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CONTROLLING YOUR CAT
If you don't want a cat to jump into your lap, don't replique montre make eye contact with it.
Kim Murphy, columnist, Portland, Maine

Current Rating: 4.4 out of 10 based on 137 reviews

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racegirl2000 - 2010-10-04
Cats only sit in your lap because your lap is warm..

Bender Bernder Rodriguez - 2009-09-29
NEVER stare at a cat...NEVER!

Hobo - 2009-07-30
Cat Rule of Thumb #1 Using a rule of thumb to predict cat behavior will only make you look foolish.

Doug - 2009-01-16
Many cats will not make eye contact, so if your cat is one that does, this rule of thumb is probably very true.

John A. Van Doren - 2008-11-09
I rub tuna fish oil all over my lap. Cats love it! (Dolphin free tuna...so don't be too upset about it people)

David R - 2008-10-03
I have one cat who almost never sits on my lap. One of the 3 or 4 times he did was during one of those total eclipses of the moon....and I wanted to go outside and see the darn thing and take pictures! But I didn't dare as it had been about 2 years since Toby sat on my lap previously.

C - 2008-04-14
Please. Making eye contact has next to nothing (or nothing) to do with it. Whether a cat jumps onto your lap depends on a)the cat's personality and tendencies, b) the cat's current mood, c) whether the cat feels safe enough given 1) its opinion of you, and 2) any current action or noises happening in your environment. It's really not very complicated to understand, unless a person finds common sense complicated. (People do seem to have more and more trouble with common sense nowadays, don't they?)

Tom - 2008-01-28
My cat may jump on my lap when I don't make eye contact, but when I do make eye contact it is guaranteed that she's going to walk over to me and try to jump on my lap while meowing. Maybe different cats have different personalities?!?

Andrew - 2008-01-28
When you stare at a cat,you are challenging it to a fight so looking at a cat does not automatically mean it will jump up in your lap.

Linda - 2008-01-27
I have 8 cats and never have to look at any of them so they'll jump up in my lap. All I have to do is sit down and there they are; as many as can fit.

Lew - 2008-01-27
While watching TV and not looking at the cat, our cat will jump on my lap. this happens all the time. It also happens to my Daughter and Son with the 4 cats they have.

Fred Buchholz - 2008-01-27
Steve is also incorrect. The base of the tail is hard for them to scratch. So, most cats love this and will hang around awhile and come back for more, espcecially if they have dry skin.

Fred Buchholz - 2008-01-27
Part 2 - ...the cat to come check you out.

Fred Buchholz - 2008-01-27
If the author was a true cat person, Kim would never have written this rule of thumb. Cats by nature are curious, very territorial and controlling of their turf. Vaughan is correct it is "the total opposite". By not making eye contact you are inviting

David Robinson - 2008-01-25
Actually the best thing is not to try to control your cat...better yet dont have one

Steve - 2008-01-15
If you rub the small if its back, just up from the tail, it will jump right off and not come back!

mike3k - 2008-01-09
Vaughan is right. Cats will come to you if you avoid eye contact.

Vaughan - 2008-01-09
NO! Actually it's the total opposite. Avoiding eye contact with a cat or looking away actually sends friendly signals to a cat, which is why cats always *supposedly* jump up at people who don't like cats (because people who don't like cats tend to avoid e