Despite their reputation for independence and aloofness, cats are friendly and cuddly. Some cats seek you out and cuddle up to you because they need your company as they need breath. However, because they are constantly looking for open laps, these clinging cats can occasionally be a hassle for their owners.

Rebecca May and her husband also own a “super clingy” cat named Ziggy. The couple adopted Ziggy and her sister, Harley, from a London shelter three years ago. At first, Ziggy can be shy, but once she gets comfortable she doesn’t hesitate to show how she feels.

“When she bonds with someone it’s just really intense,” May told The Dodo. “She absolutely has to be sat on you.” Even before her parents sit down, she’s already planning her cuddle attack.

Recently, the couple started working from home more, but they couldn’t work because Ziggy loved climbing all over their desks and keyboards. For this reason, they needed to find a way to keep her occupied so they could get some work done.

A false lap was the perfect solution they came up with after trying everything to soothe and appease Ziggy. We believe that she need warmth and a sense of security.

From a pair of lounge trousers, May’s husband created a fake person. The pants had a heating pad inside of them and were filled with a duvet cover to make them look like legs. Ziggy eagerly climbed onto the makeshift lap after adding pillow stomach and tennis shoe feet. She then slept peacefully there for four hours.

“He thought that creating a decoy would be funny, but I don’t think he expected it to actually work,” May said. “Harley was totally uninterested, but Ziggy loved it.”

Though the fake lap has worked effectively to comfort Ziggy, the family knows it’s no replacement for the real thing. “I think the trousers are a bit too scary to keep up all the time,” Becky said, “but we’ll definitely put it back out when we have a busy day of calls!”

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