Why Does Your Cat Lay on Your Clothes?

One of the most comforting things a cat parent can see is their kitty laying on top of a pile of laundry. It turns out your cat is receiving similar comfort in that situation, says Linda Rollins, long-time domestic pet rescuer and owner of Better Than Dead.

Rollins has fostered 239 dogs (and counting) and participated in numerous trap-neuter-release (TNR) operations to manage stray cat populations. “We brought them to Feral Spay Sundays, myself and all these other crazy cat ladies,” Rollins says. The women trapped the cats and brought them to a local vet who volunteered time (usually on a Sunday) to spay and neuter them. The women then returned the cats their territory.

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Main takeaways

• Cats are comfort-seeking creatures who enjoy laying on a pile of clothes. 

• Cats will lay on your clothes because they like your scent, they’re curious or they’re stressed.   

•  Putting your clothes away is the only effective way to keep your cat off them. 

Rollins has shared her home with cats for years and currently has two cats. No matter where cats live, they find their favorite spots. “I had five cats at one point and everybody had their special area,” she says. 

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Reasons why your cat lays on your clothes

They want warmth and comfort.

“Cats are going to find the warmest, softest, most comfortable place to sleep,” Rollins says. “If it means on your bed on top of your folded clothes, then they’re going to do that. For cats it’s all about feeling safe and warm.” 

They like your scent.

Rollins says to a cat, your clothes — clean or dirty — are alluring because they smell like you. “It’s a scent exchange,” she says. “They’re sitting on our clothes because they smell like us and they’re leaving their scent on our clothes, sort of staking out their territory.”  

They are marking their territory.

If that pile of clothes is more or less permanent and your cat has made it their favorite spot, then they may consider it part of their territory, Rollins says. 

They are seeking attention.

Because your clothes smell like you, if you react every time your cat lays on your clothes — by scratching them or picking them up and redirecting them with a few kind words — they’ll come to associate your clothes with attention. 

They are curious about your clothes.

It doesn’t take much to elicit a cat’s curiosity so a pile of warm, soft clothing that smells like you is a magnet. Once they begin associating your clothes with feeling warm and safe, they perk up when they see a new pile.  

It’s a nesting instinct.

Rollins says cats like confined spaces because they feel safe and warm. “Cats feel safest in an enclosure,” Rollins says. “That’s why they like all the little tunnels and that’s why they like paper bags. I had a cat that used to like to crawl under the covers. Cats are all about comfort and warmth.” 

They like the texture and sensations of your clothes.

Just as cats enjoy sensory experiences like scratching posts, they might like the feel of certain textured clothing on their sensitive paws. Cat parents often report their companion likes a velvet throw or a loosely-woven blanket they can pull with their claws. 

They are escaping from stress.

A cat who’s stressed will seek secure, enclosed spaces to restore psychological well-being. If you suspect that’s the case, resist the urge to dislodge your cat from your clothes. If you think your absence for a day or longer will be stressful for your cat, or your cat is going to the vet, place a piece of familiar clothing in the carrier to comfort your cat. 

It’s a bonding ritual

Cats naturally live in family groups and Rollins says cats consider your clothes a stand-in for you. “I think they’re just trying to keep the connection. It’s the next best thing to you being there and it comforts them. It’s like a treat, that pile of clothes.”  

If you’re a new cat parent and trying to establish a bond with your cat, cat dad David Taylor says he learned from a vet that clothing helps when he introduced two cats to the office of the business he owns. “The vet explained that cats lay on fabric for warmth, comfort and a place to stake a claim to a familiar scent,” Taylor says. “The vet advised that we provide cozy spots with personal items, such as a blanket or clothes. For instance, each worker brought one item of clothing for the cats to snuggle on, and that helped the cats adjust. He also recommended setting up a “cat space” with comfortable bedding and home-smelling products like a T-shirt or blanket.”  

They are claiming ownership.

Similar to bonding, a cat laying on your clothes is their way of declaring ownership of you. Other ways they might claim ownership and count you as part of their family is rubbing on you and head-butting. Less desirable displays of ownership are scratching and spraying urine. 

Should you let your cat lay on your clothes?

Rollins says, no, not if you don’t like cat hair. “It’s just part of my life, to go out with cat and dog hair on myself but a lot of people aren’t like me and have lint rollers,” she says. 

Cats will chew on non-edible items like plants, paper, plastic and clothing. Known as feline pica, it’s common, costly (in terms of ruined possessions) and can be dangerous for your cat. If you’re worried your cat will bite or scratch your favorite cashmere sweater, put the sweater in a dresser or closet. 

You might also find more than bite marks and cat hair on your clothing. A former cat of mine liked burrowing in the perpetually messy pile of my kids’ dress-up clothes. That was sweet — until the day I picked up the pile and desiccated cat vomit fell out of the clothing. After that, I put the lid on the trunk of clothes. 

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How to train your cat to not lay on your clothes

When your mother told you to put your clothes away, she might not have been thinking of cats. The only way to keep cats off your clothes, though, is to put them away. You can also train yourself to put your least favorite clothes on top of the pile if you can’t bear disrupting you cat’s favorite nap spot. 

Or, try redirecting your cat to a designated area, maybe even with some of your less-loved clothing. As long as the clothes are left out, they’re a temptation. “You’re never going to win that war,” Rollins says.