NationStates Jolt Archive

This last Friday night, at our bi-weekly Dungeons & Dragons game, I noticed that, as always, the moment he arrives one of my friends goes right for one of my cats and picks him up, cradling and petting him. The cat tolerates it nobly, waiting patiently until he's released.

And I see it for the thousandth time. A basic fact of cat psychology that people are willfully ignorant of.

Cats do not like to be picked up.

No, they don't.

No. I don't care if your little cat Buttons purrs when you pick her up. Cats do NOT like to be manhandled.

Oh, but you insist yours is an exception? Fine, but for every one person who might actually have that rare cat who likes it, I can show you 100 who THINK their cat likes it and doesn't.

"Neo B, you're just being opinionated. My cats doesn't mind at all!"

Oh? Tell you what. If you have the sort of cat that actually comes when you call it, try this: For one week, call the cat over to you every time you want to pick it up, and ONLY when you want to pick it up. Pick up your cat and snuggle it every single time you call it over. Never call it for any other reason for that one week.

I'll bet you $1,000.00 that by the end of the week, the cat won't come to you anymore.

"But Neo B, whenever I go grab Snowball and cradle her, she purrs because she's happy! You're wrong about cats!"

No I'm not. Let me explain something to you: Contrary to popular belief, a purr is NOT necessarily an indicator that a cat is happy. Cats will also purr when they're excited, anxious or nervous.

Yes, they do. Don't argue with me on this. My wife learned it at Vet school.

"But Neo B, everybody knows that cats ALWAYS land on their feet!"

No, they don't. A falling cat is pretty good at getting their paws down, but they require a split second to do it. A human who drops a cat that's upside down may not be tall enough for the cat to complete the maneuver before they hit the floor. Cats always land paws down, provided they have enough time to turn over.

Cats have an incredibly awesome spine. It's what gives them their speed, agility and flexibility. It's the most highly advanced backbone of any vertebrate. The downside is it's extremely vulnerable to damage. This is why cats always land on their feet when they fall. If a cat falls and were to land on his back, the resulting damage could easily be fatal. Thus, cats like to have their paws safely on the ground at all times. If you're holding a cat by cradling it like a baby, then what you have in your arms is an animal whose instinct says that being in an elevated position with its spine pointing earthward is a BAD THING and if he/she is tolerating you holding him/her that way, it's a mark of their affection (or fear) for you, not a sign that they like it. They are tolerating you. Make no mistake.

If you absolutely must pick up a cat, keep the cat right side up. They feel more secure knowing that if you were to drop them they'd land on their paws without having to do any aerobatics to twist over. That still doesn't mean they like it, as holding a cat in your arms necessarily means you have to restrain it, which they don't like, but at least it's better than the cradling position.

My friends, on behalf of cats everywhere, I beg you, don't pick them up. Pet them, stroke them, let them sit in your lap, whatever... But don't go picking them up, especially when they're not even your cats. They don't appreciate it.

Anyone else have some thoughts or comments on the world of cat psychology?

Cats don't like to be stared at either.

Neo, I try to ignore my cat. I hate being covered in furr and she insists on being cuddled. And it's always when I'm trying to play Age of Conan. Ignoring her seems to make her very needy. Everytime I try to kick her off my lap, she stubbornly clings.

It's not that cats don't like being picked up, they like doing the opposite of what you want.

EDIT - it's kind of hard to ignore her when she rolls round in the pile of paper and books I leave on the futon... stupid cat.

my kitten likes pizza... not even the cheese, it's the crust.

It's not that cats don't like being picked up, they like doing the opposite of what you want.

Kinda like wimmen.

Kinda like wimmen.

That was a cheap shot! No hitting below the belt!

My friends, on behalf of cats everywhere, I beg you, don't pick them up. Pet them, stroke them, let them sit in your lap, whatever... But don't go picking them up, especially when they're not even your cats. They don't appreciate it.

Anyone else have some thoughts or comments on the world of cat psychology?

Of course they don't... I'll never understand people who believe they do.
They tolerate it. My BF's cats (well, now only one, Jasmin died on us recently) are little ragdolls who will allow you to pick them up, my own cat is more of the streetfighter variety. If you pick her up you risk an arm.

Other than that, cat psychology is a strange field indeed.

Cats don't like to be stared at either.

But they do like staring at people.

Uh, we had a cat that loved to be picked up. He also loved peanut butter on toast, popcorn and cheesies.

I have had cats my entire life, and not city-cats or house-cats,
but outdoors-cats,farm-cats and while some cats don't like to be picked up,
it does not in any way mean that all cats dislike it.
It often depends on the person holding the cat as well.

And if I read the previous comments correctly,
it seems that some take holding a cat to mean upside down,
which is not the way to go about it.
Cats should be held with one arm under the bottom with support for the back paws,
and the other arm as resting place for the front paws.

Otherwise the OP is correct, in that cats purr for all sorts of different reasons,
and that they require some time to spin their bodies in order to land on all fours.
I also like to mention that tail-wagging does not always mean that the cat is irritated.
Not always, but most of the time.

Wow, broad generalizations based on only limited personal experience but nevertheless applied to whole groups are just as invalid when they're about pets as when they're about people. Thanks for demonstrating that.

Some cats do not like to be picked up.

Some cats do like to be picked up.

Some cats like to be picked up but not held, and vice versa for others.

Some cats like to be picked up and held, but only if you stand still, not if you walk around.

Some cats like to be carried.

Some don't like to be picked up, but once picked up, don't like to be put down.

Some will sit on you, others only next to you.

Some cats are face-lickers, others not, and some only go for certain parts (my current cat has a nose fetish). Some respond to petting with return rubbing, some with wrestling/nipping, some just lie there and tolerate it, some don't tolerate it at all, some just lie there and then yell at you when you stop.

Etc, etc, etc, etc...

As with all creatures, including humans, there are right ways and wrong ways to pick up and hold a cat. The majority of cats prefer to have all four of their feet, their butt and belly supported and do not like to be upside down or in any position that they don't feel in control of. However SOME cats don't mind that. Purring is not necessarily a sign that a cat is happy being handled in a certain way, but if the cat initiates the given position and then dozes off into a nap while in that position, you generally can take that as a sign that the cat doesn't mind being in that position.

The preferences of each cat must be determined individually. There are no hard and fast rules with cats, except "if you wouldn't like it, then don't do it to your cat."

