Couple comforts their SUPER clingy cat with a "fake" lap

Three years ago, Rebecca May and her husband adopted Ziggy and her sister, Harley, from a London shelter. And while Ziggy can be shy at first, once she gets comfortable she's not afraid 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.”

fake lap 1
via Rebecca May

If there is no lap available for Ziggy, she always finds a way to get closer to her favorite people. “She will sit squarely on your back or balance precariously on your arm or shoulder,” May added. “She just has to be on you.”

fake lap 2
via Rebecca May

This seems really cute and not much of a problem... until recently, when Ziggy’s parents started working from home more.

This seemed like good news to Ziggy — who immediately started climbing all over her mom’s desk and computer keyboard. But it posed a problem for May, who needs to be able to use the computer and take calls in peace.

May placed a cat bed on her desk so Ziggy could stay close, but it still wasn’t enough. “She needs warmth and to feel protected, we think,” May said. The couple tried everything to calm Ziggy, but nothing seemed to satisfy her.

fake lap 3
via Rebecca May

And then they had a brilliant idea.

May's husband decided to create a "fake lap".

He took a pair of lounge pants, stuffed them to resemble legs and hid a heating pad in the lap of the pants. For good measure, he added tennis shoe feet and a pillow stomach.

fake lap 4
via Rebecca May

“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.”

fake lap 5
via Rebecca May

While the fake lap has worked like a charm, the May family knows it's no replacement for the real thing. “I think the trousers a bit too scary to keep up all the time," May said, "but we'll definitely put it back out when we have a busy day of calls!”