The solution if your kitten wants to curl up on your work papers

This cute tabby cat in this equally cute YouTube video from the Philippines wants to curl up on the papers that this guy wants to work on and as usual the kitten is very persistent. One of the great qualities of the domestic cat is their persistence which is why they get their way in homes where the human is kindhearted. In homes where their human is not kindhearted the outcome won’t be as good.

We are told that the guy is a student trying to do his homework and he definitely is kindhearted because he gently picks up his kitten and removes him from the papers. He becomes slightly exasperated judging by the expression on his face. Although I don’t think he really minds because, it is, after all, making a nice video! And it is so typical of domestic cat behaviour. He’s probably quietly pleased because his charming kitten wants to be with him.

Cute tabby kitten curls on man’s papers as he tries to work. Screenshot

And I don’t think I would describe this kitten as ‘clingy’, as he has been described on YouTube by Newsflare. He just wants to be with his mate who happens to be a human. He might regard the student as his surrogate mother. It doesn’t matter that much: he just wants to be with the person who represents his mother, caretaker and friend.

Rather than gently picking him up and placing him away from the papers, the solution, I would suggest, would be to place, adjacent to the papers that he is working on, an item of clothing that he possesses which he has recently worn but not washed; scrunched up at the sides into which he places his kitten. I would guess the kitten would stay there provided he stroked him occasionally. This would allow him to continue working with the beautiful company of his feline friend right next to him.

Note: videos on this site are typically made by people other than me and held on YouTube servers or the servers of other businesses (not the server storing this website). Sometimes the videos are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Like a lot of things in the relationship between human and cat, the best solution is a compromise which is often only a small adjustment from that which the cat wants. The same sort of compromise might take place in the bedroom. Cats want to be on your bed and you might not like it, particularly if you have a girlfriend or partner with whom you want to have intimate relations! Cats get in the way and they can also disturb sleep. If it really concerns you, you might build a little bed for your cat in the bedroom close to your bed. That might be a good compromise which works. It would allow your cat to soak up the body scent that you produce which will please him or her and allow him to be close to you without actually interfering. It would lack one thing: your body heat. And that’s a barrier to success.

But compromising and adapting from both human and cat is the way we manage our relationship. Cats are always adapting to the human environment. I guess that it is down to us to sometimes to do the same thing.

Working in a compromised way with my cat on my lap. Photo: MikeB

Here is another example of compromise, which is happening as I dictate this article. I’m in bed and its approaching 6 o’clock in the morning. My cat wants to be on my lap where my computer would normally be. Rather than preventing him going on my lap I accommodate him. He settles down on my lap and I put the computer to one side. I know that after about five minutes he will move down my legs and I can gently encourage him to go a bit further which allows me to put my computer on my lap. He’s happy and I’m happy. We both get our way with five minutes of compromise in between.