Nuh uh! My adviser's cat not only likes to be picked up and held, he also likes to be swung around like you would playing with a toddler. Also, he likes to be rolled over on the floor and have his belly rubbed. So clearly you're wrong! Wrong, I say! hehe

Of course, said cat is a very strange animal, and only likes my adviser. He'll tolerate other people if and only if they happen to be bringing him food (in which case he'll actually lead you there if you're lost).

That said, there's not much worry of me picking up anyone else's cat, the wrong way or the right way. Cats make me sneezy give me watery eyes and I end up rather irritable. It's a shame, because I actually like animals and I want to pet the cat when she crawls up into my lap, but instead I have to try and shoo her away without touching her and hope that her hair/dander isn't clinging too much to my clothes.

I have had cats my entire life, and not city-cats or house-cats,
but outdoors-cats,farm-cats and while some cats don't like to be picked up,
it does not in any way mean that all cats dislike it.
It often depends on the person holding the cat as well.

And if I read the previous comments correctly,
it seems that some take holding a cat to mean upside down,
which is not the way to go about it.
Cats should be held with one arm under the bottom with support for the back paws,
and the other arm as resting place for the front paws.
My current cat is a former barn cat who had not been socialized to human handling when he was given to me. He chooses to sit on me maybe four or five times a year. Otherwise, he's a sitting-next-to cat. He also initiates picking up a few times a year, and in those instances, he wants to cling to my shoulder and chest with all his claws, like I was a tree trunk, while he rubs and kisses my nose. Otherwise, he tolerates being picked up, but only if I do it the way you describe -- and he goes for the nose then, too. Other people cannot pick him up at all because, while he likes people, he does not really trust us all that much.

When he's not in the mood to be petted, he will usually let me get a few strokes in before moving away. However, when he's in the mood to be petted, gods help me if I don't snap to and get to work immediately. Other people have to be very careful petting him, as there is only one spot on the back of his neck that he likes to have petted so much that he will let just anyone do it for him. Otherwise, people risk getting their hand murdered.

Otherwise the OP is correct, in that cats purr for all sorts of different reasons,
and that they require some time to spin their bodies in order to land on all fours.
I also like to mention that tail-wagging does not always mean that the cat is irritated.
Not always, but most of the time.
I believe my cat purrs because he knows I respond well to the sound. He purrs loudly and constantly, like an engine, whenever he wants me to do something or keep doing something. When he's done with me, he stops purring.

He also purrs when he's nervous, because he purrs at the vet, and he hates the vet. I think he uses purring as a human behavior control device. Purr = human does not piss him off.

I read a cat behavior article once that suggested that cats vocalize because humans vocalize, that they are far more vocal with us than with each other. With my cat, I believe this is true. He definitely talks to humans (I assume it's mostly orders or complaints), but when there's another cat in the house (when I'm cat-hosting for a friend), he shuts up -- no meowing and very little purring, whereas he meows/purrs/talks constantly when it's just humans in the house. Uncool to talk around other cats, I guess.

don't be a pussy.

my kitten likes pizza... not even the cheese, it's the crust.

mine likes apples :confused:

My cat eats lettuce. She is also a hopeless cheese addict. She has also been known to like Melomakarona... pop corn... and other strange things.

My cat eats lettuce. She is also a hopeless cheese addict. She has also been known to like Melomakarona... pop corn... and other strange things.

maybe cats are more health aware* than we think

*I hate spelling big words

maybe cats are more health aware* than we think

*I hate spelling big words

If my cat was, she wouldn't sniff every spot on the floor to see if it was edible.

Well, if we're getting into cat snacks... Mine loves peanut butter, very garlicky tomato spaghetti sauce, and pop-tart crusts (he'll snatch them out of my hand if I'm not careful).

Less bizarrely, he also likes yogurt, ham, roast beef and roast chicken (especially the skin). And he's such a catnip junkie, I have to keep the stash in the refrigerator because he can smell it and will dig it out of anywhere else I might hide it.

He has several weird fetishes. In addition to human noses, he is also obsessed with anything resembling a mouse tail. I had to stop buying him those fur-covered toy mice because all he'd do is eat the tail off them in about five minutes and then not be interested anymore.

Cats want what they want when they want it. And they will get it. Yes, they are willing to humor your trifling desires for short periods of time if it will advance their agendas, but their patience has limits.

If my cat was, she wouldn't sniff every spot on the floor to see if it was edible.

ah so shes a carpet muncher :wink:

Well, if we're getting into cat snacks... Mine loves peanut butter, very garlicky tomato spaghetti sauce, and pop-tart crusts (he'll snatch them out of my hand if I'm not careful).

Less bizarrely, he also likes yogurt, ham, roast beef and roast chicken (especially the skin). And he's such a catnip junkie, I have to keep the stash in the refrigerator because he can smell it and will dig it out of anywhere else I might hide it.

omg I'm Muravyets cat!

Anyone else have some thoughts or comments on the world of cat psychology?
Define "Pick Up".

Picking up a cat and holding her like a human baby (on her back with her stomach up) is not for all cats. some will tolerate it because they see you as the 'head cat'. Exposing the stomach like that is a sign of submission.

however, holding a cat and offering support for her legs and feet. say front paws are resting on your chest or shoulders while back legs are on your crooked arm (bascially, holding the cat upright...) is a different matter. you are holding them, but they have the option of ending it.

Cats are also very territorial. they will view strangers (Cats and humans) with caution hence why your [Muravyets] cat won't talk while other cats are around. my Cousins cats are like that whenever my cousin brings in a new adoptee. after a long moment of establishing the 'pecking order'. you might hear more chatter. but unless 'in season', the chatter might still be sparse.

and one thing I've read that so far seems true, is that to find the best cat for you, you don't pick the cat, you let the cat pick you. Let the cat come to you. If you have to 'chase' after the cat, then chances are you'll rarely see the cat outside of feeding time. but if the cat comes to you and nuzzles you, sits in your lap, etc... (in othe words, the cat says "you'll do.") then you'll have a cat that won't need to be called most of the time.

my favorite example...
the Apartment complex I used to stay at had a stray that adopted the building. When I went to check out the apartment, he greeted me outside, walked me to the open apartment and waited patiently outside untill my inspection was done then walked me back to my car.

while living there, he would often times come into the apartment and end up curling on my lap or even allowing me to pick him up (but never allowed me to cradle him like a human baby.) oh, he would roll on his back for stomach rubs but you know he's granting you the honor of rubbing his belly.

and yes, he collected rent (food) from everyone in the complex and defended his territory zelously.

