I have two six year old tabby sisters, and they are both very affectionate, and love nothing better than to sit on my knee being stroked, but if I try to pick them up from the ground, they try to escape.

They have been like this ever since they were kittens - I used to think that if I kept trying, over time they'd realise I didn't only pick them up to put them in a basket, or give them tablets, or any of the other awful things owners sometimes do to cat, and get used to it, but they never have. One hangs over my arm looking dejected until I put her down, and the other one runs away before I can reach her.

I am resigned to the fact that I always have to wait for them to come to me, for a stroke, but I wondered if other people find this, or if anyone has managed to teach a cat to love cuddles?

Not all cats like it. My Impossible Princess wasn't terribly fond of being picked up.

I know Liz Jones thinks it's disrespectful to pick up a cat to cuddle it, but I find it hard not to.

Emily purrs very loudly when I pick her up, sometimes she pulls away wanting to get down, sometimes she's quite happy and just 'kneads' my arm till I put her down.

I think it's that cats like to decide whether they want to do something or not and picking them up takes the decision-making away! I will ask Emily if she wants to sit on my lap and she'll just look away. A minute later after thinking about it she'll chirp and jump up on my lap. They are very independently minded!

my 2 girls ( are 3 )hate being picked up, always have, but they come to you to be stroked but my 9 month old boy will be picked up, cuddled, rocked like a baby etc hes a massive softy !!!

mine insists on it every time I go to the toilet. The rest of the time he will only tolerate it for a few seconds before scratching at me to get away.

However, I returned home a few days ago after a week away, during which time my neighbour had just popped in to feed him occasionally. He jumped on my knee and slept there for hours. It was a lovely welcome home
Then he hissed at me and bit me when I got up.

One of ours had to be put down recently so now we only have one, but they both love/loved cuddles.

My 10 year old tabby is the cuddliest cat I've ever known! If he thinks it's been too long since he's had a cuddle, he'll sit in front of you with his front paws in the air, squealing at you until you pick him up like a baby! He likes to cuddle you back too ... one paw either side of your neck & lots of headbutting!

My big ginger boy hated cuddles until the end of his days and my baby ginger boy isn't too keen either although he will allow it on the odd occasion ... must be something about ginger cats again!!

My new ginger Tom isn't very keen either, I'm about to post something revolting which is keen on though.....

Well my cat just doesn't let you pick her up at all. She'll moan even if she was purring a second ago and then hiss when you put her down. I suppose its quite varied depending on your cat.

Mr P is a big tabby male who demands cuddles very loudly and when I pick him up he rests his head on my shoulder and looks all sad and sighs loudly, it looks hilarious as he stretches halfway down my body and my Mum makes us do it whenever she visits She's very jealous as her moggy doesn't like cuddles at all.
The other two will some times tolerate cuddles, especially if they're tired and sleepy but mostly they struggle to get away.

Awwww Loowheeze - my big ginger boy Gus loves to be picked up and cuddled too - complete with the head-butting, nuzzling, licking, purring and dribbling, and as he weighs over 18lbs he's a real armful!

But my little white-with-black-blobs-on-head girl Flo runs off as soon as she suspects I might be coming in for a cuddle - occasionally I manage to creep up behind her and catch her, then she will submit, very reluctantly LOL, to a babe-in-arms rock, but the first chance she gets, she will spring out of my arms and carry on doing whatever she was doing. She's a complete little madam but her sweet and funny personality and vocalising more than makes up for her lack of cuddles.

Don't you just love them?

My cat suffers being picked up and after two strokes she is gone. But can I go to bed without her? Everything has to be on her terms......thats what I like about her.

Aw bless!! Gus sounds fabulous!! My old ginger boy was about 16lbs in his prime & I'd have loved to have had more cuddles from him ... lost him last year at the grand old age of 21.

My baby ginger boy will just about tolerate the babe-in-arms thing ... but only for about 10 seconds!!

My 2 aren't keen on being picked up. One is Ok for a while but only if you walk around with her. She won't just let you pick her up unless you walk around then she loves to have a nose around up at a high level. The other one will run away if she thinks you're going to pick her up and if I do manage to get her, she just struggles to get back down. However when they want to sit with me it's a totally different matter. I have no choice

My three are all totally different even the two litter sisters.

Gizmo~ no chance of ever picking her up at all, she runs if you go near her. Her time for cuddles is when I go to bed she will jump on the bed and purr or if I lie on the settee.

Arnie ~ occasionally will let me pick her up, but makes a kind of growling noise until I sit down, when she will happily curl up on my lap after kneading my legs and go to sleep.

Fudge ~ Total baby, follows me everywhere, curls up for hours in the crook of my arm and goes to sleep, lies on the arm of my chair and tries to get on my lap with Arnie, which Arnie objects to a lot. Fudge likes being picked up as well and will curl her tail round my arm like a bracelet when I carry her.

Gizmo and Arnie are the litter sisters.

One doesn't mind being picked up, the other one hates it !

One of mine loves to be picked up and cradled like a baby while I'm watching TV. She stretches her paw round my neck - which is so cute. People can't believe it when they see it!

Her sister (from the next litter) HATES being picked up and immediately starts struggling!

Our male tabby cat loves sitting on my knee (nobody elses!) and being stroked but he isn't terribly fond of being picked up. I wouldn't dare to hold him in front of my face as he'd probably scratch me. I guess not all cats like the same things. My other cats hated being picked up as well.

No they love affection and attention. If I don't give them enough attention they will simply jump up at me until they are happy they've had enough. They often shove each other off my lap to sit there.


My ginger tom who's almost 1 loves cuddles. He loves his belly being tickled as well. My 3 year old tabby loves cuddles but doesnt like his belly being tickled and kicks my hand away.

However my tabby will happily let me pick him up but my ginger tom will jump straight down.

This is me holding Orton when he was only a few months old.

Aww! That is so sweet!

Thanks for all replies ... I guess it's just up to the cats, (as usual

My little Rosie will happily perch herself on mine or my OH's legs everytime we sit down, and curl up at the bottom of the bed as night time, but if you go to pick her up she is off like a shot

If we ever have to pick her up for any reason, she moans and growls and spits until we put her down, but as soon as she is on the floor again she is back rubbing round our legs purring and wanting a fuss.

Tom and Max will suffer being picked up and cuddled. They just go limp and floppy in a kind of resigned way but you can tell they are just enduring the cuddle really!

Our two are funny. One doesn't mind being lifted, and when airborne will nuzzle your face, but doesn't enjoy being petted on the ground and would never dream of going on your lap. The other is addicted to laps and cuddles, will stretch out with his two paws lengthways down your legs, or try and roll over to show you his tum, without falling off, yet as soon as he feels himself leaving the ground he panics and struggles!

Amber loves strokes and cuddles but strictly on her terms (every night when I go to bed mainly). You can pick her up, she doesn't struggle or anything but she just glares at you

Yes. She hates it. She doesn't like affection.