Not sure how many people know/remember this, but in Peace Walker, via Paz's diary tapes, you find out that Mother Base had a pet cat--a seemingly solid black kitten called 'Nuke.' Supposedly this cat was also a mascot of sorts for them, though this may have been an inside joke on Mother Base. Its age isn't confirmed beyond kitten, but based on the momento--
--that you find in MGS:V, it was probably between 3 and 5 months old when they found it, based on the overall size and shape of the little fellow. I mention all of this because I recently remembered another little 'head-canon' so to speak.
I think Snake is unwittingly good with cats. He didn't exactly go out of his way to interact with Nuke, but when the cat brushed him by when he was on its preferred platform, he never complained. My reason being that Snake is a very composed, almost low-energy person off of the battlefield, and I think this led to Snake accidentally becoming one of Nuke's favorite people, the same way it was drawn to Paz despite her initial disdain towards it. And when it was still on the smaller side of kittenhood, it no doubt climbed up all the way to his shoulder--maybe more than once. I honestly don't think he'd even mind that much. Assuming it was safe for the cat. They'd just chill. Maybe as time went on Snake would actually start crouching down and petting it unprovoked for a little bit before going on his way…
If any of the soldiers had seen it, and told their bedmates, they probably wouldn't have believed it unless they had seen it for themself. The one and only Big Boss, weak to the feline charms of MSF's little cat just like the rest of us. In response to this revelation, I'd reckon their next batch of posters up around Mother Base all had an additional little face on them.
Do you think they ever found Nuke sleeping in the Cardboard Box stash?