The cats at my cousins won't come to me. so the only way I'll see them is if my cousin is holding them or when they grant me the honor of petting them. Other than that, they're hiding and watching.

ah so shes a carpet muncher :wink:

Nah, she prefer parquet... :tongue:

What one can surmise from the comments of cat owners here and from my own experience,
is that cats are cats, and cats are people, with as much degree of variation in their personality as we have.

My three current cats are completely different in behavior,
as where one cat is constantly in the way and always seeks attention,
another mostly shies away and sometimes let me see her in a good mood.
They all gather and pretend to be nice when it is feeding time though. ,)

Anastasia likes being picked up. She likes curling up on my lap, and she likes sleeping on my bed.

At the same time, Polgar wishes to be left alone.

I forgot to mention what they like to eat, since that is the direction the thread has gone lately.

For the most part, they eat whatever is served,
be it leftovers, bought cat food and all manner of things.
But it is not surprising to find a mouse,rat,bird or even the occasional rabbit lying around,
with them showing off and looking smugly at me.

I was pretty dubious about Oy, the most frequent subject of my friends' attentions, when we first got him. He's a Maine Coon, and already at 9 months old he's fully as large as any other adult cat, and he's expected to continue to grow for another 3 years or so. He still has paws like a tiger, and he's nowhere near his full size yet.

But he is a very pleasant cat to pet. Soft fur like a mink and a long feather duster for a tail. If I'm standing behind the couch, he'll jump onto the couch, then put his paws on my chest and lick my chin. I have no idea why he does this, and my wife finds it disgusting, but I like it. Who doesn't like luvin's from a cat?

Unfortunately Oy has only one real potential playmate, Zoey, who is a 15 year old cat with long thick fur, a stumpy tail and was the runt of her litter. Her fur is oily as hell which means petting her is not a pleasant experience. She despises Oy with all her heart because he's a much more pleasant cat and thus, gets more attention. It also doesn't help that Oy delights in letting her know who the Alpha cat is, despite my efforts to discourage cat rape.

(Yes, he's been neutered. He tries to hump her anyway out of dominance.)

Both cats, especially Zoey, will tolerate being picked up by just about anybody, but I never do it unless I must. My reward: Mine is the lap they both most often want to occupy. I don't mind when Oy does it but Zoey.... ew.

cats are jerks.

cats are jerks.
Jealous much? :tongue:

I was pretty dubious about Oy, the most frequent subject of my friends' attentions, when we first got him.

You named your cat Oy?

Does he look like a billybumbler?

My cat is a schmuck but I love him to death.

My cat's a pain in the ass, but she's so cute when she's sleeping. She makes adorable little sleepy kitty noises. :D

my cat Buster didn't like to be picked up... and he wouldn't come until you called him 5 or 6 times, just so you knew who was boss. when you picked him up, he'd squirm and wriggle and try to get away... something that was oblivious to one of my old friends, Nick, who would pick him up at every opportunity. you could see the fires of hate in the cat's eyes. put him down after picking him up, and he'd run the fuck away from you. not aggressively, or spitting, he just didn't like it, that's all. and he'd only ever get on my dad's lap, or, very occasionally, mine. as long as you treated him with respect, rather than as a play thing, he was happy

i miss my cat :(


edit: just like JuNii says up there, Buster was mostly fine if you picked him up right. what Nick did was to hold him like a baby, and my dad did this sometimes because, to Buster, my dad was the boss. but for me and my mum he was fine if we picked him up and let his rear feet rest on our bottom-most arm, with the other arm round the cat under his front legs, holding him round the tummy. he'd squirm after a while, but was mostly ok with that. the alternative was to do something similar but instead have his front paws on our shoulders, so that he was facing backwards. he liked this a bit more, but it was way less cute

My Cat likes curry and Coffee

Jealous much? :tongue:

No, it's true for the most part unlike the picky up thing. Cats are jerks. Or dicks. My parents Maine Coon is dick.

No, it's true for the most part unlike the picky up thing. Cats are jerks. Or dicks. My parents Maine Coon is dick.
As my friend (a dog lover) said. "Dogs have Owners, Cats have Staff." :p

As my friend (a dog lover) said. "Dogs have Owners, Cats have Staff." :p

Yea, if aliens ever landed and gave the classic line, "Take me to your leader" they'd probably expect us to point out some tabby and be all like, "Yea, there's your guy."

Yea, if aliens ever landed and gave the classic line, "Take me to your leader" they'd probably expect us to point out some tabby and be all like, "Yea, there's your guy."

and you know the Cat would be thinking "good, more subjects!"

As my friend (a dog lover) said. "Dogs have Owners, Cats have Staff." :p

hehe

When I pet-sit for dogs, I'll come into the house and the dogs are excited and want to be petted and then get even more excited when I pull out the food.

The one time I pet-sat for my adviser, the cat gave me a long look that said, "Oh, you must be here to feed me" and then proceeded to walk to me, and then towards the food until I followed. (I had forgotten which room it was in).

You named your cat Oy?

Does he look like a billybumbler?

As a matter of fact, yes... He's even got the golden irises.

As a matter of fact, yes... He's even got the golden irises.

Awesome. =)

hehe

When I pet-sit for dogs, I'll come into the house and the dogs are excited and want to be petted and then get even more excited when I pull out the food.

The one time I pet-sat for my adviser, the cat gave me a long look that said, "Oh, you must be here to feed me" and then proceeded to walk to me, and then towards the food until I followed. (I had forgotten which room it was in).

Hehehe... that was a nice cat.

The one time I cat sat my cousin's cats, he just looked at me with a "shoudl've been paying attention during your orientation" look.

Hehehe... that was a nice cat.

The one time I cat sat my cousin's cats, he just looked at me with a "shoudl've been paying attention during your orientation" look.

I don't think he was trying to be nice. He just wanted to be fed (he's a fat cat). In fact, he seemed rather frustrated after the first two times when I didn't realize he was leading me to the food.

My cat is the devil incarnate in the flesh of an animal.

None of my three likes being picked up. The process is uncomfortable for cats; they like having all four feet on the ground, don't like pressure on their stomachs and rib cages (face it, neither do you) and really hate having their freedom of movement restrained. What they like is being held and petted so they will, some of them, tolerate being picked up in order to get what they really want, which is your undivided attention (after all, they are the center of creation).

