I once had a rather unsociable cat named Lucy, who turned into an adorable lap cat in her tenth year. She'd actually jump up on my lap every evening right after dinner (mine, not hers). She died a year later, so I was really grateful for this time that we had.

Of my present gang, I can turn them into lap cats, but for varying times. Sid is good for about a minute. Joxer can be good for 5-10 minutes. Quincy and Jan are somewhere in the middle. Also, they almost never are the ones to jump up on my lap, I usually have to force the issue.

Sid has been my biggest challenge. He loves attention and being petted but isn't fond of the whole lap concept. Sometimes I just set him next to me on the couch (facing away from me of course!), and he is able to stay longer. But he is six now, and is getting steadily better as time goes on.