Okay, we all know cats aren’t exactly the most consistently friendly creatures out there. One moment they stare at you with the same admiration a monkey may have for a banana; the next, they seem to detest the very thought of you touching them.
However, a select few cats fall into the attention-loving category, and if your cat is part of this group, first of all, you’re incredibly lucky. Second of all, I’m sorry your cat is an attention freak. If your cat likes being held like a baby, the most likely explanation is it probably thinks it is one.
Today, we finally determine why cats enjoy being held like babies and whether it is their secret weapon to ensure global domination. I mean, they kind of are the only animals we wouldn’t be surprised to find out are planning to take over the world. The Cats & Dogs movie left no doubt of that in our minds.
They Want to Take Over the Position of Man’s Best Friend
Call me cynical, but I’ve always thought there was at least some sort of rivalry between cats and dogs. And in my opinion, this rivalry centers around who is more loved and appreciated by humans.
I have a Yorkshire Terrier who absolutely adores being carried around like a baby. In fact, most dogs seem to enjoy this more than any other animal I’ve come across. Maybe the reason why your cat lets you hold it like a baby isn’t that they particularly enjoy it, but because they want to replace dogs in the pecking order of man’s affection.
If cats can mimic enough of the cutest dog behaviors, they may eventually bypass their canine rivals entirely and become moody, demanding replacements of man’s best friends.
They Know We’ve Got Daddy Issues, and They’re Exploiting the Hell Out of It
Bear with me here. You know how psychology has described the constant desire to please in a relationship as a desperate search for the reassurance of love our dads never gave us as kids? Well, the more technical name for this is having attachment issues.
I think cats figured out some of us crave love and attention so much that we will do anything possible to please the objects of our affection. And so, it became a part of the great Catspiracy to draw us in with their cuteness and lovability, yet maintain a constant aloofness that leaves us desperate to discover how to make them love us more.
Holding a cat like a baby leads us to believe they finally trust us, further cementing their hold on our emotions and rendering us all slaves to the kitty whim. We hunger after their approval just as teenage girls chase after the disinterested f***boys.
Your Cat Simply is a Big Baby
Catspiracy theories aside, there’s a good enough chance your cat likes being carried around because it really just is a big baby. Perhaps you found one of the few cats in the world who very much like being treated like a helpless infant. A good indicator this might be the case is your cat always choosing to stay near you, sleeping on your bed, and rarely straying from your side.
This is likely due to the existence of mutual dependence; your cat needs you for love, affection, and food, while you need your cat to love you back in an equal amount. Suppose you find yourself chattering to your feline companion in baby voices, carrying them around with you all day, and putting a blankie on your bed specifically for old Whiskers. In that case, you may need to admit you adopted a cat-baby.
In most cases, this won’t even be the poor cat’s fault. Instead, you would have showered it with so much attention and care it eventually gave up being a cat and went full-on furchild.
Your Cat is an Attention Whore
Ah yes, cats are the opportunists of the animal world. They discover they can keep us mesmerized with their wily adorableness and then use it to their complete advantage.
A promising sign your cat is an attention whore, and not just a big baby, is that it allows nearly anyone it meets to carry it baby-style.
The person doing the carrying instantly melts into a puddle of soppiness, cooing and tutting over how sweet, how adorable your pet is, and your cat relishes every second of it.
I mean, wouldn’t you love it if everyone you met thought you were the best thing since sliced bread? I think the reason these cats allow us the liberty of holding them like babies is because they find the trade-off of adoration and enraptured cat-worship to be a one-sided exchange.
Your Cat Doesn’t Want You to Have a Real Baby
Chalk it down to personal bias, but I honestly think cats are more intelligent and conniving than we assume.
Why does my cat like to be held like a baby? Well, there’s a good chance they believe if they allow you to treat them like a baby for long enough, you may never have a real one to replace them.
They will spend their entire life as the sole object of your love simply because, by conceding to your babying behavior, they have successfully turned you into a crazy cat man or lady who will never share your affection with anyone but them.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Research has shown a chemical called Toxo, found in cat poop, may just make you obsessed with them. Toxo even made rats pass all the signs usually warning them there are cats in the area and cheerfully run straight into an inevitable death trap.
If their poop can do that to a rat simply passing by, how much more can it do to the humans who live near it and come into close proximity with it daily?
Your Cat Trusts You Completely
My last point does offer some redeeming insight into the behavior of our furry overlords.
Do cats generally like to be held like a baby? Most cats I’ve come across would make me answer with a resounding, “No!” However, despite their tendency to appear as if they’re secretly planning the overthrow of democracy and the rise of Kitty Autocracy, some cats are just really sweet.
If your cat is letting you carry it upside down in your arms, with its stomach exposed, it most likely means it trusts you wholeheartedly. An animal’s tummy is the most vulnerable of all its body parts, and most animals instinctively crouch down to protect it when they feel threatened.
Your cat letting you carry it like a baby means it has established complete trust in you and sees no reason to fear you.
Whether that is a good sign or one that makes you worry why your cat thinks you are so entirely under their spell you have been rendered harmless is up to you.