Given the choice, my cats (and most others) prefer to choose the time and place for you to hold and pet them - usually when you're busy doing something else.

Kindly take a look at the first section of my sig for reference on what I think about nekos and their psychology. Thanks.

And I see it for the thousandth time. A basic fact of cat psychology that people are willfully ignorant of.

Cats do not like to be picked up.

No, they don't.

No. I don't care if your little cat Buttons purrs when you pick her up. Cats do NOT like to be manhandled.

Oh, but you insist yours is an exception? Fine, but for every one person who might actually have that rare cat who likes it, I can show you 100 who THINK their cat likes it and doesn't.

*snip*

Anyone else have some thoughts or comments on the world of cat psychology?

I was looking forward to a subject on which we could agreee (such as "cats are gods!"), but unfortunately you are wrong.

Having lived with numerous cats as pets for my entire life, I disagree with your assertions. Many, perhaps most, cats don't like being picked up. Some, however, definitely do. I currently have a cat that will literally jump into your arms to be carried around.

wow, broad generalizations based on only limited personal experience but nevertheless applied to whole groups are just as invalid when they're about pets as when they're about people. Thanks for demonstrating that.

Some cats do not like to be picked up.

Some cats do like to be picked up.

Some cats like to be picked up but not held, and vice versa for others.

Some cats like to be picked up and held, but only if you stand still, not if you walk around.

Some cats like to be carried.

Some don't like to be picked up, but once picked up, don't like to be put down.

Some will sit on you, others only next to you.

Some cats are face-lickers, others not, and some only go for certain parts (my current cat has a nose fetish). Some respond to petting with return rubbing, some with wrestling/nipping, some just lie there and tolerate it, some don't tolerate it at all, some just lie there and then yell at you when you stop.

Etc, etc, etc, etc...

As with all creatures, including humans, there are right ways and wrong ways to pick up and hold a cat. The majority of cats prefer to have all four of their feet, their butt and belly supported and do not like to be upside down or in any position that they don't feel in control of. However some cats don't mind that. Purring is not necessarily a sign that a cat is happy being handled in a certain way, but if the cat initiates the given position and then dozes off into a nap while in that position, you generally can take that as a sign that the cat doesn't mind being in that position.

The preferences of each cat must be determined individually. There are no hard and fast rules with cats, except "if you wouldn't like it, then don't do it to your cat."

^this^

I was pretty dubious about Oy, the most frequent subject of my friends' attentions, when we first got him. He's a Maine Coon, and already at 9 months old he's fully as large as any other adult cat, and he's expected to continue to grow for another 3 years or so. He still has paws like a tiger, and he's nowhere near his full size yet.


Now we have some room for agreement. One of my cats is a Maine Coon and she is frickin' huge!!

I have one small black cat (female), about 3 years old.

I also have a Malinois, which contrary to stereotypes, loves her to the point of being very protective of her.

This includes him running down, and rapidly (in a split second) killing any cat stupid enough to come into the yard (he does this to squirrels and birds as well).

If she's out in the yard, and any small animal sets foot in the yard, he runs it down and kills it - if she's not in the yard, he ignores the little things.

cats rules

I just googled Maine Coone cats.. and Whoah! (http://www.tantusmainecoons.com/image/josh_bud.jpg) Look at the size of its head!

My calico Lulu is a healthy size for a regular cat and I have to watch her if she gets pissed or in wild mood. Imagine having to deal with a pissed off Maine Coon. I'd be afraid of it. lol Beautiful cat tho :tongue:

I just googled Maine Coone cats.. and Whoah! (http://www.tantusmainecoons.com/image/josh_bud.jpg) Look at the size of its head!

My calico Lulu is a healthy size for a regular cat and I have to watch her if she gets pissed or in wild mood. Imagine having to deal with a pissed off Maine Coon. I'd be afraid of it. lol Beautiful cat tho :tongue:

Maine Coons are generally pretty chillaxed animals. Ours just lays around being important and stuff. Doesn't stop them from being dicks however.

omg I'm Muravyets cat!

You are a catnip junkie?

I don't like cats.

I have one small black cat (female), about 3 years old.

I also have a Malinois, which contrary to stereotypes, loves her to the point of being very protective of her.

This includes him running down, and rapidly (in a split second) killing any cat stupid enough to come into the yard (he does this to squirrels and birds as well).

If she's out in the yard, and any small animal sets foot in the yard, he runs it down and kills it - if she's not in the yard, he ignores the little things.

My old Landlord picked up a kitten. the poor thing was soo skittish and afraid of everyone. but he stood by her[assuming] side. while we fed him, he would push the dish towards her while she hid from us big things.

eventually, the kitten got to being out (not hidden) when we were around but still kept her distance.

several months later tho. We heard she got hit by a car. :(

Cats do not like to be picked up.

No, they don't.

No. I don't care if your little cat Buttons purrs when you pick her up. Cats do NOT like to be manhandled.

Oh, but you insist yours is an exception? Fine, but for every one person who might actually have that rare cat who likes it, I can show you 100 who THINK their cat likes it and doesn't.

How is it that you assume you know more than hundreds of people what their cats do and do not like? Are you the Cat Whisperer? I think it's presumptious of you to just make this assumption, and I see no reason to agree with it.

My cat doesn't like being picked up, but I've previously had ones who did.


No I'm not. Let me explain something to you: Contrary to popular belief, a purr is NOT necessarily an indicator that a cat is happy. Cats will also purr when they're excited, anxious or nervous.

Yes, they do. Don't argue with me on this. My wife learned it at Vet school.

Yes they do. But that doesn't mean I can't tell the difference between my cat's moods. In particular my last cat, who I had for 21 years of my then 22 years of life. I think I know that cat better than you who, as far as I know, never once met her. ;)

"But Neo B, everybody knows that cats ALWAYS land on their feet!"

No, they don't. A falling cat is pretty good at getting their paws down, but they require a split second to do it. A human who drops a cat that's upside down may not be tall enough for the cat to complete the maneuver before they hit the floor. Cats always land paws down, provided they have enough time to turn over.

Cats have an incredibly awesome spine. It's what gives them their speed, agility and flexibility. It's the most highly advanced backbone of any vertebrate. The downside is it's extremely vulnerable to damage. This is why cats always land on their feet when they fall. If a cat falls and were to land on his back, the resulting damage could easily be fatal. Thus, cats like to have their paws safely on the ground at all times. If you're holding a cat by cradling it like a baby, then what you have in your arms is an animal whose instinct says that being in an elevated position with its spine pointing earthward is a BAD THING and if he/she is tolerating you holding him/her that way, it's a mark of their affection (or fear) for you, not a sign that they like it. They are tolerating you. Make no mistake.

