Okay, I'm sure there's a reason I'm doing this instead of getting dressed or re-reading how various essays in various languages are meant to be structured.
What you might be referring to as clawing could, in fact, be kneading.

It's something they start doing when they're very young and just means that the happiness they're feeling at that moment reminds them of when they were kittens and happy and snuggly and warm and suckling, which is an adorable idea.

But since I know this can be unpleasant, I recommend a blanket because it will make kitteh happier and you safe from claws!
Cat-people like independence.

That doesn't mean the cats don't cuddle 75-ish% of the time anyway.

And with most of the cats I've ever had, picking them up was sufficient to make them want to cuddle.

And cats are clean.

Dogs are not clean animals.

They like to get dirty.

I don't like to get dirty and have absolutely no interest in getting dirty with them.

And the barking irks me to no end, because I'm high and therefore hyperacoustic quite a lot of the time.

Also, our lab gets into absolutely everything and cannot be left alone.

She steals food when we're not looking, she makes an absolute mess of everything and she's very loud and whines and demands endless amounts of attention and walks I don't have time for.

Cats, while they might demand attention too, generally do so by jumping on my lap and letting me multitask. I've managed to make them stop sitting on whatever it is I'm doing.