it is good to have a cat

holding a cat in your arms is one of the best experiences you can have. they are soft, they purr onto your chest, you can put your face into their fur or against their head, and you can pet them while you talk to them. sometimes cats don't like to be picked up but if you can find one who does, you can bet you will have a good time. you may find a cat who likes being picked up sometimes but not other times. it can be very hard to gauge whether a cat wants to be picked up until you do it, so if you pick one up be prepared to read the warning signs. if the cat squirms, claws you, cries out, or hisses you should let the cat down gently onto the ground and back away. under no circumstances should you put your face within biting distance of the cat or try to force the cat to like what you are doing by holding onto them tighter. backing away is also important because the cat may try to claw your ankles in retaliation. cats are very good at telling you when they don't like what you are doing. other cats may not have liked being held when they were young, but now that they are old and weak they enjoy it very much. if you find a good cat for holding, pick them up under their front legs and scoop them toward your chest. remember to use one hand to cradle their hind legs as no one likes to dangle. you can prop their front paws on your shoulder or upper arm and use that same arm as a ledge for their feet. then your other hand is free to hug, pat and stroke the cat while your face nuzzles them. your cat may begin to get bored while you do this, so jiggling the cat like they are a human baby or bringing them toward fascinating objects such as windows, birds, or sometimes other humans can prolong the time you have with your cat before they begin to squirm. if you want to get a bit creative, try holding your cat as though they are a human baby, on their back. with this method, you will often have to cradle them with both arms. this method gives you a nice view of your cat's belly and allows you to look into each other's eyes but does not allow for too much cuddling and petting. gently rocking your cat while cradling them in this position can allow your cat to become a surrogate for a human baby. some humans and cats like this form of roleplay very much. whatever you find your resulting relationship to your cat to be, you can see here that the benefits to holding a cat in your arms far outweigh the costs. i want to encourage you to go out and hold a cat right now. i have done it, and my day has been made better as a result.