Whoa, who holds cats on their back like a human baby? I would never do that. It's like dressing a dog up in sweaters.

My friends, on behalf of cats everywhere, I beg you, don't pick them up. Pet them, stroke them, let them sit in your lap, whatever... But don't go picking them up, especially when they're not even your cats.

I don't do anything with other people's cats.

But don't tell me what my cats do or do not like as you just don't know them.

This last Friday night, at our bi-weekly Dungeons & Dragons game,

You jest, I hope. Tell me you do. Kindly.

You jest, I hope. Tell me you do. Kindly.

You only say that because you live in Sweden, where real elves and wizards roam around everywhere. The rest of us have to pretend, unfortunately.

Having lived with numerous cats as pets for my entire life, I disagree with your assertions. Many, perhaps most, cats don't like being picked up. Some, however, definitely do. I currently have a cat that will literally jump into your arms to be carried around.
But did the cat like being picked up? I've known cats who will put themselves in your arms, I once had one that even hugged the holder, but it had to be their choice.
I haven't met all cats, though; I'm sure some are different.

You only say that because you live in Sweden, where real elves and wizards roam around everywhere. The rest of us have to pretend, unfortunately.

If it comforts you all those elves and wizards only know how to perform either sexual favours or offer narcotics, sometimes an intriguing and quite cost-effective and affordable combination thereof. No real magic, I'm afraid. Something about us being the most disbelieving country. Typical.

If it comforts you all those elves and wizards only know how to perform either sexual favours or offer narcotics, sometimes an intriguing and quite cost-effective and affordable combination thereof. No real magic, I'm afraid. Something about us being the most disbelieving country. Typical.
Thanks for shattering my dreams. :(
But at least you guys have Santa living there. You still have Santa, right? Right...?

Thanks for shattering my dreams. :(
But at least you guys have Santa living there. You still have Santa, right? Right...?

Santa is Canadian. Didn't know you the North Pole is in Canada? :D

Santa is Canadian. Didn't know you the North Pole is in Canada? :D

F*ing Right. Big employer up there too...
but I don't want to be an elf - I want to be a dentist.

F*ing Right. Big employer up there too...
but I don't want to be an elf - I want to be a dentist.

Ew! I've heard elf breath smells worse than cat-food breath.

Cats want what they want when they want it. And they will get it. Yes, they are willing to humor your trifling desires for short periods of time if it will advance their agendas, but their patience has limits.

To borrow a term from our local mod Fris. "Just like wimmen."

My cat does not like to be picked up; he however adores being held by a person in a sitting position; he also seems to think my keyboard is a personal foot massager designed extra special for house cats. He got the name Popcorn, because that is his favorite food.

My cat comes to me, jumps in my lap, then if I haven't taken the hint puts her front paws on my shoulders. When I make a cradle of my arms, she is the one to snuggle in. I also keep it loose so when she chooses, she can get out.

I think she likes it, given she's the one who initiates the whole thing.

My cat comes to me, jumps in my lap, then if I haven't taken the hint puts her front paws on my shoulders. When I make a cradle of my arms, she is the one to snuggle in. I also keep it loose so when she chooses, she can get out.

I think she likes it, given she's the one who initiates the whole thing.

Your cat is a disgusting slut who has it coming.

Santa is Canadian. Didn't know you the North Pole is in Canada? :D

Actually, he's a citizen of Finland.

Your cat is a disgusting slut who has it coming.

It's the result of abstinence-only education for cats. Studies keep showing spaying and neutering are much more effective, but some people just won't listen.

It's the result of abstinence-only education for cats. Studies keep showing spaying and neutering are much more effective, but some people just won't listen.

CeilingCat didn't Spay and Neuter us, and that's how we should stay! What are you all, godless?! :p

F*ing Right. Big employer up there too...
but I don't want to be an elf - I want to be a dentist.
Off to the Land of Misfit Toys with you!

CeilingCat didn't Spay and Neuter us, and that's how we should stay! What are you all, godless?! :p

Now that I've mentioned it, I'm trying to imagine how abstinence-only education for cats would work. They don't understand English well. Maybe if you showed explicit pictures and slapped them, a la Clockwork Orange? It'd be interesting to test out.

Suggestion: put on oven mitts before attempting this.

Suggestion: put on oven mitts before attempting this.

Considering my cat is a frequently-debated alternative to lethal injection in the U.S. Justice system, I agree with this one.

I guess you could repeatedly kick the cat whenever it tried to have sex, thereby making some kind of pavlovian connection...

Actually, he's a citizen of Finland.

Then what the hell is Canada Post doing sorting through millions of letters addressed to him here in Canada?

My cat likes garlic and can dig a used tea bag out of the trash without making a mess - then he shreds the tea bag on the living room carpet. He also loves to drag bras from room to room. And he can open dresser drawers.

But he hates being picked up, but will climb your leg to sit on you. That wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't an overweight tabby.

My cat likes garlic and can dig a used tea bag out of the trash without making a mess - then he shreds the tea bag on the living room carpet. He also loves to drag bras from room to room. And he can open dresser drawers.

But he hates being picked up, but will climb your leg to sit on you. That wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't an overweight tabby.

Are you sure this is a cat? You don't just have a Serbian boyfriend?

For the most part Amelia just ignores me, but once in awhile she'll jump up in my lap and force me to pet her while she purrs. What she does is stick her nose under my hand and lift it up onto her head. If I stop before she's done, she does it again.

She also like to lick everything, lick my hand, my face, my eyes. She is obsessed with licking.

She'll tolerate being hugged or held for awhile, but do it too long she starts to get squirmy and you have to put her down.

She also likes to either lay against me, or on me when we're sleeping in my bed. I got a question about that, do cats know they're laying on your or against you when you're under the covers?

Considering my cat is a frequently-debated alternative to lethal injection in the U.S. Justice system, I agree with this one.

I guess you could repeatedly kick the cat whenever it tried to have sex, thereby making some kind of pavlovian connection...
Or you might just lose your leg. Or something.

