Cat Owners Build A Fake “Lap” for Their Clingy Cat

• Ziggy the cat finds comfort when she sits on the laps of her owner.
• But her owners find themselves unable to work since the cat keeps climbing over their desk space to cuddle.
• So the couple built a fake lap, equipped with a heating pad, for Ziggy to use while they are working.

It has been three years since Rebecca May and her husband took Ziggy and Harley from a London shelter and brought them home.

Meet Ziggy. The 10-year-old cat was shy at first, but she became entirely different once she got comfortable.

“When she bonds with someone it’s just really intense,” Rebecca told The Dodo. “She absolutely has to be sat on you.”

Ziggy finds comfort when sitting on someone’s lap. She already plans her cuddle attack even before Rebecca has had the chance to take a seat.

“Her ears go flat and her eyes go black when she thinks you’re about to sit,” Rebecca said. “It’s almost like your lap is a target and she is straight on there whether you’re ready or not.”

You can tell that this cat has no respect for personal space because she always finds a spot to nestle herself in even if there are no laps available.

“She will sit squarely on your back or balance precariously on your arm or shoulder,” Rebecca added. “She just has to be on you.”

This became a problem once the couple started working from home. Ziggy just kept climbing over their desk space and computer keyboard!

Rebecca even tried putting a cat bed on her desk for Ziggy, but it still was not enough for the cat. “She needs warmth and to feel protected, we think,” Rebecca said.

The couple tried everything but to no avail. Then, it dawned on her husband: if Ziggy is most comfortable when she is seated on one of their laps, why not create a fake one?

He picked up a pair of lounge pants, put stuffing inside to make it appear like thighs, and placed a heating pad for good measure. He even put on tennis shoes on both feet and a cushion for a stomach.

This proves to be rather an ingenious idea, seeing as the cat quickly found comfort once onto the decoy lap.

“He thought that creating a decoy would be funny, but I don’t think he expected it to actually work,” Rebecca said. “Harley was totally uninterested, but Ziggy loved it.”

The fake lap trick works like a charm, but this did not stop Rebecca and her family from cuddling with Ziggy. There is still no replacement for the real deal.

“I think the trousers a bit too scary to keep up all the time,” Rebecca said, “but we’ll definitely put it back out when we have a busy day of calls!”

Source: The Dodo