Pet Please #74: That Moment When Your Pet Decides Out of the Blue That Everything Needs to Stop and You Need to Snuggle NOW

People who have dogs may not be able to relate to this entry. My experience with dogs is that they’re okay–if not outright excited–to snuggle at pretty much any time. Sure, there are exceptions, but that’s most dogs.

Cats are a whole other animal (obviously). I can’t speak for all cats, but I can speak for Biddy and Walter, my cats. Biddy spends most of the day playing and sleeping. Walter spends most of the day sleeping and staring out the window.

And yet every now and then, a switch goes off and one of them absolutely has to snuggle NOW. There’s something charming about this–so charming that I’ve made it an official pet please. I think humans have these urges too, but we’ve learned to ignore them over the years. Either that or we don’t have someone close at hand at all times for a hearty snuggle.

Walter gets the snuggle urge randomly, and he’ll sit next to me or on me purring away as I scratch under his chin. He’ll do that for 20-30 minutes if I indulge him.

Biddy has a regular cuddle time right after I crawl into bed, but he also has a more sporadic snuggle urge that seems to happen every week on Sunday afternoon. I’ll be sitting on the couch, fat and lazy after eating lunch, and all of a sudden he will climb onto my chest and coo and purr and snuggle. Frankly, it’s adorable, and I have the photos to prove it (thank goodness for camera phones. What would pet owners do without them?)

Pet/child owners out there, do you experience this? Specifically the random, urgent need to snuggle.

7 thoughts on “Pet Please #74: That Moment When Your Pet Decides Out of the Blue That Everything Needs to Stop and You Need to Snuggle NOW”

  1. Beckham is the exception when it comes to dogs and snuggling. You usually have to catch him first thing in the morning or when he is falling asleep or when he’s not feeling well (which thankfully hasn’t been the case lately). Once he is awake there is no chance of him being still for snuggling. My roommate and I will sometimes hold him and make him snuggle while saying “You’re going to enjoy this one day” and then he starts to fight is way out of our arms. 🙂

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  2. It’s funny–my husband would say I do this. Specifically, I have what is called a “defensive snuggle” that I pull out whenever things get too overwhelming or I’m trying to avoid answering a question. Basically, it’s my defense mechanism.

    SNUGGLING IS MY DEFENSE MECHANISM.

    He will say, “Hey, I saw you spent $4,000 at the grocery store this week…”

    And I will wrap my arms around his neck and give him the biggest, snuggliest hug EVER.

    Weird, right?

    (PS: I have never spent that much anywhere ever. Especially not the grocery store.)

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    • Anne–That’s awesome. I am well versed in the snuggle attack, so I can completely relate to both you and your husband. As attacks go, it’s pretty awesome.

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  3. Yes. Though I don’t think it’s random. Whenever I come home after a long day baby Athena wants to hug and kiss me right away. She’s incredibly affectionate (I’ve heard not all babies are). It’s the best feeling in the whole world. Lately she’s been giving spontaneous hug for no reason. Aw! 🙂

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    • Jen–That’s adorable. If I ever have a baby, I hope she/he gives me spontaneous, unconditional hugs like Athena gives to you. 🙂

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    • I wish Charlotte was still like this! I have to ask for almost every hug or kiss, with a few exceptions, like when I drop her off in the morning. I’m always teasing her that she’s a wiggle monster because she will never sit still long enough for me to snuggle with her anymore. Even if she’s watching a movie she has to be constantly fidgeting. It can be the last thing I need at the end of a long day! I even bought her a book called “The Cuddliest Cuddles in the World” about a baby animal that tried to snuggle with other animals and finally realized that his mom was the best snuggler. I thought that surely this would remind her how amazing it is to snuggle with me. Nope.

      The other day I actually snuggled up behind her on the couch and then suggested that we play “The Statue Game” where we each have to remain still for at least 10 seconds. This was basically a cheap way for me to get at least a little bit of snuggling. And then I counted very slowly! 🙂

      Wow, it’s kind of sad that this is what I’m resorting to! What’s a girl got to do to get snuggled with?! Is it weird that sometimes I kind of like it when she’s just a *little* under the weather because those are the only times when she does cuddle?

      I must be going through withdrawal. Maybe I’ll join one of those snuggle groups. Did you know that such a thing exists?

      Reply

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