Pavlovian response conditioning (serving suggestion):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eht-kEzq88w

For the most part Amelia just ignores me, but once in awhile she'll jump up in my lap and force me to pet her while she purrs. What she does is stick her nose under my hand and lift it up onto her head. If I stop before she's done, she does it again.

She also like to lick everything, lick my hand, my face, my eyes. She is obsessed with licking.

She'll tolerate being hugged or held for awhile, but do it too long she starts to get squirmy and you have to put her down.

She also likes to either lay against me, or on me when we're sleeping in my bed. I got a question about that, do cats know they're laying on your or against you when you're under the covers?
i dont think they do.....

my cat will NOT bite me. but if i play the "creature under the covers" game she will savage my hand as if it really were some rat under the blanket.

so im guessing that cats dont know what is under the covers. mostly because they dont care.

i dont think they do.....

my cat will NOT bite me. but if i play the "creature under the covers" game she will savage my hand as if it really were some rat under the blanket.

so im guessing that cats dont know what is under the covers. mostly because they dont care.
I think they do know the human is under the covers. Depending on the cat -- and its age and how smart it is -- they might get lost in the "rat under the blanket" game so much that they momentarily forget it's your hand. Or they think they're not hurting you because you don't make "owie" noises when they attack. But I think my cat uses the bed differently if I'm in it versus if he has it to himself.

My current cat is very involved with being with me in the bed, but he uses it like his own bed when I'm up and about. He wants to be by my head or chest, but if he has the bed to himself, then he only wants to be at the foot of the bed. He never sleeps at the foot of the bed when I'm in it, too. I've had other cats, though, who would act pissed off at me for lying in "their" spot on the bed. All of them seemed to be pretty clearly aware of where all my bits were under the blankets, and that they were MY bits.

I just stayed at a house which is home to two of the biggest sucks that call themselves cats. They like being held, but only by their mom and will snuggle into her when she picks them up.

Granted, since they're cats, they only want to be held when they want to be held, so they're indifferent to being held for the purpose of being placed in a room. At any rate, cats are like people, they've all got different personalities and like different things. My cat licks your hair if he likes you. He also plays tag and hide and seek (or stalk... whatever) which makes him awesome.

You jest, I hope. Tell me you do. Kindly.

I never jest about my Dungeons & Dragons.

:D

If it comforts you all those elves and wizards only know how to perform either sexual favours or offer narcotics, sometimes an intriguing and quite cost-effective and affordable combination thereof. No real magic, I'm afraid. Something about us being the most disbelieving country. Typical.

As if affordable sexual favours weren't magical...

I have never seen a cat that likes to be picked up. Well, there was one but I think he was retarded (seriously), and he died when he was very young. I've seen plenty of cats that will tolerate it, and a few that won't. And a few that I've never tried it on, and never will due to four sets of little daggers that would inform me of it if I was wrong about them tolerating it, I'd find out painfully.

I even had one cat that would (sometimes, if she was in a really good mood, meaning VERY rarely) almost cuddle up to you, but even then she would get down as soon as possible. If she thought that someone was coming to pick her up, she would usually run in the other direction. I didn't pick her up very often, and sometimes she would come and sit on me, but it had to be her choice to do so.

One problem with people and cats is, some people almost think that they are dogs or something (though mine did drink out of the toilet). I've seen people that treat cats almost like dogs and picking them up and holding them all the time. Then a couple of months later they say that they gave the cat away because it became mean and they don't know why. But I've known some people pretty oblivious to the mind of a cat, so that may not be the case for everyone here.

I think they do know the human is under the covers. Depending on the cat -- and its age and how smart it is -- they might get lost in the "rat under the blanket" game so much that they momentarily forget it's your hand. Or they think they're not hurting you because you don't make "owie" noises when they attack. But I think my cat uses the bed differently if I'm in it versus if he has it to himself.

My current cat is very involved with being with me in the bed, but he uses it like his own bed when I'm up and about. He wants to be by my head or chest, but if he has the bed to himself, then he only wants to be at the foot of the bed. He never sleeps at the foot of the bed when I'm in it, too. I've had other cats, though, who would act pissed off at me for lying in "their" spot on the bed. All of them seemed to be pretty clearly aware of where all my bits were under the blankets, and that they were MY bits.

Is it strange that I liked the part about the bed, and the bits under the blankets?

Cat pyscology? Really who cares? I have two cats and loverly though they are, I really don't spend anytime thinking, what the hell are they thinking!

This is about cat parapsychology.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=60800&stc=1&d=1231255459

I have never seen a cat that likes to be picked up. Well, there was one but I think he was retarded (seriously), and he died when he was very young. I've seen plenty of cats that will tolerate it, and a few that won't. And a few that I've never tried it on, and never will due to four sets of little daggers that would inform me of it if I was wrong about them tolerating it, I'd find out painfully.

I even had one cat that would (sometimes, if she was in a really good mood, meaning VERY rarely) almost cuddle up to you, but even then she would get down as soon as possible. If she thought that someone was coming to pick her up, she would usually run in the other direction. I didn't pick her up very often, and sometimes she would come and sit on me, but it had to be her choice to do so.

One problem with people and cats is, some people almost think that they are dogs or something (though mine did drink out of the toilet). I've seen people that treat cats almost like dogs and picking them up and holding them all the time. Then a couple of months later they say that they gave the cat away because it became mean and they don't know why. But I've known some people pretty oblivious to the mind of a cat, so that may not be the case for everyone here.
To me, this suggests improperly socialized cats. Cats are confident little top-tier predators. In general, they fear very little when they feel in control of their territory. Within their own territory (the house), they should not be running from humans, even if the humans want to engage in unwanted touching. My cat is also very picky about being picked up, but when he doesn't want to be, he does not try to escape my hand. He'll just turn his back to me when the hands come down. But he doesn't give up his spot to me, because that would be submissive, and since he's not afraid of people, he doesn't need to submit to us.

Yielding a spot to another creature is a submission action. Hiding from another creature is a fear or mistrust action. A confident cat who feels safe will treat all creatures in its territory, including the humans, as its property and will neither submit nor hide from them.

About a year ago, my mom adopted a shelter cat who was so unsocialized and had been so traumatized that she was terrified of humans. The shelter workers told us that she had hardly ever left her cage in more than a year in their care and always hid under things whenever she did come out. For the first 3 or 4 weeks that my mom had her, she was invisible. The only way to know there was a cat in the house was that food disappeared from the dish, and poop appeared in the litter box. Gradually, she would come out to watch the humans from safe distances, hiding whenever we looked her way. Then, she would come out in the open to play with toys, but if the humans looked at her or started moving around, she would run away. But little by little, on her own terms, she figured things out.

