Are you a cat owner who’s had to pause a TV show, film, or a bit of work you’re attempting to do on a laptop because your kitty wants to sit on the keyboard?
Or have you ever been trapped on the sofa for hours because you couldn’t possibly disrupt their sitting session?
You’re not alone. While it’s nice to scoop them off and have a cuddle (if they let you), cats can really get in the way sometimes.
One couple has come up with a genius way to trick their clingy cat into leaving them alone – a fake lap for her to sit on.
Rebecca May, 29, and her husband Alex, 32, adopted ten-year-old Ziggy from a shelter and while she was shy at first, soon she would stroll up to them for cuddles.
Always vying for their time and affection, Ziggy became quite the clingy cat, making it hard for freelancer Rebecca to work from home.
So Alex, an artist who also works from home, decided to make fake legs that Ziggy could sit on.
The genius hack involved stuffing a pair of trousers with duvet cover to make it look like legs, adding a pair of trainers below and leaving a heating pad inside to simulate a human body.
And Ziggy is none the wiser.
‘When she bonds with someone it’s just really intense,’ explained Rebecca. ‘She absolutely has to sit on you.
‘She’s almost on you before you’ve even sat down – she’ll see that you’re near the sofa and her eyes go black, her ears go flat like you’re a target. Once you’re down, she’s there.’
At first this was not a problem. But with both working from home, Ziggy became a bit a nuisance.
She would climb all over desks and laptops, preventing her owners from working, interrupting conference calls, clawing at headset cords, and pawing at keyboards.
Rebecca added: ‘Even if you’re not sitting, she’ll find some way to be on you, whether it’s your back or your shoulder!
‘When we’re both sat at our desks, she will sit behind you and yell until she has your attention.
‘She becomes very vocal, but her meow is like a kitten’s. It’s so hard to ignore her, and she’ll yell and huff at the door if you shut her out, she gets very stressed.’
The couple has tried other hacks such as leaving a cat bed near the office but to no avail.
‘She needs warmth and to feel protected,’ continued Rebecca. ‘I’m all for clingy cats, but there are times where some kind of measures need to be taken.’
Luckily, Ziggy took to the fake lap immediately, meaning her owners can work uninterrupted.
‘Alex thought that creating a decoy would be funny, but I don’t think he expected it to actually work.
‘We’ve only tried it a few times as we’re usually happy to entertain her, but there’s the odd occasion where we can’t and these come in handy. But they’re a bit too creepy to keep up all the time, so it’s currently on an as-and-when basis.’
Wise choice.
Do you have a genius way to keep your pet at bay? Email metrolifestyleteam@metro.co.uk to tell us more.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/05/owners-make-clingy-cat-fake-lap-sit-can-get-work-12353447/?ITO=squid
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