Does your cat constantly sit on your stuff? Does your best feline friend seem determined to get in the way of whatever task you’re trying to do? And have you ever wondered why?
25th July 2024
Whether it’s on top of your laptop as you’re about to join an online meeting, the magazine you’ve just set aside to read with your coffee, the pile of laundry you’re about to load into the washing machine, or the suitcase you’ve just started to pack, does your cat jump aboard and give you that ‘what?’ look?
According to Cats Protection, there are various reasons why felines like to sit on their human’s stuff – from finding warmth, comfort and safety, to wanting to be close to anything that smells of you – as well as ensuring that they have your unbridled attention.
I like to be warm
A cat’s body temperature is a couple of degrees higher than us (38-39°C, compared to a human average of 37°C), which is why they seek out the sunniest or cosiest spots to hang out.
Cats Protection explains: “Laptops and other electrical appliances, radiators and other heat sources such as underfloor heating, sunlit spots, your lap and places you’ve just been sitting are all ideal as they radiate heat to keep their body temperature warm.”
Writing on Bustle, cat watcher Megan Grant says that cats are: “known to find warm places to help keep the temperature up. Your warm laptop or a book that became warmer from being held in your hands? It's the purrfect spot to cozy up.”
Cat-owning writer Jessica Sullivan adds: “This explains why my laptop is a popular sitting spot. I thought (my cat) Golden was trying to annoy me by getting her fur to stick to my screen. It's really because cats like to maintain their internal body temperature, and sitting somewhere warm makes it easy to stay toasty.”
I like to swap scents
While we humans interpret our world mainly by sight, a cat’s world is defined by scent. By creating unique scent profiles around their environment, a cat can feel safe and secure.
Cats Protection says: “They rub the scent glands found on their face, body and paws onto objects to transfer their scent and mark the area as safe. Therefore, if they’ve previously transferred their scent onto an object, they might be attracted to sit on it as they know it’s safe. Similarly, if they are bonded with you and know you can be trusted, they might associate your scent with safety and find comfort in sitting on your lap or on objects that smell like you, such as your unwashed laundry.”
Pet Helpful, an online resource created by animal lovers, enthusiasts, and pet professionals, comments: “Our cats are tied to our scents and love things that smell like us, as well. And, with over 200 million scent receptors, their sense of smell is 40 times stronger than ours! So, it makes sense that they would want to be on or near something that was just in our hands. Even more, when a cat recognises his or her own scent on an object from before, maybe a book you were reading a few days ago and just set down again after a few more chapters, he or she will keep reapplying their own scent to mark the object as safe. The same goes for your cell phone, laptop, or anything else you might use regularly.”
Megan Grant adds: “If you've noticed that your cat only likes to sit on the book you were just reading – and not any of the others – yes, that's totally a thing. Kitty doesn't have picky taste in books; it's that he wants the one you were just handling. In fact, one cat owner placed "dummy books" on her bed as an experiment, but her cat only wanted the one she was just reading.”
I like to make things mine
Notoriously inquisitive, cats will check out anything new that appears in their environment to determine what it is and ensure it’s safe, before taking ownership.
Cats Protection says: “Cats are curious creatures, so when a new object arrives in their home, such as a carrier bag, cardboard box, new piece of furniture or even a person, they may want to investigate it. If their initial inspection identifies the object as harmless, they might decide to sit on it to transfer their scent and mark it as safe.”
Megan Grant observes: “For the species, marking their territory with their scent has been a way of setting boundaries, both for themselves and for other felines. When it smells its own scent on something – maybe your computer? – the cat knows it's safe; additionally, it will continue reapplying the scent as it diminishes over time to keep that safeness around.”
“Another truth about our feline friends is that they are naturally territorial,” adds Pet Helpful. “They will claim their territory by rubbing themselves on an object transferring their pheromones (which come from glands in their faces and feet) onto whatever it was that you were just holding or using. This gives the object some of the cat’s own unique scent, marking it as yours (but really, theirs).”
I like to be the focus of your attention
If your cat gives you the impression that they’re getting in the way of whatever task you’re undertaking on purpose, you’re probably right on the money.
Megan Grant notes: “Your pal knows when you're giving your attention to something else; and, well, they want the attention on them. This is yet another reason cats sit on stuff you frequently use. Wherever your focus and gaze is, that's where they want to be.”
Pet Helpful adds: “Cats also want to be the centre of our attention and can tell when they are not. They have amazing senses and can tell where our focus is at a given moment. So, by laying on that object or standing right in front of the computer screen, he or she hopes to become the new centre of attention.”
And it’s a technique that canny cats know works really well. Cats Protection says: “If your cat likes fuss and strokes, they may choose to sit somewhere that will increase their chances of getting your attention. The laptop you’re using, paper you’re reading, chair you’re sitting on, or your lap are prime positions for getting in your way, so you give them a chin rub.”
It seems that cats know what they want and exactly how to get it. Megan Grant concludes: “Next time your cat sits on the exact thing you need, and you start to get aggravated, remember that it's doing it for a reason!” So that’s another cat mystery, solved!
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