Today, a year later, she's like an entirely different cat. My mom calls her puppy-cat because of the way she follows my mom around. She is completely bonded. She's my mom's lap-cat. She yells at us. She comes when called by name. She's a whore for full body petting with big heavy human hands. When I visit, she greets me, plays with me on the floor (mom doesn't roll around on floors) and has started experimenting with sitting on me. And she is gradually even overcoming her fear of certain objects like rattly bags and certain blankets.

She still has a way to go, but the point is that by proper social interaction from the humans, she has been able to overcome her fears, claim her territory and be at ease in it -- owner of all she surveys, which is how it should be. EDIT: "Proper" social interaction from the humans in this case involved the humans remaining passive and going about our own business, never seeking out the cat but making soft friendly noises to encourage her when she came close, and in every instance allowing the cat to dictate how involved with us she would be. Today, if this cat tolerates being picked up and actively seeks out being handled in other ways, it's because she got to set the rules about how that gets done.

A properly socialized cat won't act like a dog at all, but will come to trust humans enough that they will seek out the kinds of touching they want and tolerate patiently the kinds of touching they don't want (within reason) because they have come to know through interaction that the human is not going to hurt them. A cat that can't be picked up at all or that gets stressed by even normal picking up, is a cat that will suffer significant stress when it has to go to the vet or otherwise undergo major changes in routine. A cat that is trust-bonded with its own humans will suffer less stress when it has to be put through such necessary unpleasantries.

Cat pyscology? Really who cares? I have two cats and loverly though they are, I really don't spend anytime thinking, what the hell are they thinking!
I don't believe you. How can anyone live in a house with two cats and never think, "What the hell could they possibly have been thinking when they decided to do THAT?" or "What the fuck are those evil little bastards plotting against me now?

In ur thred, huntin 4 cheezburger

In ur thred, huntin 4 cheezburger

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w13/lolrp/cute_animals/cat_cheeseburger.jpg

We have a white Scottish fold and when someone is lifting him, he will produce a queer meow

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/White_scottishfold.JPG

Suggestion: put on oven mitts before attempting this. don't forget the facemask and body armor...

I got a question about that, do cats know they're laying on your or against you when you're under the covers?
Probably. Some of your body heat will seep through the covers and that's what they sometimes want.

I don't believe you. How can anyone live in a house with two cats and never think, "What the hell could they possibly have been thinking when they decided to do THAT?" or "What the fuck are those evil little bastards plotting against me now?
somethings are best left alone... :p

and while cats and dogs are different. There are some who do think you can treat a cat the same as a dog. :(

and while cats and dogs are different. There are some who do think you can treat a cat the same as a dog. :(

Of course you can! Fluffy acts just like Fido! Like so:
http://www.supercoolpets.com/pictures/cat%20leash.jpg

Of course you can! Fluffy acts just like Fido! Like so:
http://www.supercoolpets.com/pictures/cat%20leash.jpg

Meanwhile... Fluffy is thinking...

"just wait... when you least expect my revenge..."

We have a white Scottish fold and when someone is lifting him, he will produce a queer meow

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/White_scottishfold.JPG

Your cat is gay? :p

Your cat is gay? :p

No, it's just that the average male cat is not known for its meow. I had a male tabby that was a muscular, well-built cat, beautiful features but had a feeble almost kittenish meow. That's not to say all male cats have weak calls; the Siamese is one definite exception to that rule (and my Siamese Sealpoint male could meow till the cows came home and then some).

Of course you can! Fluffy acts just like Fido! Like so:
http://www.supercoolpets.com/pictures/cat%20leash.jpg
It is true that, for the vast majority of people, "cat walking" consists of standing for up to an hour like a chump on the sidewalk, holding one end of a string, the other end of which disappears into a bush.

However, even that rule has an exception. I had a cat once, the one previous to the current one, who loved to go for walks, and rather than engage in peek-a-boo cat stalking/hunting/hiding behaviors, she used to just go marching down the middle of the sidewalk like a miniature lion. We'd go for treks all over the town we lived in, freaking people out. She was utterly unfazed by things like dogs, buses, children, etc. She may have been unique in the entire history of catdom.

I don't believe you. How can anyone live in a house with two cats and never think, "What the hell could they possibly have been thinking when they decided to do THAT?" or "What the fuck are those evil little bastards plotting against me now?


Heh no skin off my nose. I bought the cats as love tokens for my wife, coz she asked me to. They are her cats, I really have nowt to do with them. I mean I like them and all that, I play with them, but they are pets, I really couldn't care what they are thinking. I care more about what my two teenage sons are thinking.:D

No, it's just that the average male cat is not known for its meow. I had a male tabby that was a muscular, well-built cat, beautiful features but had a feeble almost kittenish meow. That's not to say all male cats have weak calls; the Siamese is one definite exception to that rule (and my Siamese Sealpoint male could meow till the cows came home and then some).
My current cat, Gomez Addams, the Famous Talking Cat, is like that, though not a Siamese. He has a loud, grating, drawn-out meow that always sounds like a complaint, and he utters it constantly. He also has a repertoire of other sounds, including prey-chirps/chatters, adorable little tiny high-pitched kitten-squeaks, mini-lion roaring which he does in the night, and an odd little kind of throat-clearing mutter that he uses to hurry me along in prepping his food -- as well as that diesel-engine purr. Pretty much, if he's awake, he's talking. He has something to say about everything, and a way to say it. I have never had a cat of any breed or either sex that vocalized as much as Gomez.

Your cat is gay? :p

No, no. Normally he produces heavy meows, but when you lift him he turns into a pussy and sights a fine meow. :)

the Siamese is one definite exception to that rule (and my Siamese Sealpoint male could meow till the cows came home and then some).

That's true about the Siamese. Sara had a very powerful meow, and man she was very very very talkative. Most Siamese will talk your ears off. However, Amelia seems to be the exception to the rule. She's a 2 year old Seal Point Apple head Siamese, and yet she rarely meows, but when she does, she lets out this soft kitten-like meow.

I have a 16-year old American shorthair named Clyde who is quite talkative. He has an assortment of rumbles and yowls with which he communicates.

Cats do not like to be picked up.


You mean - cats do not like to be picked up by you.

They otoh love it to be picked up and stroked by me. They in fact sometimes even scratch if I do not.

