve had her since she was a kitten. But she hates her belly being rubbed. I guess that might be most cats though.
I am going to forward this to my sister. She adores cats and loves reading anything about them!
I don’t have cat, I’m a dog girl 🙂 One of my friend she have 2 cats. She adores cats and loves them more than anything else. Growing up a pet really need lots of love.
I am deathly allergic to cats so I think I might be reading this the opposite way that you intend…making sure that cats stay AWAY from me. They are adorable, just so dangerous for me!
I had to giggle at a few of these. I raised my kitties to be super cuddly but now I just want them to give me some space from time to time! 😛
Thanks for sharing this really cute article!
My wife and I had a white cat named Abby. She trained us how to become perfect laps for her comfort. My arthritis wants me to sit rather than move, so I was easily trained by her to her exacting standards. All night and most of the days, Abby was lying on one of her favorite laps.
We lost our snugglebug, Callie, a few months ago after 18 years. She was the sweetest cat I’ve ever seen, snuggled and purred, loved brushing and belly rubs and sleeping nuzzled up to my chin. Miss her so much!