Poor Pica. She loves being held, and petted and squeezed, and will come to me to get picked up and comforted... BUT she gets a little scared, or maybe finds it fun to run when you reach out to grab her. So she keeps circling back and almost getting picked up over & over & over, until she's a just a little too slow. She gets caught.
Then she goes limp in your arms and purrs and is so happy.
What an absurd animal!
(I don't pick her up for a day or two? she starts sadly meowing more & more...)
To be fair, I too would be scared of being grabbed by a giant.
But, I can't tell if this is a game for her, or if she just still has a hang up with being grabbed.
@futurebird It may be instinctual behavior. I have two feral cats that are now inside cats due to age and health. They both are very weary of being touched, the same way as Pica avoids being picked up, but purr happily when eventually petted. They also get quite vocal if you don't pet them.