That's true about the Siamese. Sara had a very powerful meow, and man she was very very very talkative. Most Siamese will talk your ears off. However, Amelia seems to be the exception to the rule. She's a 2 year old Seal Point Apple head Siamese, and yet she rarely meows, but when she does, she lets out this soft kitten-like meow.

Man, I wish Tai (my other Siamese; Coco was the boy) had been like that, but instead she was the embodiment of everything stereotypical of the female Siamese.

I still laugh when I remember my stepfather complaining about taking Coco and Tai (Siamese siblings) in his truck from Toronto to Ottawa. They "sang" the whole way. He tried to drown out the meowing by turning up the radio. Everytime he turned up the music, they cranked the volume on the collective meowing effort. 4.5 hours of solid meowing...

To me, this suggests improperly socialized cats.

You could be right there. Most cats that I know have had some bad experiences especially those involving small children. Like, my cat was not afraid of me in her later days, when I was younger I was kind of a brat and she had every right to be afraid of me. I didn't hit her or anything, but she started waving her tail whenever I was close, and it wasn't out of happiness.

She started liking to be around me when I started ignoring her most of the time and occasionally giving her a little food that she likes. When I was younger, most cats would either run away from me or not tolerate my presence unless necessary, when I was a little older they started to tolerate me more. I've never seen a cat that likes small children or loud older people would be the most fitting description of cats that I know.

Some other cats that I've seen, they are just all around grumpy. They will sit near you or at least won't move if you sit near them, but they are (were, most are dead now) very temperamental.

My housemate had a cat last year who loved Tequila.

I have a cat that'll eat french fries, and one that will not leave you alone until you pet her.

My least intellegent cat (different from pet-happy) and the french fry cat are practically inseperable, interestingly

You could be right there. Most cats that I know have had some bad experiences especially those involving small children. Like, my cat was not afraid of me in her later days, when I was younger I was kind of a brat and she had every right to be afraid of me. I didn't hit her or anything, but she started waving her tail whenever I was close, and it wasn't out of happiness.

I must be a weird fluke then, because even when I was a hyperactive little hellspawn, cats liked me. My aunt had this calico named Cali when I was little who would put up with and encourage me to pick her up and haul her around. And by encourage, I mean she'd poke at me and meow and raise a fuss until I picked her up, and jump up onto my shoulders if I failed to indulge her whims.

Even my aunt's older, more aloof cat at the time, a black cat named Mist (but everyone called her Momma Cat) would put up with being the subject of a young girl's attention, when she would generally ignore the other humans entirely. ... Of course, my aunt's cats also shared the place with a couple of small dogs and a German Shepherd that was big even by the breed's standards; plus my mom pounded it into my head that if the cat walks away, to leave it alone, and how to pick up any animal properly. So none of the cats I encountered ever had to deal with the tail-pulling wild unpleasantness of a stereotypical kid-plays-with-cats encounter.

Even nowadays, friends have cats who are generally antisocial who for some reason really like me. My friend's cat Suzie wouldn't be caught DEAD looking cute; she's a diva and god-damnit we better treat her as such, yet she comes to me for attention and occasionally buddy-bumps (she likes being firmly patted on the back above her hind-quarters, but she usually only demands it from her 'daddy'.) She loves cuddling up on my purse or in my jacket, and she looks adorable doing it. She ignores or hides from most people aside from her owners, but she likes to demand my attention when I'm over as well.

A year ago, my aunt adopted a pair of stray kittens; the younger one warmed up to humans pretty well, but the older one would generally avoid humans and hide in the garage. So I was brought over one day to test that whole "Cats like Steph, really!" thing with Belle, the antisocial one. 5 minutes sitting in the garage and Belle came right on over to start rubbing her head against my hand until I started petting her. By the end of the day she would permit me to pick her up (not for long though, she'd permit it but she didn't like it) and she'd quite openly solicit petting and chin rubs.

Of course, the other theory is that since I'm allergic to cats, they're automatically drawn to me because cats in general are pure, furry evil =p (Thank goodness my cat allergy has drastically lessened in severity since I was little. I used to have the worst cat reaction with the watery, swollen eyelids, the sneezing, the sore, restricted throat, etc etc. Nowadays I can hang around places with cats and only get a little sneezy if I forget to take any allergy pills ahead of time.)

Cats certainly do have individual personalities, so to apply blanket statements that they all do/don't like something seems to be a wildly inaccurate assumption based only on limited experience. A lot of it depends on how the cat is raised or trained in addition to it's own personality. A cat carefully raised as a kitten to equate good things like food or petting with being picked up is probably going to be much more receptive to being picked up as an adult; whereas a stray probably has either stronger instincts or bad experiences that make it less receptive to it.

I never jest about my Dungeons & Dragons.

:D

You're no fun!

No, it's just that the average male cat is not known for its meow. I had a male tabby that was a muscular, well-built cat, beautiful features but had a feeble almost kittenish meow. That's not to say all male cats have weak calls; the Siamese is one definite exception to that rule (and my Siamese Sealpoint male could meow till the cows came home and then some).

From what I've read, this is also common of Maine Coons (And my experience with Oy has borne this out). Huge cats, high pitched meow. Go figure.

You mean - cats do not like to be picked up by you.

They otoh love it to be picked up and stroked by me. They in fact sometimes even scratch if I do not.

Someone didn't read carefully. tsk tsk tsk

You're no fun!

Well, I make AD&D related JOKES, but I'm never joking when I say I play AD&D ;)

...or Warhammer

...or EverQuest II

hm.. I'm sensing a pattern here.

It is true that, for the vast majority of people, "cat walking" consists of standing for up to an hour like a chump on the sidewalk, holding one end of a string, the other end of which disappears into a bush.

However, even that rule has an exception. I had a cat once, the one previous to the current one, who loved to go for walks, and rather than engage in peek-a-boo cat stalking/hunting/hiding behaviors, she used to just go marching down the middle of the sidewalk like a miniature lion. We'd go for treks all over the town we lived in, freaking people out. She was utterly unfazed by things like dogs, buses, children, etc. She may have been unique in the entire history of catdom.

My cat goes for walks with me, I don't do anything weird like put him on a leash but he will follow me at a heel position all around the neighborhood.

Someone didn't read carefully. tsk tsk tsk

Oh I did. Cats for some reason scratch me if I do not pick them up fast enough to their liking. That contradicts the point made in the OP ;)